Interior design from Cameroon — refreshingly modern - video Dailymotion

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In a world where interior design is often seen as mere aesthetics, how can design become the heartbeat of a culture? Cameroonian visionary Manuela Kamadjou sees design as much more than arranging furniture.

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00:00What does it mean to design a space that feels like home?

00:04In a world where interior design is often seen as mere aesthetics,

00:10can design become the heartbeat of a culture?

00:13Cameroonian visionary Manuela Kamadju sees design as more than arranging furniture.

00:20Today, we are in a generation that is really looking for this well-being, this happiness.

00:25I think it starts with the spaces in which we live.

00:31If the spaces in which we live reflect well-being, happiness and joy, we will feel good.

00:39The interior design industry in Cameroonian has been underdeveloped for years

00:44and a challenge, especially for women whose roles are often seen as more traditional.

00:51It's in this challenging landscape that Manuela decided to craft her path.

00:58Her journey to becoming was not linear.

01:01Growing up, her passion for art was encouraged only as a hobby.

01:06After studying business and working in finance,

01:09she discovered the power of design through rebranding projects for her employer across Europe.

01:16The blend of her corporate and creative experience planted the seed to pursue interior design full-time.

01:25I started in the interior decoration business about seven years ago.

01:29I worked in an industrial group where I was the operations manager.

01:34I was looking for a small activity that would allow me to escape.

01:38After 13 years of transforming brands and projects in Europe and Africa,

01:45she returned to Cameroon to pursue her acquired passion.

01:49With her company, Kabe Homes, Manuela launched a design studio,

01:55a space aimed at elevating local craftsmanship and celebrating creativity in every project.

02:03But what drove these finance professionals to live a lucrative career

02:08to transform the interior architecture landscape in her country?

02:13Our approach to interior architecture is to leave the well-being as a footprint in the interiors

02:20and living spaces of our clients.

02:22This will be reflected in the functionality, in the textures we choose, in the colors we choose,

02:32and in all the elements that will accompany the design so that the client can really float in the house

02:39and have this feeling of well-being when he works, because nothing is complicated.

02:44Everything is simple for him and reflects the way he lives.

02:52Manuela's first interior project was just at her doorstep.

02:58My first project was a family project because my husband wanted to create a medical office

03:10and so he asked me to help him decorate a little bit.

03:15And so that's it.

03:16It's a project that was pretty cool to do.

03:18A lot of mistakes were made because I did not know Cameroon well yet.

03:25I did not know the sector well yet either.

03:28But it was the source of a lot of learning,

03:32precisely in the project management that I was talking about.

03:36And today, it's a project that I'm pretty proud of.

03:44The project that I was talking about, and today it's a project that I'm quite proud.

03:48She now leads a growing team of 13 permanent staff, most of whom are women under the age of 25.

03:57What has given her the advantage to penetrate the market in Cameroon?

04:02When we started, the interior design in Cameroon was not very well known.

04:11We knew architects, but not necessarily interior architects.

04:16And it was necessary to make it more popular.

04:19We communicated a lot to be able to educate the clients around us.

04:25It was not necessarily obvious, because people sometimes think that we were magicians.

04:33But over time, I think people began to understand what it was.

04:37That understanding has earned her clients in diverse spaces,

04:48from her husband's clinic to more fun properties.

04:51For example, for this project here, we are on a space.

04:56It's an elba that we were putting in place.

04:59So, at the base, we helped the client to find this space,

05:03which was actually a small villa that was used for offices.

05:08So, we were in materials that were very classic, a bit shiny, beige, standard,

05:15and the ceilings all smooth.

05:18And so here we are trying to make it evolve into something much warmer,

05:22which will rather encourage well-being.

05:26Manuela is not about to slow down.

05:30She sees design as a search for artistic solutions.

05:35She is using her experience and exposure from her previous career

05:39to modernize her approach in Cameroon.

05:43Design is the perfect mix between aesthetic and functionality.

05:49Functionality, first of all, because we personally are interior designers.

05:56So, inevitably, we will design a space in which people will live,

06:00in which people will move around.

06:03So, these spaces must be functional.

06:06Kebe Homes is more than a business.

06:08It is a vision.

06:10One that ensures that each work done is simple and authentic.

06:15The company also gives back by training young people.

06:19As Manuela continues to shape the future of interior design in Cameroon,

06:24her journey is a testament to resilience and purpose to inspire and transform lives.

Interior design from Cameroon — refreshingly modern

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