Brown’s of Leith

A Neighbourhood Gathering Place

A conversation with Gunnar Groves-Raines on design, friendship, and the evolving character of Leith.

Leith has always been a place shaped by people - its docks, its workshops, its kitchens and cafés. Over the years it has grown and shifted, but the sense of community has remained constant. Brown’s of Leith is the latest chapter in that story. Designed by long-time friends and collaborators at GRAS, the project brings new life to a historic space while staying rooted in the neighbourhood around it. Ahead of our recent shoot at Brown’s of Leith, we sat down with Gunnar to talk about the building, the community, and why Leith continues to be one of Edinburgh’s most creative corners.

For those who haven’t visited yet, can you tell us a little about Brown’s of Leith and the idea behind the project?

Brown’s is an extension of the Custom Lane eco-system, created to support ambitious creative practice in Leith and more broadly across Scotland. Our buildings are varied, mixed-use spaces, hosting a diverse collection of creative people, organisations and activities. Being a former industrial building, Brown’s offers a range of spaces which are of an incredible scale and character, which we are slowly bringing into new, productive uses.

What first drew you to this building and this particular part of Leith?

We came to Leith when we moved our conservation studio from the south side of Edinburgh and our design studio from the east end of Glasgow. We came initially to restore a former national trust building, and over the past fifteen years have become deeply rooted in the local community, driving discussions and actions around positive regeneration. We could see that Leith really was the creative quarter of Edinburgh, but that there were very few places for those creatives to come together, share ideas, inspire and mentor one another and seek opportunities for collaboration and growth. While Brown’s was in industrial use, every local creative has looked longingly at the building and imagined what it could be. It’s one of the few well-located, large industrial buildings in Edinburgh, and the last on the shore and so holds such incredible potential for those with vision and ambition. In taking it on, we hope to take many people on the journey with us, so that lots of hands can help shape its future, and realise many dreams.

When you first stepped inside the space, what did you see that others might not have?

When we first visited, the building was still a functioning engineering works, so was full of industrial equipment. It was great to see it in that active state, which really instilled a sense in us that it needed to remain a place of productivity; creating, making and doing. Many of the quirks of the building which might have made it a challenging prospect for a developer, were precisely the things that we loved about it. And the light was just beautiful, church-like.

What sort of atmosphere were you hoping to create for people walking through the doors?

We took a deliberately light touch to the alterations, doing just enough to bring people into the space and allow them to experience it in its natural state, while ensuring that they could be comfortable, warm, and that the space would smell and sound good. The building, while beautiful, is naturally robust, constructed in hard materials. Where we made interventions we wanted them to feel at home in that context but also to introduce elements of softness and refinement. The experience for most stepping through the doors is one of surprise, not only at the cavernous spaces, but also at the hive of activity, warmth, sounds and good smells.

How do you strike the balance between introducing something new while respecting the history of a place?

As a studio our heritage is in the conservation and adaptive re-use of buildings so we have learned a deep respect for what we find in buildings and feel a deep sense of responsibility to ensure that the embedded stories of the past are protected so they can be experienced by future generations. It’s often an exercise in restraint, resisting the urge to over-design. Then when we place something new in a space there is an established respect for the context which helps to guide good decision making. The result is something which is uniquely responsive to the building, the context and our partners.

Are there any small details in the space that people might not immediately notice but that mean a lot to you?

I find myself staring at the floor, looking at the rings of paint, scratches or burn marks and imagining all that has been made or repaired there over the years.

Leith has changed a lot over the years - how have you seen the neighbourhood evolve?

We have such an admiration for the diverse community of Leith, and admire its pragmatism and practical nature. As a harbour town, built on trade transport and manufacturing, it’s an inherently worldly and outward looking community, but also distinctly unfussy. While much of Edinburgh is necessarily conservative, to protect its incredible built heritage, Leith feels like a place where things can change and happen and where physical innovation and risk taking is still possible. Since we launched Custom Lane in 2016 in collaboration with KESTIN, and especially since covid we have seen a steady flow of great new things happening in Leith. There has always been good food and drink, but now there are so many great choices, and increasing numbers of creative businesses are choosing to make Leith their home.

