A FAMILY AFFAIR

LAYERING FAMILY HISTORY WITH CLASSIC, N0STALGIA - INFLECTED SAFARI STYLE AND TOUCHES ΟF ΒΟΗΕΜΙ ΑΝ AND ARTISTIC FLAIR, 9 GEIGER'S CAMP AT MOTS WARI PRIVATE GAME RESERVE IS A UNIQUE, ULTRA-PRIVATE ΑΝD AUTHENTIC BUSH EXPERIENCE.

- ROBYN ALEXANDER

The restrained glamour of old-school safari style is very much in evidence at Geiger’s Camp, a boutique lodge that forms part of Motswari Game Reserve in the Timbavati/Umbabat, on the edge of Kruger Park. At this intimate lodge, the design of both buildings and interiors is a story of one family’s love for the area, and for spending their downtime in the bush.

“It’s a philosophy, not decor,” says owner Marion Geiger-Orengo, the daughter of one of Motswari’s original founders, Paul Geiger – and when I ask her to suggest a few key words she associates with Geiger’s Camp, she answers thoughtfully, “Shade. Peace. Heritage. Layered.” Uniting the talents of Marion, her French husband Fabrice Orengo de Lamazière and interior designer David Strauss, the camp has a unique look and feel that has evolved over the years. More than mere decoration, this is a style that is forged in equal parts from Marion’s heritage, Fabrice’s vision and David’s guidance.

According to David, working on Geiger’s Camp with Marion and Fabrice was all about creating a resolutely “un-decorated” feel that also reflected the couple’s “cosmopolitan family history”. The aim was, he says, to make guests “feel like one of the family”, and to create a place “not designed to impress, but designed for the user”.