The Magic of Africa as Seen by Katie Schroder
The Atelier Interior Design brand is rooted in vibrant color, pattern, and culture - quite simply, it’s what we do. When wrapped up with a pretty little bow, our design aesthetic can be described as eclectic and inspired by our team’s love for any and everything global or cultural. It’s safe to say that when we have vacation time, we’ll be on the move, whether to explore our great state of Colorado, the United States or even abroad. Although these trips are considered a break from our day-to-day interior design job, in the end we bring back inspiration and new ideas to fuel our designs and creativity.
Most recently, Katie Schroder, Atelier Owner and Lead Interior Designer, took a once-in-a-lifetime family trip to Africa. After being delayed three years due to the pandemic, the trip was highly anticipated and didn’t disappoint - of no shock to anyone, of course. Get a look into the pure magic of Africa with a run down of her awe-inspiring trip and the takeaways she brought back to Atelier below.
First Stop: Two Nights in Kenya at Nairobi National Park
Accommodations: While there, they stayed at a boutique, family-owned lodge, Emakoko, which set the tone for the stunning interior design they’d experience throughout the trip. When looking at the lodge as a whole, no detail was missed - it was just jaw dropping.
Excursions: While in Kenya, the Schroder family’s itinerary consisted of taking in the views around the lodge, participating in a game drive, and touring the Karen Blixen Musuem. Fun fact: Karen Blixen was a Danish woman who moved to Kenya for 17 years and owned a coffee plantation. She wrote the book “Out of Africa” based on her time spent in Kenya.
Second Stop: Two Nights in Rwanda
The next stop on their trip was two nights in Rwanda, which they kicked off via a ride on a very small plane from Kenya.
Accommodations: The two nights were spent staying on a hilltop at Virunga Lodge overlooking two volcanic lakes, Ruhondo and Bulera. In Katie’s words, “the lodge had a very special energy to it”. The workers immersed guests into their culture by singing to them in the morning. It became apparent that music and sound fueled them as at dinner everyone joined together - guests and workers - to dance around the table in celebration of a birthday. It turned into a dance party and was simply dreamy.
Excursions: While in Rwanda, much of their itinerary was spent with the mountain gorillas - yes, you heard that right! The Schroder family had a guide that they hiked with in Volcanoes National Park to see mountain gorilla families that the guides follow in the area. They stumbled upon a family of 12 to 15 gorillas, ranging in age from elders to babies, that came only a few feet from them, but as long as you remained relatively still and quiet, all was well and they didn’t mind having an audience.
The next stop, and one of the most important, was the 1994 Rwanda Genocide Museum. Nearly 800,000 Tutsis were murdered over 100 days just for being part of a different tribe stemming from years and years of Belgium colonizers influencing the Hutu tribe with the rhetoric that the Tutsis were less worthy. This segment of the time in Rwanda was both devastating and eye-opening, giving a new appreciation for the life we have.
Third Stop: Three Nights in Tanzania
Upon finishing up in Rwanda, they moved on to Tanzania, specifically the Maasai Mara National Reserve, for three nights where they stayed at Mwiba Lodge.
Accommodations: As an interior designer with over 20 years of experience, Katie found that Mwiba was one of the most impressive lodges, although all were beautiful in their own right. The lodge featured canvas walls, wood doors, and neutral, natural safari finishes that were truly out of this world. Not to mention the breathtaking setting overlooking the Arugusinyai River and the herds of animals that would come by to quench their thirst. From the food to the accommodations to the knowledgeable hospitality team, everything was above and beyond their expectations.
Excursions: One reason for going to Africa was the opportunity to immerse in new cultures and the Tanzania segment of the trip delivered just that. While there, the Schroder family toured two tribes - the Datoga and Hadzabe. While visiting with the Datoga, the matriarch, a very warm and inviting woman, kindly showed them around their huts and how they lived day-to-day. A dance session also broke out that Katie and family participated in, plus to top it off, the ladies of the tribe made tons of gorgeous beaded and metal jewelry that made for perfect gifts to bring home. The next stop was the Hadzabe tribe, which travels in smaller family groups of about 10 people or so. They were a giving group willing to share all their knowledge about survival as they demonstrated how to make fire, collect honey and shoot bows and arrows.
Fourth Stop: Three Nights in Kenya at Maasai Mara National Reserve
After three nights of enjoying Maasai Mara National Reserve in Rwanda, the family flew back to Kenya for three nights, but still within the boundaries of Massai Mara National Reserve.
Accommodations: This time around in Kenya, they stayed at IL Moran Camp Lodge, which sat on the Mara River. These accommodations were a bit more rustic allowing for more wildlife interaction and viewing. The river attracted hippos, elephants, tons and tons of wildebeests, cheetahs, lions, zebras and much more! In keeping with the camping spirit, lunch and breakfast were served out in the bush, which was an amazing experience.
Excursions: To top off their time in Kenya, on the last morning there the family went for an absolutely incredible hot air balloon ride. It was calm, peaceful, and they got to witness a herd of wildebeests running below - talk about EPIC!
Fifth & Final Stop: Three Nights in Kenya at Mara Nyika
For the stop on the family trip they drove a few hours to Mara Nyika camp and stayed three nights.
Accommodations: Mara Nyika was another top-notch lodge similar to Mwiba and couldn’t have been more outstanding. The tents were gorgeous and included private bathrooms, living rooms, the works! The spaces were accented with purple bedding and old world red rugs adding a touch of a Moroccan vibe. On top of this, the lodge hosted a bonfire every night where guests and workers could gather to chat - this was a nice touch to make you feel more engaged in the trip.
Excursions: Much to the delight of Atelier, they visited with the Maasai Mara tribe and their colors were outstanding - hello color, pattern, culture! In addition they embarked on several game drives in which they spotted a leopard and huge prides of lions.
After this trip-of-a-lifetime, the Schroder family headed home feeling grateful, inspired… and maybe a little bit exhausted. When we asked Katie her specific recommendations, here’s what she had to say:
“I would recommend all the places we stayed for different reasons, but the few that stand out were:
Mwiba - the design of the lodge, tour guides/workers, the tribes we visited and the top-notch service and food
Virunga - the scenery as it was on top of the mountain, the people and of course, the gorillas
Mara Nyika - gorgeous setting, firepit, amazing visit with the tribe and the animals”
And when asked her takeaways and what she will bring to Atelier/her design work:
“[What I took away from the trip to bring back to my business is the warm and caring people, which made it a wonderful experience.] Whether it was the tribe people showing me their home openly, the workers at the lodges or the friendly faces of all the African countries, it was just inspiring. Also, the natural safari vibe made me appreciate a more neutral palette with great textures. The styles were very Ernest Hemingway, Ralph Lauren, Moroccan, but very cozy and inviting at the same time. Don’t tell anyone (LOL), but I delighted in the neutral palettes as the natural surroundings and animals could be the focal point. Just a truly awe-inspiring trip that I’ll never forget!”