Lamu has always known how to build for heat, salt air, wind, shade and rain. At The Cabanas, we try to listen to that knowledge wherever we can.
Coral stone.
Coral stone is one of the foundations of how we build here. It is used as the building block, the quiet structure beneath the finish, giving the rooms their weight, coolness and sense of belonging to the coast.
You may not always see it exposed, but it is there in the bones of the buildings. The walls are then finished in practical island ways: rendered, hand-smoothed, painted, repaired and renewed as the salt air, sun and seasons ask of them. Not every material is perfect, and not every finish is ancient or romantic. Concrete, cement-based mixes and paint all have their place in making buildings strong, durable and liveable by the sea.
The point is to use them with care, and to let the older logic of the island still guide the way we build.
Makuti.
The roofs are makuti, palm thatch, woven by hand and made for this climate.
Makuti gives shade, softness and breathability in a way that feels unmistakably coastal. It keeps the buildings cooler, gives them their quiet island silhouette, and supports the local skills needed to weave, repair and maintain it.
It is not a perfect material. It needs care. It ages. It must be renewed. But that is part of its honesty. The building stays alive because it is maintained, repaired and looked after.
Hand-finished walls.
Our walls are hand-finished for island life, rendered, painted, touched up, repaired and kept soft in feeling rather than hard or over-polished.
Some finishes include coastal mixes using coral powder and cement, chosen because they are practical in this climate. We are honest about that balance. Building on an island is never impact-free, and the right answer is not always the most romantic one.
For us, the aim is restraint: use local materials where they make sense, avoid unnecessary imported finishes, repair before replacing, and let shade, breeze, texture and proportion do as much of the work as possible.
Why this matters.
Coral stone, makuti, local craft, shade, airflow and repair are not nostalgic choices. They are practical ones. They help buildings stay cooler. They keep knowledge and work close to the community. They make maintenance part of the life of the place. Most importantly, they allow The Cabanas to feel as though it belongs to this coast, rather than being placed on top of it. We are not trying to recreate the past. We are trying to remember what the island already understands.
