ASK magazine March & April issue 2015

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VOL 8 ISSUE 2 2015

KSA SR 25 KUWAIT KD 2.50 BAHRAIN BD 2.75 QATAR QR 30 UK £ 6.5 JORDAN JD 7.5 LEBANON LL 20,000 MOROCCO DH 75

THE ULTIMATE DESTINATION FOR YOUR DESIGN INSPIRATION

7 years SAILING STRONG

& Still

ASK Meets Egypt’s Next Generation of Designers & Innovators YOUNG EGYPTIAN DESIGNERS INSPIRE REFORM

EGP 20

IS IT BUSINESS AS USUAL? FURNEX

IS BACK

ASK MAGAZINE CELEBRATES

7TH ANNIVERSARY

Following the Style Trail from Paris! Rêny: A Brand From Paris Prospering in Cairo Gérard Faivre Designs Luxury Apartment in the Golden Triangle

Colombini Casa: Accessible Italian Design NOW IN CAIRO 1


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FABRICS AND CURTAINS

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Heliopolis T +202 22568132 I 22568205 I 22568215 32 Nehro Street, Heliopolis, Cairo, Egypt.

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M 0122 232 9220

Mohandesine T +202 33058922 I M 0120 442 6667 30 Geziret El Arab Street, Mohandesine, Cairo, Egypt.

www.sedacollection.com

Facebook.com/seda.egy

info@sedacollection.com

Downtown Mall New Cairo M 0122 297 7537


Director’s Note Dear Readers, On the occasion of ASK Magazine’s 7th anniversary, I have three words to say to start off this note: education, education, education….

If this country is to be investing in anything to get its economy going, it’s not in building bigger malls nor is it in building bigger egos. It’s in building bigger and better minds, and that comes through education. In this issue, we present to you the next generation of designers and innovators who will shape the country’s future. Time and again, you will hear stories of many who have presented new ideas only to run into concrete dead ends. As they say, don’t kill the goose that lays the golden egg. The least we can do is to listen, reflect, and consider every new idea comes out that could potentially shape a more positive future. In addition, we also call on those in high positions in the country’s design market to train our youth to become future leaders.

Action starts only from the first idea and then progresses into an initiative. The world is full talk, and as well we all know, talk is cheap. The value of a word is only measured by the magnitude of its action. Best Regards,

Managing Director

Jessica Yeramian

Chairman Enass Mohamed Sleem Alkhair Managing Director Jessica Yeramian Editor in Chief Wael Mongy Editorial Department Nader Ramadan International Content Researcher Maha El Masry Art Director Maged Boutros Sales & Marketing Manager Maged Othman Sales Executive Mohamed Hassan Design Contributor Arch. Karim El Hayawan Assistant Managing Director Raghda Moustafa Assistant Dist. Manager Ahmed Abdel Salam Distributors Ahmed Gamal Sherif Hussien Financial Department Hatem Ghandour Ahmed Galal IT Manager Osman Afifi Printing Sahara Printing Company Distribution ASK for Supplies and Services Now sold at all Al Ahram and Al Gomhuria news stands. ............................................................................................

7 years SAILING STRONG

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ASK Magazine is Alsharie Alarabi publications Limited Registered in England & Wales Ltd. Registration 4265325

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Distribution Points Zamalek Diwan Book Store – La Taverna – The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf – Tabasco Café – Arabica Café – Mix Café – Rigoletto – Einestine Café – Euro Deli – The Crave – Gezirah Sporting Club – Romancia Book Store – Zamalek Book Store – Orange Café – Café Goal – Segafredo – Orangette – No Big Deal – Cilantro – Dar el Shorouk (Inside Beano’s Café) – Mori Sushi – Ciccio – Quick – Mobil Shop - Mohamed Al Sagheer Beauty Salon - Abou El Sid - Bakery Marriott Hotel - pottery Café - Alef Bookstore - Black Stone - Coffee Shop Company - Gloria Jeans (inside Gezirah Sporting Club) - Coffee Shop Company - Trombieta - Limes. Downtown Casper & Gambini (Nile City) - Dar el Shorouk (Talaat Harb Square) – Bon Appetite – AUC Book Store – Café Riche – Cilantro – Dar el Sherouk (Inside Beano’s Café) - Mohamed Al Sahgeer Beauty Salon (Semiramis InterContinental Hotel) - Mohamed Al Sagheer Beauty Salon (Grand Hyatt - Galleria) - Mohamed Al Sagheer Beauty Salon (Four Seasons Nile Plaza) - Bakery Marriott (USA Embassy) - Baraka Optics. Mohandessin & Dokki Trianon – Solidaire – The Coffee shop Co. – Ahmed Rehan Beauty Salon – Pasqua Café – Makani – Cocolina – Café Mo – Pottery Café – Volume 1 Book Store – Momento Café – Samia Allouba – Tabasco Café – La Pietra – Spectra – Al Cantina – Cilantro – Second Cup – Tirol – Retro Café – Fratelli – Beau Jardin – Andrea – Kenzy – Maison Thomas – Ciccio – Prestige – Bert’s – Mori Sushi – Cedars – Ryta Clinic – Tarek Nail Center – Tabasco Café – Roastery – Cilantro (Dokki) – Dar el Shorouk (inside Beano’s Café) – La Cassetta – Lipstick – Orange Café – Quick – M&S Beauty Salon - Ahmed Hazem Beauty Salon - Ahmed & Abdo Beauty Salon - Mohamed Al Sagheer Beauty Salon - Kriss - Sidi Mansour - Costa Coffee (Mesadak) - Bent El Sultan Café - Pro Center Gym - Bakery Marriott (1) - Costa Coffee (Gamaat El Dewal) - Bakery Marriott (2) - Segafredo - Eros Café - Ahwa Balady Café - Beano’s Café - Beano’s Café Coffee Shop Company - Adory - Tche Tche. Maadi Trianon (Nile Crystal) - Café Greco – Samia Allouba – Rigoletto – Zeera – Tarek Nail Center – Le Café – Yasser Zein Beauty Salon – Euro Deli – Creperie Des Art – Lucille’s – Cuba Cabana – Fudruckers – Spectra – Beau Jardin – Dunes – Cilantro – Volume 1 Book Store – Dar el Shorouk (Inside Beano’s Café) – Bungalow – Curves – Bakier Stationery – Second Cup – Layaly Lebanon – The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (Nile Mall) - Trianon (Nile Mall) - Abou El Sid. Pomodorino - Bakery Marriott (Degla) - Bakery Marriott (Nasr Street) - Bakery Marriott (US AID) - Bakery Marriott (Al Zahraa) - Bakery Marriott (9 Street) - Bakery Marriott (Mokatam) - Salimos - Fuego - Peace a Luce - Il Pannello Ceramica Café - Baraka Optics - Alef Bookstore - Kotob Khan Bookstore - Diwan Bookstore - pottery Café - Club 55 Beano’s Café - PascuccI Café - Condetti Café - Cortigano restaurant - Cocoon Café - Coffe Shop Co.. Giza Trianon (Trianon boat) – Le Chalet – le Chateau – Dar el Shorouk (inside Beano’s Café) – Cilantro – Dar el Shorouk (First Mall) - Mohamed Al Sahgeer Beauty Salon (First Mall) - Carnivore (Trianon boat) - Beano’s - Ruby Tuesday. Nasr City Casper & Gambini (City Stars) - Trianon (City Center) - Trianon (City Stars) - Rigoletto – Pro Gym – Costa Café – Kiro’s Lounge – Cilantro – Dar el Shorouk (Inside Beanos café) – La Cassetta – Farah Café – Lilly Garden – Chez edy – Aroma Lounge (City Stars) – Alfredo (City Stars) – Marche Restaurant (City Stars) – Coffe Shop Co. (City Stars) – Dar el Shorouk (City Stars) – Virgin Mega Stores (City Stars) – Second Cup (City Stars) – Venczia (City Stars) – crepaway (City Stars) - Mohamed France Beauty Salon - Beauty Salon - Ahmed & Abdo Beauty Salon (City Stars) - Mohamed Al Sagheer Beauty Salon (Intercontinental City Star Hotel) - Fudruckers (City Stars) - Abou El Sid - CinnaBon (City Stars) - Ruby Tuesday (City Stars) - Macaroni Grill (City Stars) - Harris Cafe (City Stars) - The coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (City Stars) - Bakery Marriott - Baraka Optics.

