After globetrotting celeb couple Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt visited Namibia in 2006, the rugged South African nation, teeming with wildlife, catapulted into one of the continent’s most lavish getaways. Capturing this understated luxury is the Hilton Eliakim Namundjebo Plaza Hotel in Windhoek, designed by local firm Wasserfall Munting Architects. For the interiors, Santa Barbara, California-based SFA Design turned to Namibia’s rich landscape.

According to SFA president Kara Smith, the 136-room property is designed to be “an urban oasis versus a safari reserve. We really wanted to reflect Namibia’s ecological elements.” The modern, open space, designed to appeal to a surge of business travelers in particular, flaunts a chandelier of glass pendant “raindrops” soaring over the atrium, while hundreds of sparkling molded glass pendants dot the ceiling in the two-story lobby. Indigenous wood, stone, and tile used throughout the hotel reveal a muted palette suggestive of Namibia’s pervasive sand and sea.

In particular, Smith finds “the guestrooms really beautiful and different, offering a sense of place.” Strengthening the local connection are backlit acrylic panels bordering the headboards, which double as art installations delineating scenes of local flora, sky, or sand dunes. Bathrooms, encased in back-painted glass, are a stylish complement.

In the lobby, a multi-colored glass mural depicts the desert outside, but guests who want an authentic peep at their surroundings need only venture up to the rooftop for the spa, pool, and bar. As Smith points out, “It overlooks the city and is stunning in the evening time.”