| FAMILY HOUSE |
HIDDEN AWAY IN A QUIET CORNER OF THE COTSWOLDS, SAMANTHA AND WILL THOMPSON’S SERENE AND CONTEMPORARY WATER-FRONT HOME MAKES FOR THE PERFECT RETREAT
Living area
The layout has been switched to make the most of the view, with the fireplace the focal point. ‘I wanted this space to be light and airy in summer but cosy during the winter,’ says Samantha.
HOME NOTES
Samantha Thompson, a strategy director (@themodernlakehouse), lives here with her husband Will, a managing director, and their two children, Lexi, 10, and Amelie, seven.
A four-bedroom lakeside lodge built in 2010 in the Cotswolds, and purchased in 2020.
H avingbusy lives in London, Samantha and Will were on the look-out for a second home to share with their wider family. When lockdown happened, this became the impetus to find somewhere they could escape to.
WHY DID YOU BUY THE HOUSE?
‘Will and I had different ideas about the location; he wanted to be near the sea, while I love the countryside. This lakeside property in the Cotswolds was the perfect compromise and gave us a wonderful balance. We had to view properties online because of Covid restrictions, but despite that we fell in love with this one and bought it a couple of weeks after the first lockdown lifted.’
WHAT WORK HAVE YOU DONE?
‘The property was only ten years old but had been used as a “party house” so it was tired. The décor and marble flooring was a little “jazzy” for us and it had a small kitchenette. As a keen cook, having a proper kitchen with plenty of storage and a central island was a must. I had my heart set on a bespoke microcement fluted kitchen and worked with kitchen designer Gemma Fry who brought my ideas to life. We also wanted to add a fourth bedroom but can’t extend the property, so we removed one of the bathrooms, which gave us four good-sized rooms. The downstairs space was rejigged to work better for us and an office created for Will using internal glass doors. We then redecorated in relaxing, neutral colours to complement the scenery and the new wood floors. I’m conscious of the impact we have on our environment so we worked with sustainable suppliers and products as much as possible.’
WHAT CHALLENGES DID YOU FACE?
‘The biggest challenge was renovating through the second lockdown. The building work started in November 2020 and because of the travel ban, every decision had to be made remotely, right down to choosing paint colours. But we had an incredible project manager and builders at Manton