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Heliopolis Trianon – Costa Café – Viking Restaurant – Africano – Kan Zaman – Lipstick – Schatz – Einstein – Mercado – Café Berry – Wabi Sabi Sushi – Roastery – Tarek Nail Center – Everyman’s Book Store – Harris Café – Tres Bon – Musicana – Pietro Café – Samia Allouba – Level Café – Rumors Café – Diwan Book Store – Il Pannello Ceramica Café – World Gym – Compu Me – Petite Palmera – Up 2 Date – Grand Royal – Pottery Café – Square Café – Café Mo – Armando Café – Cilantro – Dar el Shorouk (Inside Beano’s Café) – La Cassetta – Tres Bon – Cake House – Abd el Maqsoud Pharmacy – El Halaby Pharmacy – Farah Café (All Branches) – Le Caire – Maha Ridamis Center – Pascucci – Good Time – Carino’s – Chez edy – Hot pink – The World Dentist’s Center (Dr.Osama Hashish) Ahmed & Abdo Beauty salon - Ahmed & Abdo Beauty Salon (Concord El Salam) - Mohamed Al Saghier (Fairmont Towers) - Mohamed Al Sagheer (Le Meridien) - ADAMS - Pascucci - Kriss - Bakery Marriott (Sheraton) - Bakery Marriott (El Hegaz) - Baraka Optics - Alef Bookstore - Pascucci (Sun City) - Costa (Sun City) - Einstein (Sun City) - Coffe Shop Co. (Sun City) CinnaBon (Sun City) - Pink berry (Sun City) - Makani (Sun City) - Abo El-Sid (Sun City) - Diwan (Sun City) - Posqini (Sun City) - Salom's (Sun City) - Orgeno ( Behind Central Almaza ) - Tahity - Coffe shop Co. (sheraton) - Tchata Lounge - Tekia - El Tanora - Cairo 1940 - K>S - Coffe Shop Co. ( Korba ) - Alain le Notre - Carinos. 6 October Trianon (Dandy Mall) – Golds Gym (Inside MUST University) – Cilantro – Second Cup (Dandy Mall) – Mori Sushi (Dandy Mall) – PascuccI (Dandy Mall) - Abou El Sid (Dandy Mall ) - Casino Cafe (Dandy Mall) - Broché Cafe (Dandy Mall) - Dar El Shourok (Dandy Mall) - Beano’s Café (Mall of Arabia) - Coffee Shop Company (Mall of Arabia) - Second Cup (Mall of Arabia) - La Wein (Mall of Arabia) - Costa Café (Palm Hills) - Casper & Gambini (Mall of Arabia) - Pasqua Café (Mall of Arabia) - Noodles House (Mall of Arabia) - Pestle &Mortar (Mall of Arabia) - Gloria Jeans (Mall of Arabia) - Ruby Tuesday (Mall of Arabia) - Pasqua Café (Mall of Arabia) - Palm Hills Club - Al Nada Club House - Mo Café - Gardenia Club House - El Karma Club House - Laila (Mall of Arabia) - Mocca & more - Fayruz. El Rehab Trianon (Rehab Mall) – Le Reve – Mercato Italiano – Jounieh – Gauchos – The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (Mall 2) – Cilantro – Cinnabon – Quick - Costa Coffee - Baraka Optics - Alef Bookstore. Alexandria Transit Café (Master) - Café (Master) - Pasqua Café (Master) - Seif Pahrmacy (Master) - Costa (City center) - Le Mode (City Center) - Fudruckers (City Center) - Baskin Robens (City Center) - Xtreme (City Center) - Cilantro (City Center) - Dino (City Center) - Cinnabon (City Center) - Sultana (City Center) - Sinos (City Center) - Glitter (City Center) - Pizza Inncon (City Center) - Espresso (City Center) - Delice (City Center) - In & Out (City Center) - Café Noir (San Stefano) - Harris Café (San Stefano) - Glateria Roma (San Stefano) - Beano’s Café (San Stefano) - Valentino (San Stefano) Costa Coffee (San Stefano) - Cilantro (San Stefano) - Cilantro – Dar el Shorouk (Inside San Stefano Mall). New Cairo Mohamed Al Sagheer Beauty Salon (JW Marriott Mirage City) - Baraka Optics - GUC Library - Coffee Shop Company (Downtown Mall) - Paul (Downtown Mall) - Cilantro (Downtown Mall) - Melodies (Downtown Mall) - Carpaccio (Downtown Mall) - Mori Sushi (Downtown Mall) - Makani (Downtown Mall) - Bakery (Downtown Mall) - Picasso (Downtown Mall) - IL Café Di Rome (Downtown Mall) - Grand Patjo (Downtown Mall) - Olives (Downtown Mall) Mama's (Downtown Mall) - Coffe Bean & Tea Leaf - Harris - Magost - Costa - Trianon.

www.truematrix-t.net MAIN SHOWROOM Badr Towers, Building No. 10 beside Carrefour, Maadi, Cairo. M 0102 707 8800 T +2 2310 3057

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MARCH/APRIL 2015

Hotels Semiramis Hotel (Down Town) – Le Riad Hotel De Charm (El Hussien) - Sheraton Cairo Hotel (Dokki) - Renaissance Hotel. El Obour City Le Café (Golf City Club) - Bakery Marriott (Shell Station) - Baraka Optics. Egypt Air Pick up your copy from Business and Economy lounges in Dubai and Paris Lines (Egypt Air)


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CONTENTS

Local

Kitchen & Bathroom

Architecture

Lighting & Product

Interior & Furniture

Coverage & Press Release

MARCH / APRIL 2015

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INTERIOR & FURNITURE 22 Colombini Casa: Accessible Italian Furniture Invades Cairo 26 Gérard Faivre …..The Artist of Grandeur 44 The Magic of Walter Knoll

LOCAL

38 Reny…Architecture that’s more than Just a Name 50 Ahmed Hamdi…..Towards A More Sustainable Future 52 yellow. designstudio….A Dynamic Duo 54 Young Minds Designing the Way of the Future 56 Changing the Face of Egypt….Contrast Designs Seeking a New Skylane 58 Lina Alorabi…Exploring Ways of Being Truly Egyptian 60 Nedal Badr Rewriting A New Model for Design Success 62 Youth Aiming For That Which Is Truly “Iconic” 68 Snapshot Diaries: Upper Egypt As You’ve Never Seen It

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KITCHEN & BATHROOM

40 Kitchens to Make Customers Carefree

LIGHTING & PRODUCT 34 Refining New Tastes

COVERAGE

45 Fashion Republic “White Wedding Festival” Event 70 Furnex is Back!

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THE ULTIMATE DESTINATION FOR YOUR DESIGN INSPIRATION

FINE DINING BY THE NILE AT ANDREA RESTAURANT

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BRANCH 1 23 Al Nahda st., cross of street 6, Maadi, Cairo T 2380 8444 | 2380 8555 | 0122 353 8666 BRANCH 2 15 Street 153, Maadi, Cairo T 2359 4257 | 2359 5745 | 0100 000 3310 BRANCH 3 5 El Horia Building off 153 Street with 100 Street, Maadi, Cairo T 2378 4585 | 2358 4600 | 0100 1514 555 BRANCH 4 10 Nawal St., Doki, Mohandessin T 3761 8168 BRANCH 5 Al Ain Swan front of KFC, Al Ein El Sokhna T 0122 442 4424 sales@e-futurehome.com www.e-futurehome.com

