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Moments Villas: Where Luxury Meets Wellness, Nature and Thoughtful Design
The Lavington development, named Best Residential Interior Show Home Africa in 2024, redefines luxury through light, nature and everyday living.
The first thing Moments Villas does is make you pause.
A courtyard sits just beyond the entrance, enclosed in glass and surrounded by bamboo. Light falls into the space while the greenery creates an immediate sense of calm.
It sets the tone for the entire development.
At Moments Villas, each room creates its own experience. Instead of designing spaces simply to connect one room to another, the project creates a series of small arrivals.
Designing a Home Around Wellness
Developed by Canaan Developers Limited with interiors by Lehem Interiors, Moments Villas puts wellness at the centre of residential design.
The project received the Best Residential Interior Show Home Africa award at the International Property Awards in 2024. The recognition specifically honoured its interiors.
“ The name Moments played a big part in our design philosophy,” says Ace Oreal, Chief Creative Director at Lehem Interiors.
“The house was envisioned to host special features in every space. All these experiences create unforgettable moments.”
Located on Mzima Springs Road in Lavington, the development comprises four homes. Each villa measures approximately 5,000 square feet on a one-acre plot.
Canaan Developers deliberately limited the development to four homes.
“Moments was created for the modern luxury buyer’s need to retreat after a long day and enjoy a moment of quietness, while still staying close to family life and the depth of nature,” says Yohannes Kidane, Head of Business at Canaan Developers.
Nature Becomes Part of the Architecture
The development brings nature into the daily experience of each home.
Courtyards, gardens and terraces connect indoor spaces with the outdoors. The guest wing opens onto a private garden, while the master suite features a screened balcony.
The balcony can accommodate an outdoor massage table, creating a private wellness space within the home.
“This project is born from the dialogue between nature and architecture,” says Oreal. “That gives Moments its soul.”
The design also takes advantage of Kenya’s climate. Residents can move between indoor and outdoor spaces throughout much of the year.
“If you actually think about it, how many countries are lucky enough to have perfect year-round weather?” Kidane asks. “Isn’t it time our architecture allows us to truly experience Kenya the way it should be experienced?”
Moments Villas: Where Luxury Meets Wellness, Nature and Thoughtful Design
Luxury Designed Around How People Live
Moments Villas also takes a practical approach to modern luxury.
The kitchen, for example, is divided into two spaces. A display kitchen features an island bar and breakfast nook that opens onto a small courtyard.
Behind it sits a second kitchen connected to the scullery, laundry and staff quarters.
The arrangement separates entertaining from household operations. Guests can gather around the island while preparation happens out of sight.
The same philosophy shapes the villa’s approach to space and scale.
Rather than relying heavily on imposing entrances and double-height spaces, the interiors emphasise horizontal lines and movement.
“In this project, we wanted to emphasise the horizontal lines,” says Oreal. “That’s related to luxury. Luxurious houses are horizontal, not vertical.”
The main living space spans two storeys and opens onto a garden terrace through full-height sliding doors.
A marble fireplace rises through the full height of the room, creating a deliberate contrast with the horizontal design.
Elsewhere, glass replaces traditional feature walls. As a result, natural light, greenery and outdoor views become part of the interior experience.
The television sits in a dedicated theatre, leaving the main living space focused on conversation and the garden.
Residents can also control doors, lighting and curtains from their phones.
A Series of Small Arrivals
For Canaan Developers, functionality and emotion remain central to the design.
“The best ingredient in making or designing a house is emotion,” says Kidane. “If you’re doing things with love, I think it will lead you to something that is positive as well.”
The villas do not depend on one dramatic reveal. Instead, they create a sequence of smaller discoveries.
These include the entrance courtyard, bamboo behind glass, the kitchen-to-garden transition and the master courtyard.
“We designed for a series of small arrivals rather than one grand reveal,” Oreal says. “Do it without emotion and all you have specified is square meters. We created different moments across the whole house.”
That approach ultimately earned Moments Villas its 2024 International Property Award.
More importantly, it reflects a changing definition of luxury. At Moments Villas, luxury is not only about the size of a home.
It is also about how deliberately residents experience light, nature, privacy, comfort and connection throughout the day.
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