Hidden in the back roads of the Cavan countryside and yet only minutes from busy Cavan Town in Ireland, Long Meadow View is an amazing design project and fascinating retreat created and owned by ENFiD Board Member and ENFiD-Ireland Country Representative Vanda Brady and her Irish husband Shane Brady. It embraces a Boutique Oriental Chic concept that features understated luxury within a modern exotic design. It captures the visual experience of a traditional Filipino home, yet tempered by a well insulated and smart geo-thermal structure that can brave the harsh Irish weather.

The fundamental design of the interiors was inspired by the Philippine style that blends both Spanish and American influence with the use of 19 capiz shell embellished doors and décor shipped from the Philippines, dark and heavy wood furnishings, spacious living and dining areas, and a high hand-railed timber stairway with elaborate balustrades. The capiz doors, lamp shades and, dining table set were skillfully handmade by a family-owned Capiz Furniture making company based in Samal, Bataan.

Designed for entertaining in a large scale, Long Meadow View has spacious main common areas and good-sized rooms and is surrounded by endless fields and shady trees, providing the entire family and their guests a peaceful haven away from the busy, frenzied world.

Natural light and heavy insulation were important elements in building the house in order to compensate for the often grey, wet and cold Irish weather. It is enlivened with an open plan and high ceilinged kitchen and dining area, glass-doored hallways and larger than normal windows. It is warmly enveloped with triple glazing, underfloor heating and snuggled by extra double entry doors.

The Sea and Sky and warm terra cotta colours, mosaic tiled accents, heavy and ornate furniture pieces, and polished dark wood effect floors echo the Mediterranean or Spanish-modern style influence.

The earth, water and fire themed washrooms, the striking drum-equipped music room, and the stylish, avant-garde kitchen also add character to the uniquely designed domestic architecture.I

Instead of crisp white walls or plain magnolia, the mild grey foundation and unanticipated accent walls delight the contemporary eye. However, care was taken to incorporate local Philippine details such as traditional or native Filipino ornaments.

Long Meadow View is a genuine Filipino home ironically set in the Irish countryside, a dream fulfilled in three years by a Filipina who proudly hails from the foothills of the southern most tip of Mindanao.