7 REASONS TO BUY FROM US: • Serving the Maadi – Heliopolis – Mohandessin & Zamalik Communities since 1979 • Competitive Price • Major supplier for Embassies, Hotels ,etc • Open 7 days a week • We carry latest models in: Fridge’s, Stoves, Washers, Dryers, TV’s Sound System, Digital Systems, etc • We accept Major Credit Cards • English Speaking Staff

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The Latest in Home Appliances

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FURNITURE • MODERN

Text from Colombini Group Images courtesy of Colombini Casa

COLOMBINI CASA:

ACCESSIBLE ITALIAN FURNITURE INVADES CAIRO

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C

olombini Casa has developed over the last 50 years from a small Italian artisan business into a global innovator, ranking as the 1st Best in Italy for factory and supplier sales; and the 3rd Best in sales all over Europe! Offering classic Italian style at an accessible price point and with an unmistakable and unique outlook into design, Colombini Casa maintains high-quality craftsmanship and passion for the avant-garde. Authentic design pieces are tailor-made according to client requirements, offering a high degree of personalization to suite individual spaces, taste and budgets. “It has been almost fifty years since we delivered our first piece of furniture. We were just a small

craftsman business back then and we had no idea that one day, we would grow into an international company,” said Colombini Group President Ivo Colombini. Colombini Group, founded in 1965 by the Colombini family, is now led by Ivo Colombini (Group President) and Emanuel Colombini (Managing Director). The Group is the Italian leader in the branch of kids’ bedrooms, with a production area of around 250,000 square meters. Its products are sold throughout Italy, and on international markets. The Group’s workforce includes almost 1000 people, among employees and co-workers.


The Group’s trademarks include: Colombini Casa, Febal Casa, Rossana and Colombini China. Four brand leaders in the furniture manufacturing sector joined forces to strengthen Colombini Group’s position in the furniture market. This created a synergy that results in a broad product range that responds to every specific need of consumers in terms of style, budget, logistics and functionality. Two of these four brand leaders, Colombini Casa and Febal Casa, have become worldwide selling product manufacturers and suppliers with over 40 branches worldwide that consists of three main branches in the middle east ( Jeddah, Dubai, Marrakesh) , and finally a branch will be opening in Cairo, Egypt soon. Courtesy, quality and professional service are the distinguishing traits of these popular brands and provide a common foundation to sustain Colombini Group‘s success on the domestic and international markets.

“Innovation, efficiency, quality and service are the cornerstones of the Colombini philosophy”

Colombini enriches the experience heritage built during the years with the Colombini Contract division. The international contract projects are a parallel and complementary activity to Colombini. The contract team is trained in order to take care of all the facets in the realization of a project. Colombini can offer solutions from small or medium supplies, to big residences.

of Francis Scott Fitzgerald, which made a comeback of the “roaring twenties”. Years of the greatest expression of elegance of the 1900’s, with sinuous atmospheres emphasizing the era’s social, artistic and cultural dynamism, the explosion of movie theatres and Hollywood but most of all Jazz music blossomed which became the most popular form of music for young people and the flapper culture. The Jazz era particularly revolutionized music. Colombini Casa, a continuous desire of experiencing and playing with the spaces, we tried mixing the glamorous 20’s style with modernity in the new Night product line. It’s quite simply where geometry meets art.

SPOILT FOR CHOICE With 10 product collections renewed every year covering all household furnishing necessities, Colombini’s range of products differs by type and market segment so as to be able to meet any stile and budget. Thanks to the vast choice of furnishing solutions, Colombini reaches an exceptional versatility at an attractive price.

TREND & STYLE: Colombini Designers always care to be up to date with technology, and more importantly to create a new atmosphere by merging different eras by mixing the golden age with the fine lines of the future which makes its contemporary products unique. Speaking about merging two eras together, Colombini Casa has excelled in designing the night lines of VITALYTY from the famous recent movie directed by Baz Lhurmann, The Great Gatsby, based on the famous book

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PROJECT REALIZATION Colombini’s contract division carefully and professionally evaluates the client’s requests by analyzing the project and proposing various solutions, while taking into consideration the buyer’s budget. Colombini’s staff manages all the phases of the project, starting from the proposal to delivery. That makes Colombini the only referring point for the buyer in each step of the contract. Colombini contract offers free proposals including quotations and realistic 2D and 3D renderings.

INTERNAL QUALITY CONTROL In the Group Quality Control, technicians and company experts check that every Colombini product meets the high quality standards, defined by our ISO 9001:2008 certified management system. Colombini’s quality standards assure not only the quality of the company’s work, but mostly guarantee to the customer that each product is the result of continuous work improvement. Customization: Colombini is involved in every aspect, from the idea to the detail, from design to production, producing in series and also making custom-made elements for big quantities. Colombini takes into consideration the dimensional adaptation on measure, the research and the introduction of finishing that does not make part of the current production. After-sales service: The Colombini process does not end with the provision of goods. Colombini ensures a proper after-sales service giving priority to the production and delivery of remedial units. In compliance with its ISO 14001 certification, Colombini Group is committed to defending the environment, supporting eco-sustainable development and improving environmental management systems day after day. Optimizing energy resources is one of the corporate values aimed at passing on a livable world to future generations. Colombini Group offers customers high quality Italian designs in all its furniture collections. Being a one-stop shop solution, the group supplies furniture for the entire home, from the kitchen to the bedroom without neglecting accessories, becoming the single point of reference for direct customers and strategic “home” suppliers for retailers. The eight brands of the trademark, Artec, Eresem, Offic’è, Arcadia, Golf, Sofup, Vitality and Idea, guarantee a variety of products. Add to these the Febal and Rossana trademarks are renowned for their value in the fitted kitchen industry.

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FABRICS AND CURTAINS

Facebook.com/seda.egy

Heliopolis T +202 22568132 I 22568205 I 22568215 32 Nehro Street, Heliopolis, Cairo, Egypt.

I

M 0122 232 9220

Mohandesine T +202 33058922 I M 0120 442 6667 30 Geziret El Arab Street, Mohandesine, Cairo, Egypt. Downtown Mall New Cairo M 0122 297 7537 info@sedacollection.com

www.sedacollection.com

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INTERIOR • CLASSIC

GÉRARD FAIVRE .. THE ARTIST OF GRANDEUR By Nader Ramadan Images courtesy of Gérard Faivre Provided by Alexandra Public Relations

The Avenue Pierre I de Serbie Apartment is the epitome and full definition of what it really means to live in high end real estate. Designed by Gérard Faivre, this apartment, situated in the exclusive area of Paris’ Golden Triangle, creates new standards of luxury living using his innovative philosophy and approach in creating high end residences with built-in concierge services and other amenities. Avenue Pierre I de Serbie Apartment exemplifies what it means to be live like a crème de la crème Parisian.

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Gérard Faivre

Ready to live in luxury” doesn’t come that easy, except of course if you’re talking about living in places like Paris where it can be made by one man and one man alone, Gérard Faivre. Inspired by the city of love, Faivre designs the luxury apartment Avenue Pierre I de Serbie Apartment, located in the ritzy Golden Triangle area of the French capital. Its settings are in the center of Parisian heritage on the fourth floor of the Haussmannian Building which was built in 1860. The 270 square meter apartment is strategically positioned to enjoy scenic views of the city’s American cathedral in addition to the luxury residence of the renowned courtier Léonard.

In addition, the apartment also enjoys close proximity to some of the city’s most well-known locations including Avenue George V, Avenue Montaigne, Avenue Pierre 1er de Serbie, and Avenue des champs Elysée. The area also includes several lush mansions and boutiques, making it more than just a welcoming spectacle.

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Paris' Golden Triangle is a local melting pot of the city's urban luxury properties.

