Pamba House is designed around openness as both a spatial and climatic strategy.
With no formal front door and uninterrupted sightlines from one end of the home to the other, the architecture is organised around a central atrium to maximise light, wind, and connection to the outdoors. The house is calibrated for coastal living; even in the hottest months, the barazas benefit from a consistent, cooling breeze, making openness not just an aesthetic choice but a functional one.

Conceived as a multigenerational family home, the house is designed for ease and inclusivity. A lift connects the levels, a bedroom is located on the ground floor for elders, and the layout is inherently baby-ready, allowing families to move comfortably and intuitively through the space over time.

Two retired dhows were sourced and dismantled, with their timber repurposed into doors, windows, and custom furniture. The wood is used as found: markings bearing the dhow names are left visible, barnacles remain where they once met the sea, and imperfections are treated as evidence of history rather than flaws. This material honesty forms a central layer of the home’s narrative.

The house is expressed through a grand, modern Swahili language, combining niru-finished walls and floors with moments of raw concrete. Brass features prominently in the lighting, bringing warmth and softness, while the palette is anchored in green, grey, and gold—tones that sit comfortably within the coastal landscape.

Sand dunes move through the garden, creating a relaxed sand-garden atmosphere, while greenery is welcomed into the interior, blurring the boundaries between inside and out.

Designed for indulgent comfort and long stays, the home includes a teppanyaki kitchen, two snug rooms for retreat and gathering, and generous dining and lounge areas that support both family life and entertaining. Throughout the interiors, hand-loomed textiles and African antique fabrics are layered with intention, reinforcing a tactile, lived-in sense of barefoot luxury grounded in craft, climate, and ease.