Nairobi News

Tatiana Karanja, popularly known as Mama Olive, is one of Kenya’s renowned fitness and lifestyle influencers on social media.

She is also the mother to Marley and Nova, her youngest baby. She took Naila Kenga, the host of the Art of Living show, on a house tour, revealing a rustic Swahili theme mixed with modern touches and plants all over her house.

According to Mama Olive, she moved into the house about a year and two months ago- called it a miraculous find because it gave off Lamu vibes.

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Tatiana revealed she had always wanted to live on the beach, but circumstances would not let her, and so, when she found this house, it apparently gave her Lamu vibes, saying, “It was like a little piece of the beach in Nairobi.”

The two-level house is predominantly a bungalow with a small metal and wood spiral staircase leading up into a space built into the attic.

It is a two-bedroom home surrounded by a forest, has a large compound and views to die for. The house also spots several large rustic-designed windows that let in natural light into the high-ceiling home with a skylight.

Mama Olive revealed that despite getting tons of unsolicited offers to help her decorate her new space, she decided to embark on putting the house together as a form of therapy after coming out of a difficult year.

She decorated the house in her own style, getting several plants (she is a nature lover) and putting up her children’s photos and artworks all over the house. She said this was a way of making the house feel like their space as well.

Speaking about having a thin spiral stairway leading up to the attic, Tatiana said, “Of course it scares me as a mum but they learnt how to use it…it’s just the baby now, when she learns to walk, that is when I will become an issue. But I want to get a gate secured here.”

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In the small attic space, three uses have been assigned to it. In one corner is an entertainment corner where a television set and other machines are set up for movie nights, playing video games and star gazing out of a large circular window beside them.

Another use for the attic is a hidden space where a bed is set up for overnight guests, and the final use is her office space where she used to work before giving birth to Nova.

Tatiana and Naila defined the home and its environs as serene and tranquil, large enough for the children to play indoors and outdoors and enjoy the views of the forest and the surrounding mangrove trees.

The house also has an open-plan kitchen, a kitchen island, and a luxurious dining table separating the living and dining spaces.

The house’s overall theme is beach style- simple, rustic, and easy to clean. Tatiana revealed her mother loved the style and it is from her that she picked it and modified it to suit her taste.

“This is the home of my dreams, I just wish it was like 6 bedrooms because of all the kids,” added Tatiana.

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