CABIN IN the woods

Lara and Jeff transformed their bonus cabin into a cosy, Scandistyle retreat that comes into its own at Christmas time

- SARA BIRD

Returning to live in Wales was a big lifestyle decision for marketing director Lara Smrtnik and her husband, Jeff Hinton. 'We were ready to leave London and were looking for that dream investment home - for that big project, says Lara. The problem was, they just weren't finding it.

Through their months of searching, only one house had been a contender but there was a reason it had been on the market for five years - it needed a complete overhaul and, sadly, the condition was not reflected in the price.

'We met the owners who had raised their four children there,' says Lara. The lady sat me down by the fire and grilled me on everything from my job to where my parents lived - it was clear they'd only sell to someone who would really love and restore the house. When they realized we genuinely wanted to do that and to make it our home, they agreed to sell it to us. It was a long drawn-out process, but we got there and moved in the following summer.'

Patience paid off. The house is a hidden gem, tucked away in the woods above a striking bay in The Gower with amazing gardens the old couple had created. 'We love the magic of being hidden away, yet we can be on the most beautiful beach at Three Cliffs Bay in a 20-minute walk. The location completely sold it to us.' But the real surprise was the extra little cabin that adjoined the house.

'This was our dream home so we put every penny we had into it,' says Lara. 'At the time, we didn't think we were able to have children (I'd undergone chemotherapy a few years before), and we planned to do up the house slowly. However, within six months, I was pregnant. We had already started major renovations, taking off the roof and knocking down walls, so we turned our attention to renovating the cabin to give us somewhere to live while the work was taking place.