Safari Seduction of a British Colonial Past

The British actor Richard E. Grant went on an adventure back to his homeland of Africa to explore the history of Safari and try to understand the appeal of the big game hunt.

 

Re-creating Teddy Roosevelt's Safari living.

He describes the lifestyle of Safari as dangerous, bloody, romantic and luxurious. In a time when colonial life was about the spread of the British Empire, into the last frontiers of then British East Africa, now Kenya, and in many cases heralding a fresh new start in life for some of its entrepreneurs.

A classic colonial tent with all the trappings - this is the original glamping.

Wealthy British adventurers combined all the pop and grandeur of their British lifestyles in the African bush and no expense was spared.

Even Teddy Roosevelt went on Safari spending millions and hiring a small army of people. He had all the luxuries and then state of the art equipment (binoculars), they called him King of America. It's also argued he was the one who set the style of luxury that is what we think of as today - the quintessential Safari look.

Home away from home - extraordinary.

Gorgeous setting.

It was a time of extraordinary contrasts with elegance and luxury combined with the wild African plains. This brought about some rather wayward lifestyles as the excitement of hunting created a Safari sex appeal. Seducer hunters and the 'happy valley club' went to the extreme of Safari and even tarnished the reputation of the society of the day.

 

 

 

Despite the hedonism, Richard summed up the true spirit of Safari as exhilaration & freedom. Tough lessons have been learnt and now a strong sense of conservation rules and it is a good thing. The mighty & majestic African landscape is one to protect than to exploit.

Magnificent Zebra.

The last days of Empire appear to be the final party. A stylish affair in an exotic location. Today we take inspiration from the positive side of Safari & the British Colonial past.

It has become a classic style loved by designers like Ralph Lauren who swoon over this romantic and decadent era, capturing all the key style elements of luxury and simplicity combined.

The style is further spurred on by the much loved Out of Africa novel, playing on the evocative images of Africa in its colonial heyday. There is such a romantic and raw element in this look. Heavily masculine with a soft feminine edge to balance.

 

Who wouldn't want to dine here?

 

The basic elements of Safari are rich natural textures such as wood, leather, brass, rattan, cotton & canvas combined with a black & white colour scheme. Keep things striking, simple. Its about quality over quantity with these items. Here's some inspiration on what to look for.

And with these elements you can easily create the post colonial safari look with all its romantic and luxurious styling. Add the contrasts of rough vs smooth, black vs white, fine vs textured and you'll be able to build up the layers that make up this defined style.

So beautiful.

 

 

 

 

(all images Pinterest)

Happy Island Styling.

British Colonial Celebrations

My heart skipped a beat when I saw these images. Beautifully shot with a quintessential British Colonial meets Out of Africa Safari styling.

Just gorgeous, I've never seen a wedding (I'm presuming it's a wedding) styled like this - I love it.

I can easily spot key elements in these images that David Flint Wood

& India Hicks have used in their homes in a bid to capture a bygone age and give their

homes a hint of a grand historical past.

Note the silver candle sticks, elevated vase using an old book (clever styling trick if you need some height to a vignette), the silver trophy with roses and an old British Union Jack flag.

It looks like the occasion is set in an old barn, this gives the look a casual and rustic feel.

Silver trophies, old books, an old wine decanter used as a vase with roses, these little

vignettes tell a story of upper class English society that is now by and large resided to country estates and period dramas.

Besides being English myself, what I love about these images is their heady romantic and

nostalgic feel. Homage to a bygone era, re-creating the past is a little bit like dressing up for

grown ups. Such fun, such indulgence and the beauty about dressing up in this format is, that you can create and enjoy these still life wonders until you fancy dipping in again to the interiors

dressing up box.

Have to say the old leather picnic case set is divine.

Grand, yet accessible. Not pretentious at all, I love this. Simple, elegant and a little quirky of course, we English do this so well, we are indeed the original design twisters.

Note the beautiful roses in tea pots - so cute.

I can easily imagine these beautiful elements being incorporated into any tropical colonial look. Easy props to pick up at vintage stores, here's a shot of The Kings Retreat that my old friend David Flint Wood has created in the Bahamas - note the similar elements and the trade mark large palm leaves - delightful.

Happy Island Styling.