Property Details
The Glass House is a lakeside villa at The Lakes by Yoo near Lechlade, designed by the award-winning Dutch architects Mecanoo. It sits on the edge of Huntsman Lake within the private estate. Across more than 6,000 square feet and 3x floors, it offers something rare in the Cotswolds: a contemporary, architect-designed home where the lake’s part of every room.
Floor-to-ceiling glass wraps around every corner of the house, and it feels wonderfully secluded, tucked away at the water’s edge. The ground floor is made for hosting: a sunken living room level with the lake, an open-plan Varenna kitchen and a lakeside dining table for ten, with a double-sided wood-burning fire at its centre. Bring in a private chef and a celebration dinner has a setting to match. Four en-suite bedrooms sleep eight, led by a principal suite with a bath looking straight across the lake, with an unforgettable view.
Below the water, The Glass House is made for evenings together, with a tiered nine-seat cinema, a snooker room with its own bar, and a private spa where a Harvia sauna sits alongside a generous indoor hot tub for up to eight. Above, a glass roof panel glides open at the touch of a button to reveal the roof terrace, with sunset views over three lakes. The estate spa and pool are a short walk away and included in your stay. It’s a house built for milestone celebrations, family gatherings and time well spent together.
Looking Inside
The principal suite
The principal suite is a private retreat in its own right. A super-king bed faces the lake, and a bath set within the bedroom itself looks straight out across the water, made for long soaks as the light changes. The en-suite has a vast walk-in shower that transforms into a private steam room, and a generous walk-in wardrobe means you can unpack, settle in and make the space your own.
The bedrooms
Three further bedrooms are each a calm, beautifully considered retreat, with king beds dressed in fine linens, fitted wardrobes and blackout blinds for unhurried mornings. Each has its own marble en-suite with a walk-in rainfall shower, and each looks out over the lake or the woodland beyond. One sits on the ground floor, with step-free access from the driveway and a level-entry shower, making it ideal for grandparents or anyone who would rather avoid the stairs. Two additional WCs and Lafco New York toiletries throughout complete the picture.
Living, dining and kitchen
On the lake side of the house, the living space steps down into a sunken lounge, set beneath a raised bookshelf and level with the water, so the lake feels close enough to touch. A projector turns it into a second screening room for relaxed film nights, and a statement wood-burning fire marks the point where the lounge opens into the dining area.
Here, a table for ten looks out across the lake, set for long lunches and celebration dinners. Beyond it, the open-plan Varenna kitchen is built for cooking for a crowd, with marble worktops, a large island and professional Gaggenau appliances, including several ovens, a steam oven and a tandoori oven, alongside a wine fridge, coffee machine and boiling water tap. The three spaces flow together seamlessly, so whoever is cooking, dining or relaxing stays part of the moment.
The library
On the first floor, the library offers a quieter kind of luxury. A wood-burning fire, deep reading chairs and shelves lined with architecture, design, art, photography, fiction and classics make it a room to lose an afternoon in, with a record player on hand to set the mood. Floor-to-ceiling glass looks straight out onto the lake, and it’s the perfect place to slip away with a book and a coffee while the rest of the house carries on below.
The cinema, games room and bar
Beneath the water, the lower floor is where The Glass House comes alive after dark. The private cinema is a true screening room, with nine tiered seats, professional projection and streaming apps ready for your own accounts. Next door, the games room brings a full-size snooker table together with a bar of its own, which we can stock to your order before you arrive, so the evening can run on well past dinner. A separate leisure room offers space for board games and lounging, while windows at the waterline draw daylight even to this lowest floor.
The spa
Alongside the cinema, the house has a private spa of its own. A professional Harvia sauna sits beside a generous indoor hot tub for six to eight, so the whole group can unwind together after a morning on the lake, a round of padel or a long Cotswold lunch. It’s an indulgence usually reserved for hotels, here entirely yours.
The decking and roof terrace
Step outside and the lake is right at your feet. The lakeside decking is one of the great joys of the house, with outdoor dining for eight at the water’s edge and a lower deck with a pizza oven and tandoori barbecue made for long summer evenings. From here you can swim straight into Huntsman Lake, or take to the water by paddleboard or kayak, both available to hire through Be Here.
At the very top of the house, a glass roof panel glides open at the touch of a button to reveal the roof terrace. With a dining table for eight and views across three lakes, it’s the finest spot on the estate for drinks as the sun goes down.
The finer details
- Seamless home automation, with Sonos sound flowing through every room and fast WiFi throughout
- Year-round comfort from air conditioning, underfloor heating on every floor and a heat-recovery ventilation system that keeps the air fresh
- Thoughtfully prepared for younger guests, with a cot, high chair, children’s books, toys and board games
- Two private parking spaces at the house, further parking on the estate and an EV charger on the driveway
- A house of many levels: a staircase leads down to the cinema, snooker room and spa, and a few steps lead into the living and dining spaces
- We’re unable to welcome pets at The Glass House
