Over the course of her incredible 35-year career, supermodel and new mother Naomi Campbell has stormed catwalks, broken down barriers, and graced many magazine covers. She maintains a busy schedule, but she finds fulfillment in her work and is inspired by it.
But even icons need to take a nap. When the time comes to completely unplug, Campbell heads to her villa in the serene Kenyan seaside town of Malindi. For almost two decades, she has utilized her gorgeous property with an Indian Ocean view as her primary haven from the fast-paced lifestyle of her adopted New York City and her home London. The epitome of living both indoors and outside.
.
The large space is furnished with warm earth tones and plenty of natural light, paying homage to casual elegance. “It’s a very calming place,” she said. It really is best if you avoid talking on the phone. Are you positive that’s not what you’re after? All you want to do is read for pleasure. The sound of crickets and the stillness are both comforting.
.
.
Go to the saltwater pool that extends outdoors from the center of her living room for a quick morning swim. Dinners with the family are best enjoyed at the model’s lively tables beneath the two pergolas with voile curtains.
.
Campbell was especially touched by the massive cathedral ceilings constructed of sun-dried coconut palm leaves and the makuti thatched roof. She claims that makuti roofs have been a prevalent building material in East Africa for thousands of years. Makuti roofs are hand-stitched using an intricate layering technique.
.
She braggingly says, “We’ve had this one for at least 12 years, and it’s still in good shape.”Things can deteriorate very rapidly here because of the air, wind, and sea salt, yet it has held up so well and is essentially a work of art in and of itself, according to the author.
The enormous bright Moroccan and Egyptian latika lamps swing from the rafters. Although Campbell loves to browse for furniture all throughout Africa, Marrakech and Cairo have proven to be the most successful for her.
Excellent woodwork can be found close to Campbell. She states, “A lot of the wood furniture we have in the house is made in Malindi.” Actually, there was a workshop in the backyard of the house.