Swahili wall carving and Zidaka
Among the most intriguing architectural elements for those who visit the coast of Kenya for the first time, we can certainly include what might be improperly called wall carving, and decorative wall niches “zidaka”. These elements are mainly found in old Swahili houses in Lamu and more rarely in the houses of Malindi, Watamu and Kilifi. Often Lonno Lodge customers ask us information about the type of mold used to create these decorations; in fact no such a tool is provided, but only a small piece of wood with which you draw the construction lines and a small trowel to carve the mortar,...
Read MoreNazir’s brass
For the western people, used to choose the desired objects on a brochure, in shops or supermarkets, it seems pretty unusual that to buy a lamp you have to select a pattern in the images of a book, make pencil sketches and then look at the craftsman who will create it. This was the case for Lonno Lodge’s brass lamps, present in the exteriors and in some rooms, and that was the procedure we followed. It was not easy to find a craftsman, but it was a pleasure to meet Nazir who from thin sheets of brass, with great care and bending, eventually embossed with a clever job of chasing to create...
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