This 19th-Century Townhouse in Scotland Was Decked Out by King Charles III’s Go-To Decorator

For admirers of the decorative handiwork of the late and lauded Robert Kime, opportunities like this don’t come along often. Set on Royal Terrace—one of Edinburgh’s most notable streets—a 19th-century Georgian townhouse has just hit the market with Knight Frank for £2.95 million (about $3.9 million). In recent years, the dwelling was thoughtfully redesigned in collaboration with the British decorator, the go-to tastemaker for King Charles III going back to at least the 1990s, who over the decades zhuzhed several royal residences, including Highgrove House and Clarence House.

The Edinburgh home was originally built in the 1820s by celebrated Scottish architect William Henry Playfair and stretches across four floors with a self-contained two-bedroom apartment on the garden level. The main living areas are located on the ground and second floors, offering expansive reception rooms, intricate plasterwork, and rich period details that have been carefully restored and elevated under Kime’s discerning eye and commitment to authenticity. 

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Step through the barrel-vaulted entrance hall—an architectural showstopper in its own right—and you’re instantly transported. The first-floor drawing room spans the entire width of the home and features three sash-and-case windows framing treetop views. A marble fireplace anchors the space, where tapestries line the walls, and the decor nods to both Georgian formality and Kime’s layered, storied style. 

Upstairs, five bedrooms offer a softer mood. The principal suite includes a dressing room and an en suite bath with a solid marble tub. And out back, a beautifully terraced garden leads directly to Regent Gardens, a private oasis with tennis courts, a playground, and acres of greenery. A one-bedroom mews house with a triple garage is also available by separate negotiation. 

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Kime, who passed away in 2022 at the age of 76, was known for his deep knowledge of antiques and textiles, and his path to design was anything but conventional. He began as an antiques dealer while studying medieval history at Oxford, selling finds out of his college rooms. His love of travel—through Egypt, Turkey, France, and beyond—informed a lifelong habit of collecting. Though he resisted the title of interior designer, his projects became quietly iconic. Among his international commissions were Tory Burch’s home in the French countryside and composer Andrew Lloyd Webber’s New York City apartment, as well as projects for the Duke of Beaufort and brewery heiress Daphne Guinness. 

Click here to see more photos of the Edinburgh townhouse.