Koto is delighted to introduce the latest interview series with our client, Hugh Somerleyton, an avid nature enthusiast and owner of the Somerleyton Estate on the Norfolk/Suffolk border.

Nestled in the woodlands of the Somerleyton Estate sits Fritton Lake, a private member’s club and innovative eco-tourism retreat where Koto has landed a number of eco-luxury cabins for private ownership and holidaymakers. Here, Hugh discusses his passion for the natural environment which has helped drive the rewilding project forward in a sustainable and successful direction.

Where does the inspiration behind Fritton Lake and the rewilding project come from?

“Fritton Lake has always been a very special resource for me and my family as it's a reservoir; my Dad used to sit on the local water board and I grew up understanding its importance. It wasn't really until my sort of mid-thirties really where I began to be able to connect my environmentalism with ‘real’ stuff, so I learned about the landscape and then the fixation came with paying my debt to nature and restoring part of it.

“It is a virtual circle in the sense that we are creating and restoring wilding around Fritton Lake, rather than building tourism around a wilding offering. So it sort of had various strands, but in terms of absolute top-level inspiration, it's the understanding that came out of that rebalancing of nature which was the thing that really fired me up. I always cared, but I didn't really know how to apply it.”

So how did you come across Koto in the first instance?

“There was an article profiling cabins in the Financial Times around four years ago and Koto was one of them. It was a project I think they did for a client in the US which caught my eye.”

What was attractive about Koto cabins as an expansion solution over something more typical?

“I guess we always knew what we wanted to create at Fritton as in the cabin resort and, and a kind of members club. For about 10 years I wasn't really brave enough to do it. But also I didn't have a product that I knew would fit with that either, so it's been a real breakthrough in that regard.”

How does the turnkey element of the cabins including our furniture pack service support the Fritton Lake model?

“In the last few years before our partnership with Koto, we had decided to take the interiors service in-house but it was difficult to deliver. So when we met Johnathon and Zoe, and Zoe said that they’d be able to deliver the furnishing packages, it was kind of like, thank God!

“From our point of view, we're a park operator and a club, not really a bespoke service for that kind of thing, so it suits us completely. It's entirely that service and one-stop shop element that is exactly right for us because it gets very complicated otherwise.”

How are the cabins settling into the landscape now that they've been positioned there for a while now?

“Traditional cabins are on blocks or even wheels and have a rather awkward drop and require a trellis or some frame around to hide the underneath. But they always looked like two things rather than one thing, and it was something we were always very aware of.

“Kotos are set pretty much on the ground by design and have decking so they look like they are part of the land. They're not just sort of stuck as a box stuck on a block which is very clever. We've got one open site where the trees are quite young and one quite developed site where they're quite mature, but in both instances the cabins just feel seamless in the landscape rather than not.

“They are desperately complimentary, the real beauty is you don't really notice them. You can go through the site and they just sort of glide within the landscape. The challenge is where they sit close to our not-so-new cabin retreats, they're very different, but in a sense, they work well together.”

What has the reaction been from owners and holiday-makers towards the cabins?

“We’ve invested quite a lot at Fritton Lake to make us more resilient to the seasons and modernised with tennis courts, the pool, and the wild swimming and all that stuff. So it’s a good blend, but there's no question that the Koto cabins have had a significant impact and shifted the market to where we are trying to get to. Whether that's welcoming people who are looking on sites like The Modern House or other places where you get to see projects from the design and manufacturer side, or just the holiday side.

“By simply having big windows, the cabins connect guests to the outdoors and bring the outside inside which creates that biophilic living element. So very positively is the answer.”

Owners and members can get involved with outdoor activities at Fritton Lake, but it's also a space to unwind. Could you tell our community about what's on offer when you visit Fritton Lake?

“We have three core offerings; food and hospitality; sport and recreation - which is tennis and the swimming the pool and some lighter activities such as volleyball and pool and the floating Koto sauna; and rewilding all nature recovery and the kind of connection with how that's good for health around the outside. On the map, the wilding wraps around the lake and the activities are here. Then right in the heart of it is food and food and drinks.

“We have quite a few classes like yoga and fitness but the connection with the outdoors is our main focus with slightly more robust and nature-based activities like wild swimming and trail running around the lake.

“You can have a really good sauna and jump in the lake whilst connecting with wildlife. It is a place where you can eat really well and be really well looked after but also do a tennis camp rather than just lie by the pool.

“There's quite a wide range of activities for all ages such as foraging and kids' education with lots of activities for kids who are sporty. Whether that's getting into triathlon, tennis, sailing, paddle boarding and all that stuff, we can keep adventurous children of all ages pretty busy.

“Sitting on the deck outside the sauna and then putting a toe in the lake, and then eventually getting in makes you really appreciate being able to swim in the open water. Indulging in those sorts of activities in nature is really rewarding.”

Contact.

If you are interested in owning a cabin at Fritton Lake or if you have another project in mind, please contact poppy@kotocabins.com.

Credits.

Architecture and Design - Koto Design
Interior design - Koto Living
Photography - Edvinas Bružas, FRENCH + TYE, Justin Davey

About Koto.

Modular Architecture - Sustainable by necessity.

Koto delivers beautifully crafted, architect designed, energy neutral homes and cabins. All our buildings are produced to the very highest standards and delivered whole and complete directly to your site. Every Koto home has been crafted with the utmost respect for both our environment and the people we work with. The Koto studio co-founded by Zoe, Johnathon and Theo design modular houses, cabins and sculptural small buildings, with each one drawing inspiration from Scandinavian design and culture. Co-founders, Johnathon and Zoë Little, returned from living on the shores of Norway’s fjords with a deep appreciation of the local aesthetic and environment. As the brand progressed, Koto began looking further east to the minimalist world of Japanese design and their focus on social functionality. This is something that has always fascinated co-founder and architect Theo Dales. Koto shares their emphasis on clean and simple details that provide a sense of calm. This exploration has helped Koto’s designs evolve into the carefully-considered works they are today.

“As both designers and parents, we recognise the dynamic relationship between nature, quality design and one of life’s great luxuries – spending time with friends and family. Each and every Koto home embodies this ethos.”
Zoe Little - Co-Founder Koto.