The latest Utopia from Lissett Homes is designed as a holiday home yet is equally suitable for residential use. It's a stunning creation with a strongly country character

Slow-growing trees that thrive in the Arctic Circle are cut down the length of the trunk, so that the bark is exposed. Because they grow so slowly, the wood of these trees has an intensely tight grain, and therefore enormous strength and durability.

The wood is subjected to an osmosis treatment in a pressurised cylinder so that the preservative solution seeps deep into the wood. The treatment is designed to preserve the wood for 60 years and more.

This is the wood that clads Lissett Homes' latest creation, the new Utopia. The wavy cut and the exposed bark impart a countryside-woodland character to this home. Fittingly, Lissett unveiled the new Utopia at the world's largest countryside show, the Game Fair. The Utopia was given its first public exposure amid field sports, gun dog events, horses and hounds, falconry and more. As we walked up to the Utopia this feast of all things rural seemed to epitomise a thousand reasons for considering a high-end holiday home.

This first Utopia is destined to be just that; it will be installed at Brokerswood Holiday Park in Wiltshire. But it would be equally suitable for residential use; like all Lissett homes, it's built to full residential specification and standards.

The name Utopia isn't new. The first in a long line of Lissett homes of this name rolled off the production line 16 years ago and, in that time of evolution and changes, this model has been a consistent bestseller in its sector. Although the name isn't new, the style of this latest creation definitely is.

This is a two-bedroomed home; you can have your Utopia with three bedrooms, and in a choice of sizes. This one is a spacious 45x22ft.

We enter through the bi-fold doors that open up almost the entire front wall of the Utopia. The lounge, kitchen and dining area are open-plan. Its ceiling is high and vaulted, and clad in white planking, finished in semi-gloss which reflects the light downwards. The whole effect is to create an immense feeling of space, enhanced by roof lights over both the kitchen and the lounge.

Dining area

Its dining suite is Italian, in a natural pale wood. The table extends to seat eight. It's in the front corner nearest to the kitchen, bordered by two windows.

Lounge

The furniture is plain, simple velvet, in a shade called 'sable' (a sort of pale grey). It extends along one wall and, in an L-shape, part of the way along another wall. There is seating here for at least seven, plus an occasional chair, in matching upholstery. Crucially, there is much floor space, making the most of the open-plan aspect.

The accent colour is yellow (injecting a sunny holiday image), in cushions and amid a harlequin pattern on more cushions and curtains that border the centre front bi-fold window doors.

The colour of the wood-effect laminate floor — subtle combination grey and fawn shades, some which remind us of silver birch trees — is called 'ecru'; it co-ordinated beautifully with the pale furniture shades.

Everything blends — and teams pleasantly with the kitchen…

Kitchen

All the appliances are Bosch; an oven, a microwave with grill above it, a four-burner hob, a large fridge-freezer and a dishwasher.

An array of lockers and cabinets creates a vast amount of storage. The six lockers are matt pale blue, called 'denim', with top quality soft-close hinges. The cabinet doors are 'grey mist'.

More storage is within the island unit, together with a wine cooler; buyers can opt for a breakfast bar extension to this unit.

The island unit creates a natural room divider — the opposite side to the kitchen creates a TV housing. That's a mounting point (a TV is an extra item that you can opt for) plus cabinets beneath; no risk of trailing cables from media devices here!

Hallway

We had entered the Utopia through the big, lounge doors, but we could have begun our exploration at the main door which leads into a wide hallway. Almost the whole floor area is covered in a doormat. There are five double coat hooks and shoe storage shelves plus more shelving above the hooks. A bench-style seat gives you somewhere to sit while you take off shoes or lace up walking boots.

Storage room

Opposite the hallway is a storage room also containing a washer-dryer.

Family bathroom

Centrally located, the family bathroom features an over-bath shower, a large, oval basin and downlighter spotlights.

Close by is an airing cupboard, with a heater in the base, ideal for towel storage.

Second bedroom

The three-feet-wide twin beds in this room are zip-link construction, which means they can be joined to create a double bed.

The wardrobe is large, and with hinges that enable the doors to hinge right back.

Main bedroom

Three wardrobes, a desk-style dressing table, plus cabinets on each side of the bed, create an enormous amount of storage space. The room's radiator is hidden under the dressing table — a nice touch of practicality and refinement.

The en suite shower room has two washbasins, each with mirrored cabinets above. And there's a surprise: these cabinets open to reveal mirrors on the inside of the doors, and each contains many shelves which can be moved upwards or downwards to accommodate items of various sizes.

Pale grey, almost white, floor tiles contrast with darker grey tiles in the shower and above the basins. The whole effect is stunning. A large radiator takes care of towel-drying needs.

Back outside the home, Lissett's Managing Director, Justin Beharrell, draws our attention to the robust build quality of the Utopia, typical of Lissett homes. Drip rails are part of the window structure, to ensure rainwater never gathers. And the lower windowsill slopes to ensure water runs off.

The door closes with a resounding clunk; it has steel reinforcement, Justin explains. We examine the natural wood and its close-packed grain. Buyers must never paint this wood with anything other than oil, Justin remarks. That's advised every two years; linseed oil is ideal, he says.

It takes just four hours for one person to paint a home of this size. And the weight of the solidly-constructed Utopia? A mighty 24 tonnes, Justin explains."We want people to learn about the structure of our homes and how they are made, so we invite prospective purchasers to come to factory to find out," Justin tells me.

Our view

The latest Utopia is a solidly built home of immense character — country-meets-modernity would sum up the style. The layout lends itself to both holiday and residential use; the choice is yours.

Whether you buy your Utopia to site on a holiday or residential park, you'll appreciate the amount of storage space, the generous size of the rooms, the practical hallway with loads of shoe provision and the beautifully appointed kitchen that would make cooking a pleasure.