Behind the scenes with Sidai – a journey in design

Our ability to create spaces and experiences that transform relies on many people. In our design process, we cultivate relationships with makers, designers, and artists, sometimes sourcing, but often co-creating custom pieces with them to deepen the multisensory and cultural experience of travelling with us for our guests.

When conceiving the new design for Serengeti House in Singita Grumeti, our design team worked closely with designers and artists to create special one-off pieces for the villa that would speak to a sense of place and honour the Serengeti. Sidai Designs was one of them.

We’ve walked a long road with Sidai, a studio preserving the age-old Maasai tradition of beadwork through sustainable employment for women, and have created special pieces for our lodges with them, starting with a wall hanging that adorns a lounge space at Mara River Tented Camp. Their work is collaborative, craft-focused, and intricate, and the team of women who create their pieces are highly skilled.

The colours and pieces used in Serengeti House’s redesign were chosen and designed to usher the plains in – to create an homage to their tones and textures, and the sense of space that makes being in the Serengeti so moving.

Sidai’s contribution to this peaceful and calming space is also their largest piece to date, requiring up to eight women beading at once, with some sitting at times under the table to pass needles back through the canvas. While the studio traditionally beads on leather, this large-scale artwork called for a more durable canvas and features glass beads in varying shades of white and soft nude. The final piece occupies 3 x 1.2 metres of a wall in a dining area. The installation, called Ngaulele – pronounced N-gow-leh-leh’, which is the Maasai word for ‘environment’ – is a beautiful example of the level of contextual design and customisation we strive for in all our spaces.

Inspired by the landscapes where they live – raise their children, herd livestock, and tend the earth – the beaders have woven a depiction of everyday life in rural Tanzania into the artwork. An aerial interpretation of everyday rituals turns familiar forms into an abstract artwork. A wood carver created the thousands of beads used to tell the story, and his handcrafted work adds to the intricate tactility of the mural. The result is a deeply rooted expression of place, tradition, and community – an artwork that tells a story from above, while grounded in its maker’s everyday reality.

The collaboration between Singita and Sidai is rooted in mutual respect, trust, and a shared vision. Previous pieces reflect Sidai’s signature visual style – natural, regionally grounded, and refined – which has always aligned with Singita. This project continued in that vein but conjured an even deeper level of thoughtfulness and intention. The result was a piece more organic than their usual designs, featuring a free-flowing, natural pattern that resonates beautifully with Serengeti House’s quiet softness.

“Working on this piece with Singita – especially with Franco, who is always a delight – was both a dream and a challenge, pushing us creatively and technically in new ways. The scale demanded constant problem-solving, from stretching and re-stretching the material to coordinating hands and rhythm,” says Rebecca Moore, Sidai’s Director.

Sidai’s ongoing relationship with Singita owes to trust and an openness to co-creation. “Singita’s deep appreciation for our craftsmanship and commitment to local communities allows space for honest, empowering feedback and authentic exploration of heritage and design. It allowed us to explore this with openness and authenticity, making the process deeply meaningful,” she adds.

The ripple effect of this process isn’t only felt by the guests who eventually experience the artistry in our spaces, but by everyone touched by the creative journey. “To say the team was proud would be an understatement. Our artisans’ families came in to see the piece, countless photos were taken, and there was a shared sense of joy and accomplishment in what they had created together,” says Rebecca.

For the women involved, the project wasn’t just a feat of technical skill and creativity, but an expression of identity and culture. “Beading their stories into the fabric of the work, they quite literally embroidered their lives into the canvas,” she adds. And in that transformative process, when an idea becomes a reality, it transcends design, becoming a physical representation of identity, community, and memory.