Tucked into the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty just outside Fairlight, near Hastings in East Sussex, Looking Glass Lodge is a self-catering woodland retreat designed by Michael Kendrick Architects and completed in 2022. It takes its name from the full-height electrochromic glass wrapping two sides of the building, which tints automatically as daylight fades, keeping the woodland in view while the interior stays private after dark.
The lodge sits lightly on its site. Built on screw-pile foundations rather than dug footings, it was raised without felling a single tree, and much of the construction was completed off-site to limit disruption to the surrounding habitat. The exterior is clad in unfinished western red cedar, left to weather naturally to a silver-grey that echoes the woodland around it, and a mature Giant Redwood stands close to the building.
Inside, the open-plan living space is built around a suspended log burner fed with timber from fallen trees on the land. Birch-plywood joinery gently divides the layout, separating a private sleeping area from the main room. A record player, built-in Sonos system and simply equipped kitchen give the space its quiet, Scandi-inspired character, while large sliding glass doors open the room onto the deck.
The bedroom and en-suite look out through more of the same electrochromic glazing, with a freestanding stone bath positioned to take in the woodland view. Outside, a wooden terrace extends the living space into the trees — a quiet spot to eat or read through the seasons, with Hastings, Rye and the wider Sussex coast all within easy reach for guests who want to explore beyond the woodland.