In an area that is so saturated with the city’s historical heritage, it also plays a huge nationalistic role being named after King Pierre I Serbie who aided France when it was invaded by Germany. Faivre is only one of many creative designers and architects who had shaped the area, some of whom include Marquis of SERS whose efforts transformed the building into a lush mansion. This alone was a cause for many to be inspired resulting in the ingenious works of literature by the French Academy’s Henri Levadan as well as films by many producers most notably Jean-Luc Godard. The value on what’s outside this luxury apartment must be taken and

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preserved in what’s inside, and that was what the whole design strategy was about. For Faivre, maintaining the main essence and identity of this historic building was key in bringing about the space’s best qualities; hence the first task he faced was working with a restoration team to revive traditional elements, such as the intricate molding using gold and silver foil. Of notable success as well was Faivre’s initiative to revive of the structure’s traditional French flooring materials, known as “Point de Hongrie” wood parquet.


Keeping the authenticity of the structure was only part of the game. When it comes to designing the bedrooms, he quite simply hit the ball out the park by redesigning all the private spaces to create an area which is more meditative for his client. In doing so, he designed four bedrooms each of which have their different style, dressing room, and bathroom.

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The Master Bedroom in particular was a spectacle of pure grandeur creating a relaxing area with its own living room, fireplace, study, as well as a steam room to unwind after the wear and tear of the busy city life. All amenities and decorative elements in all rooms originate from some of the finest luxury brands, adding value to each square meter of space he can get. One thing found in common throughout the whole apartment in both public and private areas is the furnishing solutions become a key element in preserving the essence of what Faivre visualizes for this place.

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With furnishings, Faivre successfully reinvigorates the spirit of the apartment, selecting Italian handmade rugs (such as that of “Pebble” yellow and grey sofa by Ereo Koivisto for Cappellini “Damas” wool, silk rug by Sahrai, and “Mia” plaid from Indigo Diffusion) and high quality furniture, each of which complement each other in balancing the harmony of the space as well as keeping sacred its main identity.


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Each table, lighting unit, and decorative element laid out on the wall is an exhibition by itself, selected only from the finest names including “La Grue” terracotta sculpture by Flavie Van der Stigghel, “Bob” table by Jean Marie Massaud for Poltrona Frau, “Antler” armchair by Nendo for Cappellini, “Palm Fleur” lamp by Creative Light, “Bertoia” chair for Knoll, “Yong” black lamp from Guaxs. Overall, Mr. Gérard, quite simply put, is the artist of grandeur, who can make a castle fit for a king! The transformation that was witnessed

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for the Avenue Pierre I de Serbie Apartment is a call for designers to respect heritage, even when it is used as living spaces for contemporary clients. It’s also a call that designers can create “ready-made” luxury spaces of the highest standards, as one-stopshop solution rather than the regular wear and tear of moving in and then furnishing. Along with his skillful use of authentic rich materials and luxury brands, the apartment carries priceless value for its client.


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LIGHTING • MODERN

Chips

Lola

REFINING NEW TASTES By Nader Ramadan Images courtesy of Italamp

When reading design publications, we have often come across the most abused two words ‘refined taste’. These two words indeed describe a status that is not easily earned among average design studios who think along common modes of product development. Yet, Italamp has taken a step beyond refined taste in lighting solutions, raising the bar on what the style-conscious real consider elegant.

T

he past three years have been eventful for many design firms, particularly that of Italamp, an Italian home lighting company which builds its reputation on the creative minds of its prestigious designers.

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Classico

Forty years in operation earn you enough experience to see the work of many designers. Yet Italamp enjoys the prestigious cooperation with some of Europe’s finest names in light design including Lorenzo Bellini Associates, Aldo Cibic, Simone Cagnazzo, Carlo Colombo, Monica Graffeo, Klaesson Koivisto Rune, Alessandro La Spada, Roberto Lazzeroni, Samuele Mazza, Paola Navone, L+R Palomba, Matteo Thun, Stefano Traverso, Edward van Vliet, and Roberta Vitadello.


Classico1

Amalia

“Passion, know-how, continuous search for compelling challenges. Our customers are just as important as our team-work cooperating in harmony. We believe that it’s by making the most of our people and our opportunities that a company becomes great,” as the company explains on its website. “In the last 40 years, day by day, we kept on building a lively company, always looking for new solutions and ideas, to become a real point of reference for young designers, creative personalities, and the lifestyle world in general.”

This year the company released many new innovations on its signature products including Odette, Classico, Lola, Fan, Cheers, Chips, and Amalia. In terms of general trends, what’s most important to note is the simplicity and pure sleekness that designers use in their approach to design these products. They are also made to adjust to a variety of different settings within living room or dining room environments. Increasing efficiency in the production process itself is by all means the way that all companies should be working, and such is given prioritization to the way Italamp conducts itself in all business operations and practices. For this reason, many of the company’s clients have spoken highly of Italamp’s services.

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OdetteOdile

OdetteOdile Gold

“Quality, innovation and attention to detail. Italamp expresses an "accessible design" that captures the beauty in everyday life while keeping it simple and stylish that connects us to our origins. Italamp provides original, elegant solutions without excess to please those looking for a contemporary item with classy appeal,” the web statement added. Founded in 1975 by Matteo Vitadello, Italamp boasts of its 40 year history of being the leader in delivering world class home lighting solutions to its local and international clients. Its position in the market has been earned by its persistence in seeking the next step in the latest trends. The company also enjoys a number of international acknowledgements and certifications, licensing their products for use throughout Europe. Italamp has most recently in participated in Interior Mebel Kiev 2014, Salone Internazionale del Mobile, “Sleep” at London’s Business Design Center, Crocus 2014, and much more. Cheers

Classico3

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LOCAL • ARCHITECTURE & INTERIORS

RÊNY ARCHITECTURE THAT’S MORE THAN JUST A NAME By Nader Ramadan Images courtesy of Reny

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eny is a design firm established in Paris, France, which recently extended its business to tackle the Egyptian market, and aside from having an Egyptian as one of the owners, the whole company believes that extending their business to Egypt is a very wise move due to the huge and so rapid growing Egyptian market, Reny has become a name which is not only associated with its world class designs and projects, but a philosophy where everyone shares the credit and the opportunity to contribute to the company’s mission in providing elegant home solutions to serve a wide variety of clients in both countries. Recently, the Reny team had celebrated their 1st anniversary in Egypt, and on the occasion of this merry event Arch. Ahmed Othman, the Founder of Reny, made the following statement: “Each and every one will claim that he is the biggest the most efficient and will deliver the best quality, but with us it is a bit different as aside from claiming the above mentioned points, we offer passion and dedication, which we believe, is what makes the real difference. We generated client selection criteria, not based on financial measurement, but more towards offering something new and creative in our work in order to gain

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the trust and satisfaction of every new and existing client by the final product. Despite our independence, I still believe we are a family based business, and due to our clients love and appreciation, our family keeps on growing more and more every day, I am very proud to have a skilled team of young architects and interior designers, who I believe, have made the whole company proud of their work,” said Arch. Othman. Under the company’s brand name “Reny”, Arch. Osman sought to acquire a team of professionals and among a long list of very high talented calibers whom are on the Reny task force, making Kareem Abou Seada, the company’s Commercial Director, with his extensive multinational marketing and commercial expertise and considerably one of the biggest names in the commercial field, in addition to Shayma Al Masry, the company’s Managing Director, with her amazing managerial skills.

"As a team, we have succeeded in

designing and executing more projects than before, which demonstrates the success behind our new concept"


“As a team, we have succeeded in designing and executing more projects than before, which demonstrates the success behind our new concept. Working collaboratively under the banner of our brand name Reny has allowed us to serve a much more diverse market of clientele with a variety of different demands,” noted Ms. Al Masry. “With more than 18 years behind me, I view Reny as an extremely promising and lucrative career move, the approach we are taking in our commercial activities is quiet elegant and unique, which will take the whole interior design industry into a new level, we operate on B2B and B2C modules and within each sector we are tackling new market segments never been communicated before by the design firms, not only with a very competitive price, but an unmatched quality outcome, and very soon you will hear about the new direction we are taking, , and as per my experience success only happens if there is dedication and purpose and Reny has plenty of both, Reny is here to offer a lot, and this is only the beginning for us, expect a lot for us in the very near future as we are here to stay dominate and expand’ added Mr. Abou Seada.

