Throughout her extraordinary 35-year career, model and new mother Naomi Campbell has broken barriers, gracing runways and appearing on countless magazine covers. Despite her busy schedule, she is always motivated by her work and it always brings her joy.

However, even icons require downtime. And when it’s really time to retire, Campbell heads to his villa in Malindi, a peaceful coastal village in Kenya. She spent over 20 years using her magnificent home overlooking the Indian Ocean as her primary refuge from the hectic pace of her upbringing in New York and her hometown of London. It is the epitome of indoor-outdoor living.

The spacious space is decorated in warm earth tones and natural light, paying homage to casual luxury. According to her, “it’s a very quiet place.” In fact, you should avoid talking on the phone. You’re not trying to find a television, are you? You just want to relax while reading. The sound of the crickets and the complete silence was relaxing.

Head to the saltwater pool that extends out from the center of its lounge for a quick morning dip. When the model is entertaining, family dinners go perfectly under a double pergola with net curtains.

Campbell was particularly inspired by the makuti thatched roofs and imposing cathedral ceilings made from dried coconut leaves. She says that for thousands of years, makuti roofs, hand-stitched using a complex layering method, have been a typical building material in East Africa.

“We’ve had it for at least 12 years and it’s still in good condition,” she exclaimed proudly. Because of the air, wind and sea salt, everything here can deteriorate very quickly but it still survives very well and the author comments that it is a work of art.

Huge, bright Moroccan and Egyptian latika lamps hang from the rafters. Although Campbell enjoys shopping for furniture across Africa, Marrakech and Cairo are where she has had the most success.

Campbell doesn’t have to go far to get great woodwork. “A lot of the wooden furniture we have in our house is made in Malindi,” she says. There is actually a workshop at the back of the house.