Carol Wanjiru Kamotho

Have you ever fantasized about living in your dream home? Me too! And if I know you personally, there’s a 100% chance that I’ve fantasized about your dream home as well. My name is carol kamotho, I’m a student architect, and I have this deeply-rooted desire to design homes and spaces for others. Starting from a young age, there have been many occurrences of my taking notice to different spaces within homes and other buildings and how they made me feel. Fast-forward a few years, and the moment that began my active pursuit towards a career in architecture took place. I’ve since been creating spaces that don’t yet exist, and often envision what could-be, everywhere I go. No building I come across is immune to my day-dreamy thoughts! I think there’s a disconnect between many people and the architectural profession. I also have strong beliefs about what direction residential architecture needs to take in the area I practice. There’s a real need for authentic design and construction, with a focus on simplicity. By authentic, I mean buildings that are actually tailored to the users and relate to their specific site. By simplicity, I mean in terms of forms, materials, structural components, etc. So many homes being constructed are devoid of originality and personality, of quality materials, connections to nature, sustainability, and are based on outdated and unnecessarily convoluted ways of thinking. Your dream home shouldn’t come from a plan built for someone else which just happened to be sitting in someone’s back pocket. Convenient? Yes. Good for you in the long run? Definitely no. Your dream home needs to be a result of your needs, and be a reflection of you. That doesn’t come from a stock plan. It’s my goal to provide knowledge, insights and tips about architecture to those of you who want to stop fantasizing about, and start living in your dream home. You’d be surprised how little changes make a world of a difference. At the end of the day, the world simply needs more purposeful architecture that creates atmospheres, and ultimately people, that are happy, calm, inspired and healthy, plus cool to look at (the buildings, not the people).