Safari Style (Hardcover)

~ Natasha Burns (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

As Western lavishness collided with striking native elements in the vast reaches of the East African savanna, the Safari style was born. Blending ethnic African with colonial European, the look emphasizes relaxed yet luxurious living, drawing on an elemental approach to texture, color, and pattern, and on indigenous materials and design. Exploring 21 spectacular homes in glorious color, Safari Style takes us on an expedition through a fantastic Moorish residence in Kenya, a hotel in Zanzibar masquerading as a Persian palace, an Italianate villa on a former coffee plantation in Nairobi, a tree house hideaway perched in the Ngong hills, and a host of other extraordinary dwellings. Though most of us will never live anywhere so unique, we can certainly find countless great ideas here to incorporate into our own more humble abodes. This is about a lot more than a few animal-print pillows and some swags of mosquito netting; it's about Old World elegance and evocations of the pleasures of exotic travel, even if we only get to enjoy it from the comforts of a cushy mudcloth-covered armchair. --Amy Handy

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 --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 216 pages
• Publisher: Stewart, Tabori and Chang (September 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1556708599
• ISBN-13: 978-1556708596
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 9.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #182,420 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awonderful book to emulate or sojourn., July 7, 2000

By	"iloveprovence" (Columbia, S.C. United States) - See all my reviews

If you loved the interiors depicted in such films as Out of Africa, Queenie, and The English Patient, you'll adore the interior design of Safari Style. Twenty-one interiors are beautifully captured in all their romantic splendor. White walls act as backdrops to the teracotta floors, bamboo or mahogany, red or deep blue cushions, solo hats for the sun, mosquito nets over beds, and panoramic views from windows. The vicarious visitor is welcomed to homes in Mozambique, Kenya, and nineteen other locations. Floors are usually tile with occasional oriental or persian rugs. The views run the gamut of near primitive to exotic Moroccan. If the reader enjoys these details for their home, there are shops that carry pottery, masks, mosquitto netting, solos, bamboo furniture to incorporate into a safari style. Designer Tricia Foley also has a book that inspires this approach to decorating as well. It is British Colonial Style.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Romanitc,exotic living found here, but not for the timid!, August 2, 2001

By	J.P. (SF Bay Area) - See all my reviews

Safari Style is the quintessential insiders design source for creating African interiors. At over 200 pages, literally every other page has a full page color photo on it! While this book is a feast of exotic interiors, exteriors are featured too, they include a wide array of domiciles: rugged tents to palaces to tree houses, and game camps to very exclusive lodges. In fact, at the back of the book, the author has generously offered up a Safari Guide, complete with addresses and phone numbers of many of the books featured sites, for those of you inspired to go to these places!

Designers will appreciate the clear arrangement and large scope of design possibilities. You will see everything from salvaged heavy teak wood platform beds with misquote netting, baskets and carved masks in very rustic bedroom settings, to contemporary eclectic dining rooms with ever so slight touches of favorite and hard to find African objects strewn within more modern houses. Part of what makes this such a fantastic book is that the look you wish you could achieve in your own home are possible; Classical, Stylish, Simple, Eclectic, Exotic, Masculine or Feminine, Rustic, etc. For example - a photo of a patio with a raw timber pergola covered with fucia bougainvillea and a casual wood four person dining area replete with plants, chaise lounge and ethnic lanterns could easily fit into a Southwestern home. Another example of the diversity of style in the ideas found in this book is the Modern Romantic open loft room. Here is where a tanned leather couches gently separate the space between the living and dining areas. Additionally, the Modern Romantic has silver columns with only a little mudcloth wrapped around the bottom, raw wood tables and lighting treatments, bamboo blinds and a large abstract oil on canvas taking up an entire wall in the dining area. This second example could be found in a Manhattan apartment or a swank L.A. house with only subtle nuances to a mixed African style.

A plethora of native craft objects such as, paintings, carvings, textiles, spears, shields, shells, bowls, and pottery, which make their appearance throughout. I would also like to site that more architectural elements like treatments for roofs, ceilings, walls and floors, balconies, chimneys, sinks and showers, windows, doors, corridors and more are all part of what makes these places so enticing. Natural elements are key  stone and wood, rough woven textiles, baskets, mats, and so on. If you like more eco-friendly living (such as the books Earth to Spirit, or the New Natural House Book both by David Pearson), you must at least look at this Safari Style for reference material. Indian, Asian and Coastal / subtropical blends on the African tradition are perfectly woven into the concept of creating foreign spaces yet comfortably beautiful living arrangements.

Indeed this book makes no argument that it borrows from the land and native cultures. Black and white photos from the 1920s accompany historical text exploring the British colonization of south and eastern regions of Africa. Very fortunately, I counted less than ten photos, which depict hunting trophies, animal skins or taxidermy, which I had previously associated with a safari style. I find this refreshing! Dont be mistaken that Tin Beddows book departs from more than an exploration of sites into adventures. Not a single image shown within depicts humans, native or non-native, beyond the introduction. Safari Style does not whatsoever portray, with even the remotest sense of accuracy, how any native African peoples live, their homes or villages. Then again, this subject is hardly broached.

It is easy to promote this book to the both the novice interior designers and design student, professional interior design firms, architects and possibly contractors, the curious eclectic artist, hermits and meditative spirits, romantics and in general, to travel lifestyle enthusiasts. (Stay away Ralph Laurent platinum card waving wannabes and homogenized Martha Stewart rip-off artists, or youll ruin a good thing.)

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars beautiful photography, and sense of style, April 14, 1999

By A Customer

photographs capture the essence of safari style. i designed galdessa camp in tsavo east national park, kenya. would enjoy comments and queries stephanie kuna Box 15095 Nairobi, Kenya EA