A Northern Ireland family has responded to the demand for nature-immersive breaks with the provision of mirror houses for guests on their land, on the shores of Lough Neagh, between the towns of Antrim and Crumlin.
Andrew and Chloe Patterson met in 2014 through their passion for Holstein dairy cows, got married in 2022, and their daughter, Poppy, was born in 2024. They moved back to Andrew’s family farm, Ballyginniff Farm, that same year.
The farm has been in the Patterson family for four generations, going back to Andrew’s great-great-uncle who purchased it in 1904.
Until 2019, Ballyginniff was an active dairy farm with Andrew’s late father milking 120 cows.
While living in England, where Andrew was a herd manager and Chloe was a marketing manger for a dairy genetics company, they decided to return home and diversify their income by sharing their slice of Northern Ireland beauty with others. Providing new contemporary accommodation on the farm was the answer.
The Pattersons told Agriland: “We knew the location would be admirable for accommodation, with the glorious views of Lough Neagh, the very close proximity to Belfast International Airport and surrounding towns, walks and tourist attractions close by. We are a very central location within Northern Ireland.”
“We started out by heading to some glamping shows to gain ideas and quickly realised we needed to search for something unique and different to what is currently on the market. The glamping sector has quickly become saturated.
After almost two years of rigorous worldwide research, we eventually came across the Estonia company OOD and reached out to them and set the tracks in motion.”
Attracted by the combination of aesthetics, comfort and practicality in the striking OOD living spaces, the Pattersons opened their mirror houses to guests last November.
“Being in first in Ireland with the mirror houses has meant there has been plenty of challenges along the way in getting to this point, none more so than the transportation of the two houses – a 7,500 km trip taking over 10 days to make the journey from Estonia to Ballyginniff Farm,” they said.
Mirror houses
The houses are heavy duty – 10t in weight, measuring 20ft by 10ft wide. The main frame is a steel structure, then three sides are made of thick mirrored glass from floor-to-ceiling while the back of the houses are clad in composite wood.
Adding to the comfort of the dwellings is underfloor heating throughout and a climate-controlled heating and cooling system.
“The reward for doing this has been immense – the feedback, meeting the guests and hearing about their stay experience is just the best thing, it way overrides all of the blood, sweat and tears that has gone into this project,” the couple said.
Chloe said: “The field in which our mirror houses are located used to be an apple orchard and more recently grazing the Ballyginniff herd of dairy cows. Today the farm is home to a herd of miniature Lowline cattle and the 130 ac is rented out,”
The Pattersons also run a bed and breakfast for heifers in the winter months.
“As well as two mirrored cabins – Sunrise House and Sunset House with reflective glass exteriors that make them almost invisible to facilitate maximum enjoyment of nature – there is a mirrored sauna and cold bucket shower between the two houses.
“Both of our cabins have a private decking and seating area with a round sunken hot tub that has unlimited use throughout guests’ stay.
“It’s a mini spa resort without the hustle and bustle. Just you, nature, and your cabin. We also offer celebration packages and spa treatments in guests’ cabins,” the Pattersons said.
The couple said, they have no plans to add any more cabins at the moment.
“We set out with the objective to create a tranquil and luxury space for couples or solo travellers to escape to the countryside and unwind, to soak up nature and the natural beauty.
“We have never intended to make this a commercial glamping site, and will remain by this ethos going forward.
“We have been very lucky in reaching international guests and there is a wide range of guests from all over Ireland which in itself is very humbling knowing that even locals come and enjoy where we are,” the couple said.
They called their decision to take their farm business in this new direction “a huge leap of faith”.
“There is a lot of financial risk and hard work behind the scenes running the business on a day-to-day basis, but having beautiful surroundings and a product with good marketability most definitely pays dividends in helping keep the farm business afloat.”
“We held an open evening for locals, friends, family, council and tourism board to see our project and we can firmly say the local community are right behind us in the success and sustainability of this business,” Chloe said.
“Going forward we have lots of plans up our sleeve to make our location even more admirable and an experience for our guests.
“We will expand the Australian Lowlines and introduce some other animals to the farm to a level at which we could maybe start a sustainable grass reared meat box enterprise.”
