African Design



{Martyn Lawrence-Bullard}

I came across this photo of a beautiful space by Martyn Lawrence-Bullard this week and the photos in the background got me reminiscing about Africa, my experiences there, and specifically design ideas.  I traveled to South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe over ten years ago now, but the experience definitely stays fresh in my mind.  The influence over centuries of so many cultures, both native and foreign, makes for an intriguing mix of design elements.  Here are a few pictures that will provide a visual design safari!

{yvonne o'brien via vt interiors}

We stayed in a beautiful B&B in Capetown that had refined Dutch

elements mixed with great tribal accents, very similar to this picture.

{itravel.de}

On safari we stayed in some amazing "camps" in Botswana, and then on to the comfort and leisure of the Victoria Falls Hotel, an elegant old British Colonial hotel

with ties to days gone by.  We had high tea on this veranda.  So English!

{ebay.com}

I first fell in love with vintage travel posters like this one, lining the walls of the Victoria Falls Hotel.  They are from the days when traveling to exotic locations meant so much more adventure than it does today!

{yvonne o'brien via vt interiors}

I love all of the natural elements involved in this setting.

To me this look spells out African Colonial perfectly! 

A bit exotic and a bit refined all in one. 

Can't you just picture a tired, dusty explorer casually tossing down his hat and

reaching for a refreshing drink?

If you liked these images, I wrote a post a while ago specifically about

zebra prints that you can find here.

What do you think of African Design?