Review
This is a lavish presentation of the best of Southern Africa's interior design. Aptly named "Safari Style", it is an eclectic mix of native and imported styles. From the native bandas to Lutyen-style English mansions, the designs reflect the origins of the colonialist settlers and wealthy holidaymakers at the turn of the century: Dutch, German, English and Italian. Moorish overtones insinuate themselves into homes such as that belonging to the Corses, with central courtyards, wooden shutters and whitewashed walls. Native influences abound in every home with wooden carvings, beaded bottles and woven rugs making appearances either minimally or dictating the whole house style like the De Boers' magnificent island hideaway. From safari camps to private homes, this is a photographic portfolio of a style at once exotic yet homely, perfectly in tune with its surroundings and now becoming popular in Britain with the increased interest in third world countries and their peoples. - Lucy Watson
About the Author
Tim Beddow specializes in interior and travel photography, and has a particular interest in African subjects. Previous commissions have taken him to the Sahara, were he spent a year documenting desert life, and East Africa to capture the landscape. Natasha Burns was born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya, and spent much of her early journalistic career writing about the visual arts of Africa. She is now based in London.