Do you feel there’s a particular creative energy in Leith at the moment?

I think this is true across Scotland, but we have certainly felt it here. Leith has become a focal point for a lot of creative discourse around architecture, design and craft, especially with people like Hugo and James at Bard establishing their gallery store and studio with us here, and KESTIN choosing Leith for their home. We have seen the eyes of the world falling on Leith and its creative community and that creates so much potential for that energy to flourish and to be exported internationally.

How important is it that projects like Brown’s feel connected to the local community?

With Brown’s and Custom Lane more generally we are committed to support and serve the local community, the community of discerning travellers, and the wider creative community. In that sense we can only do what we do if these communities feel value from the work we’re doing here, and feel a part of that journey. Through Brown’s and Custom Lane, there is a feeling of openness and inclusion and we can see that in the diversity of people, including a large proportion of locals who use our spaces, attend our events or eat and drink with us.

You’ve known Kestin for a long time -  how did that friendship first begin? 

We first met Kestin and Gemma through a mutual friend over dinner, and found that we shared many ambitions around galvanising creative practice to create cultural and commercial destinations which could drive positive, productive urban regeneration. With so much design and manufacturing now undertaken overseas, we were very taken with KESTIN and the mission to design in Leith through local collaboration and storytelling, while manufacturing the majority of goods in the UK. In 2016 we set about creating Custom Lane to provide a place for the creative community of Leith to come together, to share ideas, be inspired by one another and collaborate, and very naturally Kestin and Gemma embraced that ambition and launched their flagship store and design studio with us as a founding partner.

Do you see parallels between architecture and clothing design in the way both balance craft, function and longevity?

There are many parallels and overlaps in what we do, and we see the team at KESTIN as much more than clothing designers. Through their work they are embracing and defining a culture and a community and we feel that strongly in our own work.

How did it feel seeing the Brown’s team wearing KESTIN during the shoot?

So many of us wear KESTIN garments in our daily lives that in many ways it feels very natural, but it also feels like a humbling recognition of alignment between our parallel visions.

What do you hope Brown’s becomes for Leith over the next few years?

This is the first part of a multi-phased multi-year project which will give space to makers, producers, designers and creatives. We are already home to whisky blenders, WOVEN as well as jewellers, textile artists, florists and publishers and as we bring more parts of the building into use we hope to create a thriving hub of social, cultural and commercial activity. It is very much an evolving and dynamic project, and one which involves many hands and creative partners.

If someone was visiting Leith for the first time, how would you suggest they spend the day?

Leith has many different parts, each offering very distinct experiences. At the top of Leith walk a coffee or a pastry at Ante, or a glass of wine and a small plate at Spry. A browse through the incredible deli at Valvona and Crolla or one of the many independent stores like Typewronger bookshop. The walk down Leith Walk will take you past dozens of great independent restaurants, cafes and shops. Alternatively, the Shore can be reached easily by tram, or by walking along the leafy route of the Water of Leith from Stockbridge.

Around the Shore, excellent coffee can be found at Williams and Johnson Coffee, where coffee is roasted on site. Exhibitions celebrating contemporary Scottish art, design and craft at the wonderful Bard, or in the adjacent Custom Lane gallery space. There is also great space to drop in to work for a few hours, among the busy creative community housed within Custom Lane’s buildings. Brown’s itself has three distinct characters, through breakfast, lunch and dinner. Many start the day with a quiet morning coffee as the light streams in through the large windows, and finish it with a drink among friends in the same space. The shore area itself is beautiful and can be walked in a short time, to see significant historic buildings like the Custom House, the recently restored Lamb’s House, and the oldest building in Leith, St Ninian’s Manse. The busy harbour is visible nearby where goods are made and shipped. The Royal Yacht Britannia sits in one of the docks, next to Port of Leith distillery, the world’s first vertical distillery. You can spend the night at one of the two boat hotels, the Fingal or the Ocean Mist, or at the peaceful Pavilion at Lamb’s House.