Synergy being its main business philosophy has been the foundational principle that has spurred Reny’s growth as one of the most prestigious architectural firms. Among new products to be launched soon, it is living proof that innovative minds when combined together can succeed in creating a story worth telling.

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KITCHEN • CONTEMPORARY

KITCHENS TO MAKE CUSTOMERS CAREFREE By Nader Ramadan Images courtesy of Dekor Haus

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arefree kitchens are hard to come by, especially when it comes to the fact that many local producers have not become reliable in terms of their product development practices. Quality assurance and safety standards combined with world standard design is specifically part of the policy at Dekor Haus as they offer higher quality German manufactured kitchens which can reassure the end user that they will get their money’s worth! Partnering with some of Germany’s finest quality kitchen companies, Dekor Haus seeks to use their innovative philosophy of product development as well as its extensive

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research in the local market to introduce signature German efficiency and functionality in response to overwhelming demand in the Egyptian market for quality kitchens. Balancing both aesthetic appeal and functionality is the key to a successful kitchen set, which Dekor Haus upholds as one of its main values for selling the right kitchen set to the right customer. Not only does Dekor Haus pride itself on the professional standards demonstrated by its performance in the market, but it is also proudly the exclusive local agent of the prestigious German kitchen brand nobilia, most specifically offering the company’s latest Line N collection and much more.


THE EXCLUSIVE LOCAL AGENT OF THE PRESTIGIOUS GERMAN KITCHEN BRAND NOBILIA As for the company’s modern collection of kitchens, their sleek, minimalistic designs tend to be large in appearance, featuring straight lines, high quality lacquered fronts, as well as meticulously crafted matt fronts with seamless, laser-welded edges, most notably without handles. These well-crafted fronts have an attractive linear and uniform appearance, making the overall look within the space appear sharp, sleek, and elegant. An even more intriguing aspect of this set is its illuminated bar handle, fit with its cutting edge LED technology. The company offers elegantly designed cutlery trays and organizers, to keep your whole life systematically organized, so that you won’t have to lose a single item! It also includes sophisticated black ash with stainless steel inserts. The most practical component of this particular system without handles is its innovative new railing system, offering the highest level of kitchen convenience.

Products maybe one simple aspect of the services offered by Dekor Haus, but yet they also synthesize some of the finest, most prestigious color concepts in the market for the purpose of visually enhance the interior space of any kitchen set.

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Apart from its cutting edge technology, nobilia being Dekor Haus’ partner values it signature philosophy, being a premium component of what Dekor Haus brings from Germany, which provides not only plenty of design freedom for the customer but a lot potential for color variation within the framework of the interior space. The signature colors that really define each stylish set include: Curry, Orange, Fern, Ink and Salsa, all 17 carcase colors. All of these colors are also made available for selection for the customer in addition to solids and wood reproductions for mixing and combining at their convenience. In terms of materials, Dekor Haus also has been selective to use only the most durable and reliable of brands for the pleasure of its customers and this forms a compatible concept with nobilia’s COLOR CONCEPT program, as stated earlier. Taking niche cladding for instance, which is both stylish and practical; up to 17 digitally printed motifs can be used create a color accent. The result is the customer will have the extra flexibility to decide whether he/she wants any typical kitchen motif, flowers or floral patterns, or perhaps visually delightful wooden accents. Color matches are hence matched with the fronts and surrounding colors of the kitchen and motifs can be coordinated with the four essential base colors.

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With its establishment in 2008 in Mohandeseen in Gamaat El Dowel Al Arabeya, Dekor Haus is the exclusive agent of two world class German furniture brands including Loddenkemper and nobilia. Many of their units are done so that they suite the finest, most detailed requests of the customer, almost completely customized. Though mainly specialized in kitchens, Dekor Haus also has world class furnishing solutions and collections, coupled with entertainment, including TV sets and audio equipment, for the pleasure of those who demand elegance in a growing market where there are more style-conscious demands.


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FURNITURE • MODERN

Grand Suite

THE MAGIC OF WALTER KNOLL By Nader Ramadan Images courtesy of Walter Knoll AG & Co. KG

W Isanka

Haussmann 310

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alter Knoll has been up to a great many things this year, not only in the furniture business in specific but in going beddy bye, as they may say. In one of its first moves to get on the sleepier side of things, Walter Knoll introduced its first bed collection featuring its innovative approach in generating ideas and letting them out into the market. Bedding was what it was all about with the Night Collection, releasing two main product lines for homeowner who want to enjoy a good night’s sleep

on something complete for comfort. It was created in collaboration with the Austrian team EOOS. “Our beds Jaan and Yuuto shape modern residential worlds – living spaces for the rituals of our lifestyle,” said Markus Benz, CEO and Managing Director of Walter Knoll AG & Co. KG, in a press statement from the company. “Because these upholstered beds can stand freely in a room, open to a whole range of possible connections – to our wardrobes, the bathroom, the panorama. Complemented by interior accessories which are as eyecatching as they are special – boards, upholstered benches, small tables and escritoires – for all the wonderful rituals of our everyday lives.”

Yuuto


PRESS RELEASE

Fashion Republic

“WHITE WEDDING FESTIVAL” Event

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Seito

Foster 520

Yet, the international giant has proven to be just as active as it always was (if not, more) in the furniture designing and manufacturing sector. The first of many treats most recently released was the Grand Suite sofa, also designed by Austrian design team EOOS, which is a piece that encompasses both elegance with its sheer scale, featuring lovely, large huggable cushions and leather materials. Adding more to its exclusive luxury trend, Isanka features everything from professionally upholstered seats, tables and basket fit with saddle leather having “signature seams” and many other qualities. Additionally, the company released one of Wolfgang C. R. Mezger’s masterpieces the Seito dining table, featuring an all-to-die for arrangement of lines and angles, made out of natural fine nut wood and a rich white mix of quartz. That put together with something like the Foster 520 arm chair the Liz chair in all its forms comes as a cherry on top of the cake! Designed by Trix & Robert Haussmann, the Haussmann 310 collection is also an ideal representation of the excellent quality and tasteful particularity that Walter Knoll has when it comes to choose who to work with in product design. In essence, Walter Knoll is issuing this as a commemoration of the Swiss Design Collection of the early 1960s to which the special armchair was part of.

n the 6th and 7th of February 2015, Fashion Republic enchanted the audiences with one of the biggest wedding festivals hosted at the beautiful Dusit Thani Cairo Hotel. Taking place in their grand ballroom, the glamorous venue was transformed into an exclusive showcase of bridal extravaganza. From educational booths, to commercial necessities, the 2-day event was a wedding one-stopshop fantasy for all. Over the course of 2 days, White Wedding Festival hosted a series of performances and shows including live Zaffa enactments and onstage hair styling and makeup demonstrations. Also for the first time in any wedding festival, Starlight Fireworks hosted an exhilarating firework show. White Wedding Festival showcased numerous fashion shows for the newest in cutting-edge designs in wedding dresses. Some of the designers that displayed their latest collections included: Italian brand Bianco Vistito, Samah Mahran, Nicolas Spouse by Lace & Grace, Mahmoud Ghaly and Nader Nassef. Amongst other spectacles, La Coupe presented their beautiful styles and touches for the Hair and Makeup Show. For full glitter and glam, the models were beautifully drenched in unique Iram Jewelry.

