Scottish Heritage Groups Unite to Save Bernat Klein Studio

A coalition of heritage groups including the Scottish Historic Buildings Trust, National Trust for Scotland, and the Bernat Klein Foundation has launched an urgent bid to save the Bernat Klein Studio, a Category A-listed Modernist building in the Scottish Borders designed by Peter Womersley in 1972. The studio, once a creative hub for the renowned textile designer Bernat Klein who collaborated with major fashion houses like Dior and Chanel, has been vacant and severely dilapidated for decades, with restoration costs estimated at £2.5-3 million. Recently put up for auction with a guide price of £18,000, the building faces further deterioration and vandalism, prompting the coalition to initiate a fundraising appeal backed by the National Lottery Heritage Fund to secure ownership and carry out emergency repairs. Despite previous private negotiations, the sudden auction listing has accelerated efforts to purchase and restore the studio to its original use as a design and cultural venue. The project has also received support from Scottish Borders Council and aims to preserve the studio as a landmark of 20th-century architecture and a center for creative arts in the Borders. The coalition hopes to stabilize the building and transform it into a public educational facility honoring Klein’s legacy and Scotland’s textile heritage.