This Secret Irish Conservatory Has Reopened, and It Needs Its Own TV Show

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She isn't a secret in the sense of being new or novel. This double-vaulted glass house is, in fact, well-seasoned, impeccably restored, and shines as the jewel of 19th-century manor house Ballyfin Demesne, the five-star luxury hotel in Couty Laois in Ireland.

Rather, the secret lies in how one might discover her. In my case, it was late in the evening years ago—in the library of course, where all great stories begin. Everyone was in that after-hours haze, with fellow travelers lounging on sofas, fires roaring at either end of the massive room, ice clinking in whiskey glasses. On a tip, I slipped away and nudged open a hidden door in the shelves, stepping into an old glass house that was sleepy and beautiful and lit by the moon.

It was closed for the season, so there was a slumber to it: The Coade stone statues towered over painted wicker and well-worn cushions, like ghosts of teatime chatter and country-house gossip (this is, of course, the part of our binge-y historical drama where one might slip through time and find herself seated at one those tables in full-collar lace with a copy of the Irish Times, strong black tea, and an arranged marriage). But there was a different story unfolding here. The landmark glass house I stood in was plotting her next great awakening.

And what an awakening it is. Reopening this April, the glass house dining room has been completely refurbished at the hands of Ballyfin interior designer Colin Orchard and a dizzying amount of what we'll call "sunlight engineering." But first, some backstory: As the story goes, in the 1800s building of the estate, the conservatory was added as a shiny negotiating chip when lady of the house Caroline Coote insisted on six pillars along the facade rather than the proposed—and more reasonable—four (out-pillaring the neighbors being sport, after all).

The architect put his foot down at the excess and wisely offered her a Shiny New Thing to accept instead, something she wouldn't see anywhere else in the country. In came plans for Ballyfin's epic orangery, designed by 1850s glass house star Richard Turner of London's Palm House fame. Caroline wisely accepted the concession.

What Ballyfin unveils this spring is a vividly livable garden within a garden. Lithe green steel and stone cafe tables and seating (Heveningham Furniture, favorite of other British style icons like The Connaught and Claridge's) echo the hues of the surrounding parkland, each dressed in brilliant red chintz through William Potts and layered with striped Fermoie cushions. Overhead, custom designed Pinoleum blinds (the same material as was common in the 1850s) follow the arcs of the glass to serve as a parasol in the summer and a cozy wrap on chilly days.

On the tables, emerald William Yeoward Crystal tumblers pair with exquisite embroidered table linens by Gayle Warwick Fine Linen (an incredible London-based linens shop with references to Josef Albers and incredible whitework and colorways with atmospheric names like Irish Winter—RSVPing yes to all).

Petite little boxwood globes and other evergreens grow in bespoke, Ballyfin-emblazoned Poterie Le Chene Vert planters, bringing a patina that nods to the glass house's history.

Aptly, Spring and Summer—the two Coade statues who presided over the conservatory that first evening I discovered it—remain, welcoming guests back to enjoy lunch in the Irish sunshine. In our binge-worthy time-hop TV version, I imagined it's dressed just as it is now, with Lady Caroline milling around quite generously, swelling with pride over the look of her smartly dressed glass house, and telling everyone it was her idea from the start.

The conservatory dining room is open to hotel guests for lunch service April through October. Rates start at €810 per room per night. You can book directly through the hotel's website or through TripAdvisor.

Christofle Albi Silver-Plated Teapot

Bernardaud Aux Oiseaux Ultra Flate Plate

Gohar World Lace-Trimmed Napkins

Lacina Bistro Table

William Yeoward Crystal Tumbler

French Terracotta Planter

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