White Wedding Festival Collaborators: • Fashion Republic • La Coupe (Beauty Salon) • EGO Communicate (PR Agency) • Zouhour by Bachir • Khaled Hussein (Lights and Music) • Starlight Fireworks • Khattab Wedding Invitations • LUOVA Creative Studios • Iram Jewelry • The Honeymoon Factory • Ahmed Swellams ‘Al Alamia’ (Arts and Entertainment)

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“To design a piece of furniture that offers the comfort of the classic Chesterfield but looks lighter,” said Robert Haussmann himself in a press statement from Walter Known. In reference to the Chesterfield piece he added, “This club armchair has the charm of something that has grown old with dignity. And creates this inimitable ambience of familiar noblesse.” Heritage is what gives this duo pride in a landscape and desert of modernity where there remains only a small oasis of rich tradition. Citing quote from Manierismo Critico, they summarize their ideals as follows: “taking up

Grand Suite

lost tradition, pursuing its further development and giving it a

contemporary new interpretation – combined with humour and last, but not least, a touch of selfmockery.”

Walter Knoll’s world class products may be one aspect of its stylish way of doing business, but you can also get a hit out of the company’s signature fabrics and leathers, featuring natural earthy colors as well as pastel accents all at the convenience of the customer. Tradition has too often been mocked or even worse ridiculed by modernist radicals of design who believe that value is in sleek simplicity so seductive it’s sensational! Intelligence shows itself rather in the intricacy of the matter, such as that of Islamic patterns or that of the early classical European period. Hence, it is the ancients that designers can strive to revive in order to survive and dive in an ocean of limitless wisdom.

Haussmann 310

Liz

Grand Suite

Liz

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LOCAL

EGYPTIAN DESIGNERS & INNOVATORS

EGYPTIAN DESIGNERS & INNOVATORS By Nader Ramadan Interviews made possible by Maha El Masry

ASK Magazine interviews the country’s next generation of Egyptian designers, architects, innovators, and creative experts to show everyone that the best ideas are not found in books nor are they on TV, but they are in the minds of those have been enlightened by the spirit of innovation and a knack for reform.

Ahmed Hamdi

Nivin Ashraf & Yasmin Elwani

Tamer Nader, Kareem Hammouda & Mazin Abdulkarim

Lina Alorabi

Yassin el Hamaky & Nour el Deen Khaled

Nedal Badr

Adham Afify & Ahmed Yousry

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LOCAL • ARCHITECTURE & INTERIORS

AHMED HAMDI… TOWARDS A MORE SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

By Nader Ramadan Images and renderings courtesy of Ahmed Hamdi Architects

ASK Magazine has the pleasure of interviewing Arch. Ahmed Hamdi, Principal of Ahmed Hamdi Architects, an architect and designer specialized in sustainable development. Join us as he talks about his experience in architecture and sustainable design and how his ideas could add to Egypt’s urban development.

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First, give us an overview of your educational background. My interest in architecture stemmed from some of my hobbies. I liked to sketch and paint. I also learned to play a couple of instruments such as the piano and the guitar. These hobbies exposed my mind to the process of how to create or compose something. As my hobbies developed, I started to open my eyes to architecture as a channel for artistic expression and creativity. Throughout my college education, I learned that one of architecture's definitions that I can relate to is "functional art". The product should not only be an aesthetically pleasing artistic composition. In addition to being merited for its artistic quality, architecture has to respond to the users’ spiritual, spatial and lifestyle requirements. I was lucky enough to join the Faculty of Arts in the Department of Architecture, which I think is a very interesting (and challenging) place to learn architecture because of the exposure to different mediums and channels of art in different departments, such as sculpturing, interior design and painting.

Arch. Ahmed Hamdi

Describe for us your experience when you studied in London. When I travelled abroad to pursue a Masters of Science at U.C.L, London, I shifted away from the architectural design theories to the science of designing buildings that are environmentallyfriendly and energy-efficient. This is a design approach that is much in demand nowadays in Egypt, especially with the pressing environmental and energy challenges that we are facing today. You have to realize that you cannot design built environments the way they were built 40 years ago. They have to be much more "intelligent" and adaptive to accommodate for our local climatic conditions and dynamic modern lifestyles.


Describe your experience at teaching at the American University in Cairo and what recommendations you make to improve architectural education based on that experience? I started at AUC as an Assistant Professor of Architecture. Eventually, I introduced a course in Egyptian Architectural Heritage, which basically was intended to make students more aware and reflective of their architectural tradition. When you are given the opportunity to build in a unique and special country like Egypt, you cannot ignore 7000 years of architectural heritage. Some young architects have a tendency to copy inapplicable building typologies from the West and try to apply them in unrelated contexts. In addition to the discarding of local identity, the misuse of some "imported" architectural features, such as the exaggeration in the use of large, un shaded glass facades, would dictate a lot of unnecessary cooling loads, energy consumption and high operational costs.

What do you have to say as a modern architect looking back at Egypt’s past civilizations that have formed the way the country is today? When you walk through Cairo, it’s like experiencing a museum, an open exhibition for different architectural styles. For example, Pharaonic architecture is commonly used as a reference when designing courthouses due to its monumental and intimidating mass and volumes. The Grand scale and symmetrical organization of the structures, the transition in light and shadows interplay and how spaces shift from more porous, open public areas to more enclosed "sacred" zones are all attributes that have a strong psychological effect on the building's user accentuate the importance of the activities that take place there. Reflecting back on Islamic and Coptic architecture, modern architects can benefit from the way they used light, diverse artwork and intricate attention to detail, in creating a spiritual spaces for worship and meditation.The spiritual and physical "preparation" of the user of space's user as he enters the internal space of the building was carefully considered. For example, in Islamic architecture, you have a transitional space/passage called al madkhal el monkasser, or the bent entrance, that separates between the material world (outside of the mosque) and the more spiritual space [inside the mosque]. As you move through this passage, your eye's retina adjusts gradually to the change in light intensity. The gradient of ornament complexity and architectural elements converses with you to prepare you for a more spiritual setting where you can establish a connection with God. From a sustainability point of view, passive applications such as the use of courtyards with water features, coupled with the natural cooling system of wind catchers and solar chimneys to create a flowing cool breeze are effective low energy strategies that could still be used today.

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LOCAL • PRODUCT

Nivin Ashraf and Yasmin Elwani

YELLOW. DESIGNSTUDIO… A DYNAMIC DUO By Nader Ramadan Photography by GURU and Ahmed Sabbour Images courtesy of yellow. designstudio

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tarted by two inspirational young ladies who have been college graduates for only a couple of years, yellow. designstudio seeks redefine the local way people see design. With its innovative spirit unique to Egypt’s young generation of designers, they are pushing for a new philosophy in design where things don’t have be to impossible to afford to be stylish. It’s so easy all you have to do is take it apart and put it back together again.

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Starting as classmates and eventually as business partners, Nivin Ashraf and Yasmine Elwani decided that the market needed a whole new approach to the way design should work, and in do-ing so, they turned a part-time project into a full-time professional design studio, yellow. designstudio. “yellow. has been our dream since the university days,” said the yellows. “Our goal was to cre-ate designs which should be reachable, affordable, feasible, easily transportable, functional and usable. As a design studio, our aim is to design concepts and ideas for big players in the market,

The Y6 Collection experiments with easily assembled furnishing concepts.

followed by the prototype stage, and then once things come to life they follow through.” yellow. for them was not just about commercial gains and profits, rather it was to re-edit the lo-cal language of design, creating a new visual sphere through which people can discover alternative ways of living. It was to create a new experience of furniture, not just defies the traditional paradigms of our current lifestyle, but also serves a practical means of living. “Our collection is called Y6 which is based on the idea of mixing both metal materials (the joints) and wood. What’s unique in this line of products is that usually designers try to ‘hide’ while we, in design this, are emphasizing the joint and beautifying it. We’re highlighting them with colors because to us this is the most important element in a product.”

