MY ODYSSEY
I’m Neva Read … just a girl from the stunning country of my birth, Kenya, and now a proud Australian. I’m also a wife, mum, car lover. Always a big lover of people and beautiful spaces … and passionate about creating future Edens that nurture generations to come. Like my hero, my forever first lady Michelle O, #IAmBecoming …
Memory Eden is an odyssey into stunning interiors, travel and lifestyle, that I curate based on my love for storytelling, art and design. All content and products are sourced from creators, tribes and troves of inspirational finds.
I believe in the need to transform our places and spaces into eco-friendly abodes – a movement that is of paramount importance to the planet. I’m therefore deeply passionate about sustainable properties, architecture and home design that helps minimise our impact on the environment.
Being proudly Kenyan Australian and married to a Kiwi, I’m a global nomad. Memory Eden is my attempt to express my best memories of these intersecting worlds.
Join me on my journey to explore stunning architecture, magical travel destinations and ecoluxe art + decor fused with new technologies, passive design principles and clever uses of sustainably sourced materials.
I’m storyteller, consultant and advisor to Fortune 500 companies on how to build impactful marketing strategies and manage strong, global, memorable and meaningful brands in our hyper connected and fast-paced world. I am also the founder and CEO of The Artful Brand Agency where I’ve led the strategy for over 20 years in public relations and brand strategy. I’ve consulted to and advised clients across multiple industries and diverse cultures. I’ve also traveled across Asia Pacific, US, Europe and Africa – across Singapore, Japan, Australia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Kenya, the UK and extensively in the US. My client list includes Shiseido, Model Shape, Clinique, Chanel, Elizabeth Arden, Alex Perry Fashion, and an array of design, fashion, property and beauty startups. Beyond consulting, my passions lie in design, architecture, art and travel. ‘Memory Eden’ represents my deeply personal love for beauty, design, free radicalism, self invention and a culmination of a multitude of ideas and concepts that represent how I define creativity. I’ve always ensured my home, its interiors and fixtures are beautifully put together, with a design aesthetic rooted in my African heritage coupled with imagination, beauty and a touch of fantasy.
One of my deepest loves is for my country of birth, Kenya – for the awe inspiring beauty and the dichotomy of ideas it evokes. For its wide open spaces and its people’s ability to smile in the face of any challenge thrown their way. For its stunning natural environment and beautiful tribes. For its heritage and history as
well as its growing commitment to ecotourism, sustainability and innovation. ‘Memory Eden’ harkens to days gone by and future yet to come – and to creating a space where my heritage and its values – dignity, sustainability, poetry and beauty as well as its treasures thrive, and are found – not just from Kenya but all over the world, in hidden spaces and secret places. Welcome to what I hope is an intriguing odyssey into stunning interiors, eco abodes, architecture, travel and lifestyle, that I curate based on my love for storytelling, art and design. All content and products are sourced from creators, tribes and troves of inspirational finds.
Come on an odyssey. Create your Eden with me! – Neva
Get to Know More About Me
If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
What has been your favorite vacation ever?
A beach stay in Malindi, Kenya
What keeps you motivated for work?
A passion for beautifully crafted brands & stories
If you could be any profession in the world, what would it be?
A portrait artist
What’s your favorite title that you have now?
Wife to an amazing man, mama to my two children
On your days off, what do you like to do?
Read, with, curate, eat and exercise
What has been the best advice you have ever received about your career?
Embrace joy, simplicity and contentment!
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Words that Inspire Me
“She had always lived her best life in dreams. She knew no greater pleasure than that moment of passage into the other place, when her limbs grew warm and heavy and the sparkling darkness behind her lids became ordered and doors opened; when conscious thought grew owl’s wings and talons and became other than conscious.”
- J CROWLEY, LITTLE, BIG
get inspired
