Supermodel and recent mother Naomi Campbell has dominated catwalks, broken down barriers, and graced several magazine covers throughout the course of her amazing 35-year career. Despite her hectic schedule, she finds inspiration and joy in her work.
However, icons also require rest periods. When it’s time to unplug entirely, Campbell goes to her villa in the sleepy Malindi seaside town of Kenya. She has been using her stunning house with a view of the Indian Ocean as her main retreat from the hectic life of her adopted New York City and her native London for nearly twenty years. The ultimate outdoor/indoor living experience.
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The spacious area pays homage to casual elegance with furnishings in warm earth tones and lots of natural light. It’s a really peaceful spot, she remarked. It’s really better if you don’t use the phone. Are you certain that’s not your goal? You just want to read for enjoyment. Both the silence and the sound of crickets are soothing.
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Take a brief morning swim in the saltwater pool that stretches outdoors from the middle of her living room. Best enjoyed at the model’s colorful tables under the two voile-covered pergolas for family dinners.
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The enormous cathedral ceiling made of sun-dried coconut palm leaves and the makuti thatched roof particularly moved Campbell. She asserts that for thousands of years, makuti roofs have been a common building material in East Africa. Makuti roofs are made by hand with a complex layering method.
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She boasts, “We’ve had this one for at least 12 years, and it’s still in good shape.”The air, wind, and sea salt may cause things to deteriorate very quickly here, yet despite this, the author claims that it has held up very well and is really a work of art in and of itself.
The huge, brilliant latika lamps from Morocco and Egypt dangle from the rafters. While she enjoys furniture shopping around Africa, Campbell has found that Marrakech and Cairo work best for her.
There’s some excellent woodwork nearby Campbell. She says, “A lot of the wood furniture we have in the house is made in Malindi.” In actuality, the house’s backyard had a workshop.