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 Filipina and Outreach Ireland Co-ordinator 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 geothermal structure that can brave the harsh Irish weather.

The capiz doors, lamp shades, and dining table with the traditional Lazy Susan were skillfully handmade by a family-owned Capiz Furniture-making company based in Samal, Bataan. 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 decor shipped from the Philippines, dark and heavy wood furnishings, spacious living and dining areas, and a high hand railed timber stairway with elaborate balustrades. Instead of predictable 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 native Filipino ornaments including the sungka or the butaka style tumba-tumba or rocking chair, a unique wind chime made of a real carabao horn, and a carved wooden Last Supper. There is also a dedicated learning area for their two children Charlie and Guia to learn about the Filipino language and culture.

Long Meadow View is a genuine Filipino home ironically set in the Irish countryside, a dream fulfilled in three years by Shane and Vanda, who proudly hails from the foothills of the Dole pineapple plantation in Polomolok at the southern most tip of Mindanao.