A dated vacation house has been reworked into a forest villa, with the new layout doing as much work as the renewed exterior. The first thing you notice is the roofline: thatch, wide openings and a clear shift toward daylight. Inside, the plan opens up around a double-height living space, and that move gives the living room, dining area and kitchen more room to breathe. The renovation turns the building away from a closed holiday cottage and toward a house that reads from the inside out.

A rebuilt section that opens the plan

Part of the house was rebuilt to create a double-height living space, and that structural decision shapes the whole interior. Living, dining and kitchen are placed together in that higher volume, so the eye moves easily from one zone to the next. Instead of small separate rooms, the plan is organized around height and sightlines. Dark timber beams cross the ceiling in the images, while round light rings hang above the table and mark the dining zone without closing it off. The result is compact in footprint, but open in section.

The double-height living space also changes how the furniture sits in the room. A seating area gathers around the fireplace, while the dining table sits closer to the glazed side of the house. From one position you can read the full depth of the interior: timber, glass, light and the open route between functions. That layered arrangement is what makes the renovation feel so deliberate. It is not only about adding volume, but about using that volume to guide movement and views.

A copper dormer roof set against the thatch

One of the clearest exterior moves is the integrated dormer with a copper dormer roof. It sits inside the larger roof form and adds height where the house needs it most. Over time, the copper will deepen to a dark brown tone, which gives the dormer a slower, more restrained ageing than the surrounding materials. Against the thatched roof, the metal reads as a precise insert rather than a decorative extra.

The renewed palette extends beyond the roof. Masonry, windows and frames were given a new colour scheme, which sharpens the whole composition and gives the house a different presence among the trees. The contrast is visible in the images: the pale walls, darker frames and soft roof texture work together with the long glazing on the garden side. This is where the large glass facade becomes part of the architectural expression, not just an opening cut into the wall.

Light pulled deep into the house

Below the dormer, an extra-tall opening brings daylight farther into the double-height living space. The opening is broad enough to frame the garden and tall enough to support the vertical scale of the room. In the photographs, this is where the interior feels most connected to the landscape. The glass catches the trees outside, while the timber ceiling and furniture stay grounded in the foreground. It is a daylight-focused renovation in the most literal sense: the plan is shaped so the light can enter and travel.

The glazed areas also change how the house is used across the day. Morning light lands on the floor and the dining table, later light reaches the seating area and the fireplace wall. Curtains soften some of the openings, but the structure remains clear. Even with the thatched roof overhead, the interior does not feel enclosed. The tall opening under the dormer, together with the large glass facade, keeps the house oriented toward the outside without making it visually restless.

The garden steps down into water and woodland

Outside, the land has been shaped into a gently sloping garden with water features. The surface appears layered rather than flat, with paving, planting and lawn moving away from the house in soft levels. Part of the site is surrounded by natural woodland, so the garden never reads as isolated from its setting. Instead, it sits partly within the forest edge, with the water elements adding reflection and movement among the green edges.

The terrace forms a direct extension of the living room. Sliding or folding glass doors are visible in the image set, and they draw the interior toward the paved outdoor area. The transition is practical, but it also gives the house a clear everyday sequence: fireplace, dining table, doors, terrace, grass, trees. That line is one of the strengths of the project, because it ties the rebuilt interior to the landscaped ground outside. The garden with water features is not a separate backdrop; it is part of the way the villa is approached and experienced.

Material contrast without excess

The material mix stays focused on a few familiar elements: thatch, copper, masonry, timber and glass. Nothing shouts. The roof texture softens the outline of the building, while the copper dormer roof introduces a sharper note that will change with age. Inside, the dark beams make the ceiling legible and give scale to the double-height living space. The fireplace, table and sofa arrangement sit comfortably within that frame, leaving enough visual space for the tall glazing to matter.

Seen as a whole, the renovation works by adjusting proportions rather than adding ornament. A rebuilt section creates height where the old plan was likely tighter. The integrated dormer pulls daylight into the core. The garden opens the setting to water and woodland. Together those moves create a forest villa that feels shaped by light, roof form and landscape, with each part doing a specific job in the architecture.

Partners were mentioned for the build and installations, but the project itself is told most clearly through the finished spaces: a thatched roof home turned into a forest villa, a double-height living space with a large glass facade, and a garden with water features that sits quietly against the trees.