Michael’s Croft is tucked away at the foot of Rydal Fell just outside Grasmere. Largely unseen from the road, this striking modern home sits neatly into its idyllic location with panoramic views across to Silverhow and Easedale.

It’s that view which persuaded Chris and Nicola Robertson to buy a home in the Lake District. After many happy holidays in Cumbria, the couple fell in love with a bungalow on this sloping plot and used it as their base whenever they could escape from their day jobs in Birmingham.

But the bungalow had one major drawback: the only way to appreciate the spectacular view from upstairs was by standing on tiptoes and looking out of a Velux window.

“If you are lucky enough to live in a place like Grasmere, then you want to make the most of the view,” says Nicola. “So we decided to knock the house down and start again.”

The couple had big plans for Michael’s Croft because it was about to become their family home. Chris, a partner with a large accountancy firm, was now based at the company’s Manchester office and he would commute to work from Grasmere.

Chris and Nicola, who is also a chartered accountant, worked closely with Crook-based architect Ben Cunliffe to draw up plans for a contemporary five-bedroom family home.

“We wanted the house to be both practical and sociable,” says Nicola. “It needed to suit family life but also be adaptable if we had friends to stay.”

The building work was completed in 2012 – four years after they had bought the original house – and was shortlisted in the Northern Design Awards the same year.

Chris, Nicola and their three boys, Finlay, now eight, Dougal, seven, and two-and-a-half year-old Hamish, moved into the house in July 2013. It achieves their primary aim of making the most of the view while also maximising both space and light.

A bespoke floating walnut staircase in the central atrium creates a stunning focal point in the living area, and full-height glazed doors from the kitchen, dining area and lounge lead directly on to the landscaped garden.

Upstairs, floor-to-ceiling windows flood the bedrooms with light, and the two master bedrooms have balconies overlooking the garden and the hills beyond. The house is fitted with energy-efficient technology including argon-filled, self-cleaning glass and a geo-thermal heat pump.

Underfloor heating lies beneath the tiled floor downstairs and huge custom-made silk and wool rugs create different zones within the ground-floor living area. Each design was chosen by Chris and Nicola to suit the space.

Statement lighting is powered with the touch of a button by a Lutron LED system and a Sonos sound and media system was supplied and fitted by Majik House in Kirkby Lonsdale.

For the interior, Nicola enlisted the help of Warwickshire-based interior designer Su Satchwell with whom she had worked in the past.

“I wanted the house to be elegant and modern,” she says. “I didn’t want it to look dated in 10 years' time.”

Nicola has a keen eye for detail and introduced eye-catching design-led elements into the house. Most pieces of furniture were either commissioned for Michael’s Croft, sourced from Italian interior firms or brought from previous properties.

“The dining table was our statement piece,” says Nicola. “It was commissioned from ARK Cabinetmakers in Worcestershire, who have done work for us before. I love the way it fills the space.”

Nicola purposely kept the walls white, adding splashes of colour through artwork, soft furnishings and statement furniture.

The couple enjoy buying work by up-and-coming artists and have invested in paintings, sculpture and furniture over the years. Their collection includes oil paintings by Birmingham artist Reuben Colley, pieces of furniture by Philip Hearsey, who is based in Worcestershire, and work by Dave White, a contemporary British artist who specialises in paintings of animals and birds.

White’s painting Mountain Gorilla hangs above the floating staircase on the first floor. The couple spotted the painting in a gallery in London and realised it would fill the space perfectly.

“If it’s something we can engage with, then we’ll invest in it,” says Nicola.

The family have reluctantly put Michael’s Croft on the market after a change in Chris’s job meant they now need to live full-time in Manchester, so he can be close to the airport.

“It’s a fantastic house and we’ve loved being part of the journey of creating it,” adds Nicola.

Michael's Croft, Grasmere, is for sale at £1.85m with Fine and Country in Kendal, tel. 01539 733500.

* This article first appeared in Carlisle Living