“Safari Method” is a culmination of my living a peripatetic life, both as a traveller and a working expatriate. My sojourns in Hong Kong, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, and Luxembourg inform my eye and my style as a tastemaker. In all my experiences, I was happiest, most alive, when I was on safari in East Africa.
Indeed, central to my inspiration in life and style is Baroness Karen Blixen, the Danish writer who wrote under the pen name Isak Dinesen. She lived in Kenya for 17 years. Her story is told in her memoir “Out of Africa” (1937); and the biopic (1985) which won the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Music (Original Score).
In 2014, I went on safari in Kenya. At dawn break, I set out on an expedition to observe wild animals. The safari experience was an epiphany for me in my appreciation for landscapes and cultures different from my own, and in my awareness for the importance of observing and having a curious mind.
This and my other travel experiences are distilled in the inspirational “Safari Method”, my design consultancy.
I hope it inspires you too.
Chelsea Hollstein-Ivarsson
“Safari Method” is a culmination of my living a peripatetic life, both as a traveller and a working expatriate. My sojourns in Hong Kong, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, and Luxembourg inform my eye and my style as a tastemaker. In all my experiences, I was happiest, most alive, when I was on safari in East Africa.
Indeed, central to my inspiration in life and style is Baroness Karen Blixen, the Danish writer who wrote under the pen name Isak Dinesen. She lived in Kenya for 17 years. Her story is told in her memoir “Out of Africa” (1937); and the biopic (1985) which won the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Music (Original Score).
In 2014, I went on safari in Kenya. At dawn break, I set out on an expedition to observe wild animals. The safari experience was an epiphany for me in my appreciation for landscapes and cultures different from my own, and in my awareness for the importance of observing and having a curious mind.
This and my other travel experiences are distilled in the inspirational “Safari Method”, my design consultancy.
I hope it inspires you too.
Chelsea Hollstein-Ivarsson
I was born in London, United Kingdom; and raised in New Jersey, the United States.
My mother was the US Liaison for the Saudi Royal Family. “What do you wish to be when you grow up,” they asked me when I was in First Grade, “fireman, ballerina, doctor?” My response: “International business woman.”
That is, today, my profession.
I worked hard for my achievements. In school, I thrived in languages, excelling in French, Spanish, German and Mandarin. I studied International Affairs in Washington DC and started on a path to the Foreign Service. Following two internships in Shanghai and Paris, I realised that I wanted to experience life in its infinite variety. I wanted the freedom to choose and decide where I would live, love and work.
Today, I work with the world’s largest shipping company, clocking over 1,000 hours of flight time on global business trips. I was stationed in the company’s Hong Kong outpost for six years.
In 2018, I moved to Luxembourg to be with my then-boyfriend, a Swede. We married in 2020.
I have now returned to Asia, living with my husband Anthon and mini dachshund Blixen, in Singapore. Working with shipping executives on global supply chain strategies for the past ten years has been exhilarating, gratifying. Deep in my heart, I too have a calling that is creative, instinctive. And I’m not holding back. Please join me in “Safari Method”.
Chelsea Hollstein-Ivarsson
January 2022
I begin by taking a look at your space and discussing possible improvements, using items you already have combined with items I can procure for you.
Exotic pieces from around the world to bring SAFARI home.
This book is a visual compendium of our memories, our travels, our sojourns, our passions, and our still-unfolding story.
In January 2020, in the darkened kitchen of our apartment in Copenhagen, we were staring wistfully at a vintage Raffles Hotel poster hanging on the wall. Little did we know then that 12 months later, by a stroke of kismet, a job opportunity with a global shipping company stationed at its regional headquarters in Singapore arose for Chelsea; and Anthon had an offer to join a tech start-up, also based in Singapore. We have traveled to the island-city several times for business, but this would be our first deep encounter with the Singaporean environment, culture and heritage as residents.
Our house is on the east coast of Singapore, in a private, quiet residential estate. This tropical bungalow has been a safe haven for living and working during the Covid-19 pandemic. We are sequestered away from a chaotic world. Within it, we create a universe of our own, surrounded by the things we love, the stories we share, and the company we enjoy.
This book illustrates our collections from across the world, from cities we have stayed as expatriates: Hong Kong, Amsterdam, The Hague, Luxembourg and Copenhagen; and countries we have visited as travelers: Kenya, Indonesia, Thailand, Australia, Japan, Vietnam, China and Turkey. In this book, you will see imageries of our storied heirlooms, mementos, antiques, books and photographic artworks.
This book is a visual compendium of our memories, our travels, our sojourns, our passions, and our still-unfolding story.
In January 2020, in the darkened kitchen of our apartment in Copenhagen, we were staring wistfully at a vintage Raffles Hotel poster hanging on the wall. Little did we know then that 12 months later, by a stroke of kismet, a job opportunity with a global shipping company stationed at its regional headquarters in Singapore arose for Chelsea; and Anthon had an offer to join a tech start-up, also based in Singapore. We have traveled to the island-city several times for business, but this would be our first deep encounter with the Singaporean environment, culture and heritage as residents.
Our house is on the east coast of Singapore, in a private, quiet residential estate. This tropical bungalow has been a safe haven for living and working during the Covid-19 pandemic. We are sequestered away from a chaotic world. Within it, we create a universe of our own, surrounded by the things we love, the stories we share, and the company we enjoy.
This book illustrates our collections from across the world, from cities we have stayed as expatriates: Hong Kong, Amsterdam, The Hague, Luxembourg and Copenhagen; and countries we have visited as travelers: Kenya, Indonesia, Thailand, Australia, Japan, Vietnam, China and Turkey. In this book, you will see imageries of our storied heirlooms, mementos, antiques, books and photographic artworks.
Please enjoy the book.