With their different products made out a variety of different wood materials mainly beech wood, as well as others including beech pine, mahogany and oak, the collection is made to innovatively combine wooden and metal components to create various products based on the same philoso-phy. For example, the shelf, which may look unstable to you, is in fact quite stable even with its zigzag shape. By simply altering the metal joints to form the shape of the shelf, they will to insert wooden boards at different angles to form geometrically beautify and intricate framework that forms the shelf. Even more interesting is the duo’s experimentation with the philosophy of easy-to-assemble furniture, which can be put together and taken apart, making them easily transportable and customizable. In conclusion, they describe y6 collection as “a fun flat pack collection yet stable and heavy duty with a high quality finish, strength and durability.” All their efforts came together at the FURNEX Design Hub, where yellow. designstudio along with many other young designers, showcased its latest collection for the pleasure of people from all walks of life, including shoppers, fellow designers, businessmen, and local/international visi-tors, demonstrating the creative potential that the Egyptian market has among the country’s youth. Y6 is only one of the collections this recently established studio has released. yellow. designstudio has also been experimenting many other traditional types of furniture including qahwa (coffee shop) chairs. Of their accomplishments, the studio won the Design + Industry Competition in 2014 and won 3rd place Gemma Competition 2013. They also participate in a number of other exhibitions including Saloni Satellite at iSaloni (2014, Milan, Italy), The Furniture Show City Stars (March 2014), +20 Egypt Design (Cairo, 2010), and Aga Khan Darb Al Ahmar (Cairo, 2010). Both ladies are product design graduates from the German University in Cairo.

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LOCAL • INTERIORS

Atal

YOUNG MINDS DESIGNING THE WAY OF THE FUTURE

Arch. Yassin el Hamaky & Arch. Nour el Deen Khaled

By Nader Ramadan Photography by Tarek Mahmoud Hanafy Images courtesy of Lab 59

Modern Villa

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rom classmates to fellow colleagues, Arch. Yassin El Hamaky and Arch. Nour El Deen Khaled started Lab 59 as an experimental firm which not only strives to think of how to bring quality designs to Egyptians but to also fundamentally reform visual paradigms that are existent within the local market. Through this experience, we’ll find that the breaking out of the box is much more challenging than you might expect, even if you have nuclear plant’s worth of creative energy. In essence, design has never been associated with labs. When we say ‘lab’ we usually think of tests tubes, Bunsen burners, and maybe a couple of autoclave machines here and there. But never have we heard of the idea that labs can synthesize design. For Arch. Yassin El Hamaky and Arch. Nour El Deen Khaled, design is the same work done by an inventor, where trial and error, make up the whole process behind what they invent, what they produce and its use. Lab 59 is an experimental design firm which mostly specializes in architecture and interior design, but also explores innovative product design concepts with recyclable materials. “We had first named it lab so that we should show people the extent to which we actually want to experiment [or invent] new design concepts. We sit, brainstorm, and think of the varieties that we can come up with,” said Arch. Khaled. “The crisis in Egypt is that design is under appreciated and people are not willing to try out new ideas. This is what we seek to do as youth.”

Cadenza

And that they did! Particularly at their new attractive booth at FURNEX 2015 within the Design Hub section by showcasing the Leefa collection, a lighting product line featuring lighting units completely covered with loofa sponges. This collection was also exhibited at Biblioethica Alexandria around four years ago. Loofas are your everyday household item, widely used, easily shaped, and so on is left with question: why not?

Greek Restaurant Santorini


Leefa

meeting

Though innovative, they are keen on emphasizing that their firm also delivers architectural and interior design services just as any world class firm does, and maybe even better! Most recently, the duo completed a project designing Santorini, a Greek restaurant in 6th of October City, based on traditional Greek motifs and designs, with a characteristically blue on white color palette. Willing to put their creativity to the test, their firm is ready to get involved in any competition whether in Egypt or abroad. As recent graduates diving headfirst into the business of design, one thing for them is for certain: educational

reform needs to take place in order to improve the vitality of the Egyptian design market. One problem that hits most young designers, as Arch. Khaled points out, is that learning materials are so outdated that students have to learn everything for themselves. “Self-learning while in university for us [when we were students] was especially essential because sometimes the way professor might teach it may be outdated or the learning material itself is outdated. What we need in education is learning material that is well in touch with what’s going on outside the country because there are always in developments in this business,” asserted Arch. Khaled. “There are also has to be workshops, and if necessary people have to be able to travel to attend them, so that they can be trained by designers abroad. Travelling is always an essential experience for the development of ideal designer in the sense that they see different countries, cultures, and their architecture.” According to Arch. El Hamaky, the other problem that remains is that design is treated more strictly like an academic subject that is studied, memorized, and eventually regurgitated without having any practical application. “What’s very important for change in education is particularly the way the instructor teaches design. Students need to feel that this is more just a subject that

you study but a way or philosophy of life. It is something experimental that you have to experience yourself, as an individual,” said Arch. El Hamaky. Closing the knowledge gap maybe challenging enough, yet with the emergence of social media, training and development has taken a turn for the best. With individuals seeking out their educational needs on the internet, there’s been more room for the attention they need than in the classroom.

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LOCAL • ARCHITECTURE Arch. Tamer Nader, Arch. Kareem Hammouda and Arch. Mazin Abdulkarim (from left to right) Serlachius Museum Extension; Manta, Finland 2011 Competition Entry Hasan Fathy Mention Award for Architecture 2012

By Nader Ramadan Images courtesy of Contrast Design

CHANGING THE FACE OF EGYPT…

CONTRAST DESIGNS SEEKING A NEW SKYLANE

Established by Arch. Kareem Hammouda, Arch. Mazin Abdulkarim and Arch. Tamer Nader in 2006, Contrast Designs is a design platform for experimentation, an innovative firm which seeks to invent some of the most unique concepts architecture has ever seen. With its participation in a number of competitions, Contrast seeks to be at the forefront of architectural reform on the Egyptian landscape.

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esign is an experimental field, not in the sense that it is in conformity with the regular empirical methods that scientists use to seek what they believe to be the “truth”; rather it is a matter of trial and error balancing that which is in the mind and testing it in real world situations. Architecture is both an art and science in the sense that it is pure imagination bound by the physical limits of the real world. Yet, ultimately what determines the best design is the level of imagination. With their office on the edge of Nazih Khalifa Street in Heliopolis, perched on the top of a building rich with the history of traditional European architecture, it becomes apparent to what extent the Contrast Design team believes in taking advantage of the imagination to its fullest potential. Arch. Kareem Hammouda, Arch. Mazin

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Abdulkarim and Arch. Tamer Nader have for years worked hard in creating a new name for innovation among Egyptian architects through their wide participation in a number of local and international competitions that test their skill and creativity in coming with feasible designs, practical for being applied in real life situations.

Manshiya Square Redevelopment Alexandria, Egypt 2012 Competition Entry Third Place Award


Private Residence Landscape Design_MK House Alsherouk, Egypt 2012

Private Residence Interior Design_GRID House Cairo, Egypt 2014

Winning the Hassan Fathy Awards for one of their projects, their work including many imaginative ventures most specifically including Serlachius Museum (Finland; 2010), Sednaoui Al Khazendar Arts Center (Cairo; 2010), Voicing Bahrain (Bahrain; 2012), Manshiya Square Redevelopment (Alexandria; 2012). They are also noted for their participation in designing some elements within Alef Bookstore with their signature Pixel Cloud, an interesting intricate ceiling installation which is attractive to the eye and catch for the place’s bookworms. This comes in addition to the many residences, compounds, resorts and cultural centers that makes up their extensive portfolio. The team feels that there’s a lot more that can be done to cater the creative potential that the country’s architects. For them, competitions

need to take place in order for the government to realize the potential that young architects have and how they can significantly change the nation’s cultural/architectural landscape. Architecture is a never ending journey that defines civilization and preserves what remains from a certain culture for the years to come. Perhaps one day the epitome of modern architecture now will be nothing more than fossilized remains which will reveal how we once lived. As the philosophers always used to say, if you want to destroy a nation, destroy its civilization, and young architects have an especially significant role in preserving the story about us that has yet to be told. In addition, architects have an important health role as well! With the developing field of biogiometry spreading in the Middle East, people are beginning to understand how aesthetics can eventually us on the biochemical level.

