LAKESIDE living

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

- MARISHA TAYLOR

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.

BUY THE KEY PIECES

Effi bouclé chair, £548, Anthropologie. Try Chunky knitted pouffe, £75, John Lewis & Partners. Stovax Studio Air woodburning stove, £2,339, Bell, is similar

HOME NOTES

WHO LIVES THERE

Samantha Thompson, a strategy director (@themodernlakehouse), lives here with her husband Will, a managing director, and their two children, Lexi, 10, and Amelie, seven.

THE PROPERTY

A four-bedroom lakeside lodge built in 2010 in the Cotswolds, and purchased in 2020.

THE LAYOUT

As the couple couldn’t extend beyond the property’s existing footprint, the house has been re-configured to maximise the space. An open-plan kitchen, dining and living area with views across the lake occupies the ground floor, along with an office and cloakroom. Upstairs is home to the family’s four bedrooms and two bathrooms.