Imagine living in a house today full of furniture made over a thousand years ago? That is the feeling I want to experience when I build my dream house. This is a house that everything, including the doors and windows would be antiques!

I was born in the coastal town of Mombasa, with the ocean surrounding us; there was always fresh air from the sea. I grew up surrounded by the Swahili and Arabs and of course them being our neighbors, as children we would frequent their homes like our own.

As children, nothing came as a shock to see the kind of furniture that our neighbors had, because these things were everywhere including in our home.

The Swahili and Arabs are very artistic people, so most of their living rooms were adorned with beautiful antiques, a wall to wall Persian carpet, and an antique clock was a must and round pillows.

If anyone dint go beyond the living room, then this person would leave the home thinking that these people are misers, but woe unto you if you divulge further into the homes.

These people used to sleep on antique beds, they would have antiques china in their kitchens, and up to the bathrooms the huge mirrors on walls were all antiques accumulated in years by the family ancestors.

Cooking was mostly done in beautified cooking pots, people were never bothered with buying refrigerators because food was cooked in clay pots and therefore rarely would the food go bad.

Water was stored in clay pots and would be cool throughout, I used to love the clay smell on the water and it had a sweet taste to it! It was until after I went to secondary school, that I realized that it was something special to have been born and brought up in this coastal town and appreciated what the culture of these people whom I call my own taught me, it taught me to appreciate beauty and all the beautiful things on earth.

While the antiques went out of fashion in the mid eighties and nineties, they are much sought after today. I have an eighty four year old friend who sent me antique porcelain a month ago and anyone who comes to my office today, can not leave without commenting something unique about it.

This piece of furniture is so unique that I have decided that, once I build my dream house- everything in it will be antique and will be bought in the small island of Lamu. For one to appreciate the beauty of antiques, we look at different unique pieces of antiques.

KITCHENWARE

 These pieces antique utensils are dated back to almost 85 to 100 years ago. These Chinese pots are more valuable today. The entire pieces consisted of a large pot which was what was used for water storage.

Then there is the tea or coffee kettle. The smaller jug was used for milk, then the tea mug. The other dishes were used to serve food (today’s hot pots).

If these pieces of antiques were to be put up for sale today, they can fetch more than what a town house could cost! An ordinary person would never understand why such old things cost more; you only need to appreciate good things to know the value.

ANTIQUE CLOCK

Antique clocks have been there for all the years that I care to remember. For those who grew up before the eighties are sure to have seen one in their homes, their neighbor’s homes or even at school.

Unlike the sophisticated wall clocks that are now readily available and last only for few months if you are lucky, these clocks used to last forever. What amuses me most about these clocks are the shapes, designs and sizes that come with them?

Ends