The first Savannah, Lissett's latest holiday home creation, is in a parkland setting close to Harrogate. I spent a day there to find out more

Words by Val Chapman

The entire front of the lounge opens up onto decking that reaches out towards a pretty little lake. A suite of Rattan alfresco dining and lounge furniture is here, together with a hot tub.

The early-year sun is streaming in through the enormous windows as I begin to explore the first Savannah in its elegant parkland setting. I decide, within a few minutes, that this is leisure-time paradise.

The Savannah is at Rudding Holiday Park, just outside the spa town of Harrogate. It's a prestige parkland environment of secluded lodge enclaves amid tall trees and tended shrubs, small lakes, water lilies, ducks and carefully maintained foliage. A fitting setting for Lissett's lodges – there's a spectacular Halcyon (reviewed in our Spring issue) across the lake, with its decking on stilts over the water…

The Savannah was specifically designed for this plot, Justin Beharrell, Managing Director of Lissett Homes, who has met me at Rudding Park to introduced me to the Savannah, explains:

"This home has been in the design brief for a year. We came here and studied the area and made drawings, working with Rudding Holiday Park to create this home for this plot."

And it's utterly magnificent.

Rudding Holiday Park's mature evergreen trees, manicured shrubs and pretty little lakes are its defining features. The Savannah's windows on each side of the lounge, as well as the fully-opening area at the front, are positioned to take in the view.

It's a vast living space, with two sumptuous Spanish leather settees made by a company called Tupiel, as the centrepiece plus a bright yellow armchair and footstool, ultra modern in style, from Italian furniture maker Calligaris.

A log-effect fire is set into a stark-style chimney breast; above it is a place for your TV; Lissett can provide this as an option. The electric 'flames' are remote-controlled; you can choose 1kw or 2kw heat settings. Above the log effect fire a cabinet is disguised within the chimney breast; there is space in here for all your media devices.

Its flooring is high-quality engineered oak. The Savannah is underfloor-heated; it's gas-fired. The piping is set into the floor throughout the home and, even on a modest setting, the heat is discernible.

If ever there was a system to encourage a shoes-off rule, it's this!

I perch on one of the settees I notice the leather is warm. Heat from the sun is intensified by a coating on the glass that enhances U-values, Justin explains; it's one of Lissett's luxuries.

Another is the surround-sound, installed into the Savannah as an extra, with two KEF speakers set into the ceiling.

I'm sitting at one side of the lounge now, at a desk, made in Italy, natural oak and fine quality. A matching oak dining table is to my left, with four grey leather-upholstered chairs. Windows are on both sides of the desk and I have views of the lake, tall evergreens and rhododendron bushes as I type this review.

It's a compelling environment in which to relax, I decide – even though relaxation isn't on my agenda today. I begin to explore.

The white and pale fawn palette of the lounge changes to white and grey as I enter the kitchen, a U-shape, separated from the lounge by a part wall. The Savannah is open-plan but sectionalised; the kitchen area feels independent while the whole aspect retains the open-plan feel.

Copious qualities of cabinet and drawers create more storage space than you'd ever want. A Bosch induction hob is on one side; a tower unit close by accommodates the oven, grill and microwave – all the cooking equipment in one area.

On the other side of the kitchen is an American fridge-freezer, with chilled water facility. Three wine racks are above.

The white composite Encore kitchen surface stretches right around the kitchen and tops the island unit both a breakfast bar and a storage unit with four drawers – soft-close, like the three drawers beneath the hob. The surface to the right of the sink is subtly grooved to create a drainer. Pale grey gloss tiles are stunning, with a relief ripple design.

Entrance hall

The entrance hall is sizeable, with a full-width mat on which to take off shoes – and then pop them into the large cupboard on the right that houses the heating system and 180-litre hot water system storage tank capacity.

Main bathroom

A P-shaped bath with shower overhead and a large wash basin are features here, together with a sensor-controlled light above the mirror. The border around the tiled room gets my attention. It's created by rows of tiny square tiles in fawn, together with steel and glass effect tiles. A tall ladder–style radiator adds to the style too. And everywhere you walk you are aware of the warm floor.

The bathroom has two doors, one leading from the corridor, the other opening into the second bedroom.

Bedroom Two

This room is spacious enough to accommodate a six-foot-wide bed.

Windows stretch to the floor. An automatic Velux roof light is controlled from a panel by the door; you can open and close it and draw a blackout blind across it. If it rains, an automatic sensor detects droplets and activates the closure function.

All the lights are LED and are bright soft white. The walls are stunning dark grey but the room is a bright environment. The accent colour is lime green, for the upholstery and on the Roman blind, where it's mixed with white and teal.

Main bedroom

Another big room, with a six-foot-wide bed and floor-to-ceiling windows. This time the headboard is dark turquoise and so is the pattern in the Roman blind. A sliding door opens into a dressing room. Rails, drawers and shelving are on two sides of the dressing room.

On the other side of the dressing table is the shower room, with large pale grey tiles, lots of lights set into the ceiling and a sensor-controlled row of bright LEDs above the mirror – you simply draw your hand near to it and the lights come on; another Lissett luxury!

Contact

Lissett Homes
Address Pocklington, York
Website lissetthomes.com
Telephone 01759 302801