Private Residence Landscape Design_GRID House Cairo, Egypt 2014

Private Residence Interior Design Cairo, Egypt 2012

ALEF Bookstores Interior Design Cairo, Egypt 2012

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LOCAL • PRODUCT

Zamalek Sofa & Crystal Table

LINA ALORABI EXPLORING WAYS OF BEING TRULY EGYPTIAN By Nader Ramadan Photography by Lina Alorabi Images courtesy of Lina Alorabi Studio

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triking the balance between being a full-time architect and business owner of her own studio, Lina Alorabi is already fighting a battle on a new front: the battle to revive rich Egyptian tradition within the framework of contemporary design. With her designs and ideas, Al Orabi seeks to become the ambassador of a very traditional nation which has entered the global market of an otherwise contemporary world.

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Lina Alorabi


Ray Table

PURELY EGYPTIAN YET FUNDAMENTALLY CONTEMPORARY IN EVERY SENSE Lina Alorabi sees potential in Egyptian culture. Creative potential that is. Her work has become a new way through which Egyptian ways of thinking, habits, traditions, and philosophies can become an integral part of an elegant lifestyle. For a civilization that has been in existence for 7000 years, she sure has a lot to do. Take for example afas (a

Elbow Chair

wooden cage used to store vegetables in the streets, often used by fakanee, or outdoor fruit salesman) being one of the most simple elements of everyday Egyptian life. Afas was also taken, modernized, and reinterpreted so that it becomes a modern storage or shelf unit for books or other items, helping the end user maintain an organized life. Coming in several different colors, they can be used to color code and classify items into smaller groups in addition to be flexible in that it can be used in a variety of different arrangements. On an international level, Afas turned out with strong feedback from visitors abroad when it was showcased at DMY Germany. Now, we turn to the Sun where again it inspired another one of Lina’s creations, this time it was the Ray table, with it metal legs taking the form of the rays of the sun. The table is a limited edition piece with stainless steel legs and an ebonized solid oak

wood top. She also has a number of ingenious creations including the Big Auntie (inspired by the warmth of Egyptian relatives), the Elbow chair, and Zamalek. Graduating in 2005 with a degree in industrial design from the University for Creative Arts in Kent UK, Lina’s first job as a designer was in Staubach + Kuckertz, creating urban furniture for prestigious clients including Wall AG and Metalco s.P.a. Four years later, she took the decision to move back to Cairo, and now owns her own studio and works as an independent design consultant for companies and variety of different clientele. She has traveled extensively and resided in many different locations in America, Europe and the Middle East.

Afas Color

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LOCAL • INTERIORS

By Nader Ramadan Photography by Nedal Badr

NEDAL BADR

REWRITING A NEW MODEL FOR DESIGN SUCCESS

Arch. Nedal Badr

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SK Magazine sits with architect and designer Nedal Badr to discuss his life, his projects as well as his views on the country’s design education system. Join us as we follow the style trail with Arch. Badr as our guide to show his personal journey to success. Having over a decade of experience in the design market both in the Middle East and abroad has made Arch. Nedal Badr a renowned name among many in the industry. Yet he also gives us great insight into the educational challenges the current market faces. Part of his path to success overall is his diverse cultural outlook having lived in many different places and getting the chance to explore different ideas and concepts. It’s the diversity of the world which inspires designers to create

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something new, sometimes perplexing, yet overall innovative and this is what, in essence, drives positive change. “All of my accomplishments were due to my experience combined with the fact that I was lived and raised in 6 different countries All of this opened my mind, eyes, and heart to different cultures and this is mainly what helped accept new ideas and I always love doing new things,” stated Arch. Badr. He might describe himself as a modernist himself, or maybe a jack of all trades, yet his diverse educational background led him to see everything in Egypt and Germany, doing his bachelors in Alexandria and a masters degree in Germany after years of participating in many projects. “I graduated from the Department of Architecture at the Arab Academy of Science and Technology (Alexandria) in 2003 at the top of my class. Then I chose to take a more practical approach to my career rather than academics working in several big projects, one of which was Al Azhar Park. After that, I worked for Amr Helmy Designs in its R&D Department for a short period of time. I also worked on the City Stars project, which at the time was the biggest project in Egypt,” said Arch Badr. “Then I got accepted at the Dessau Institute of Architecture [to do my masters] being the center of the modern movement in the world. Yet before going there was working on the Euro Deli project in Maadi in around 2004.”


Though Arch. Badr’s experience in practice has proven to be successful on all scales, he still has major concerns with the way education is delivered to the country’s future designers. As a part of the educational system himself once, particularly in expensive private universities, he feels that the students are not getting their money’s worth “The AUC and Arab Arademy both offered me teaching positions to instruct their students and in both situations I had resigned because they’re a failure in terms of education. Parents are paying lots of money to put these students in college to learn and in the end they’re not getting what they being paid for,” said Arch. Badr. “Another thing is that, since the students there don’t take the lessons seriously, the professors also don’t take them seriously. At the time, I also provided a lot of support for the students because of all my practical experience.”

Showcasing his products at Milan’s Salone Internazionale del Mobile, FURNEX’s Design Hub, and continuing to do many world class interior projects, Arch. Badr has also started his own private studio Design Zone, being an interactive platform in addition to being a world class firm which was founded in 2012. He has also showcased his products at +20 Egypt Design 2010, D+I Design + Industry 2012, and The Furniture Show 2014. Currently, Arch. Badr is serving his post as the General Manager of the architectural firm A2G2 Architecture and Interiors.

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LOCAL • ARCHITECTURE & INTERIORS

YOUTH AIMING FOR THAT WHICH IS TRULY

“ICONIC” By Nader Ramadan Images courtesy of ICONIC Studio

A habitat perched on the coastal front, dazzled in the artful sensation within its interiors.

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CONIC Studio’s two founders Adham Afify and Ahmed Yousry are a young duo who seek to redefine architectural practice, in a city where buildings have become nothing more than concrete blocks with no idea behind them, no vision to define them, and no overall aesthetic appeal to design them. Starting almost three years ago, the duo have expanded their firm to now include high end residential projects in prestigious compounds, such as Lake View, Arch. Adham Afify & Arch. Ahmed Yousry

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They say that the best ideas ever thought of and the best discoveries anybody has ever made is usually done in that individual’s early 20’s. Nurturing their creative potential in their own independent design firm, ICONIC Studio became the hallmark of the accomplishments of the two young designers who founded the firm, Adham Afify and Ahmed Yousry. For them, a company is more than a couple of desks with papers and drawings on them. It’s about a team of young designers working together to come up with a unique approach to every single project. Hierarchy is there, yet ideas remain to be ideas and hence they it is the idea that counts the most, more than one’s position. When their company was established in 2012 during which Egypt was caught in a storm of political turmoil and economic instability, Afify and Yousry had struggled with a number of challenges to launch their company, working hard to generate an

innovative package for their clients. With a name which at the time was not very well-known, the duo came up with a marketing plan to spread the ICONIC brand like wild-fire.


Through their efforts, they managed to secure a significant number of clients, building up an extensive, prestigious portfolio of high end projects, for which they earned their name for. The journey wasn’t easy, nor was it as simple as they originally thought it would be. Afify said that design graduates need better preparation during university life in order better enable them to adapt to the competitive job environment.

Educational reform has become a fundamental part of what young designers, such as Adham and his friends, are calling for, to close the growing knowledge gap between university curricula and the market requirements. To them, a system which has drowned itself in archaic design methods has served to hinder new design graduates from adapting to what the market really needs for them to be competent designers. Afify nonetheless remains optimistic that global market conditions will necessitate change in the management of the country’s creative potential. For him, the rise of a new meritocracy is the fundamental principle that needs to be established on firm grounds. Inheritance needs to be stopped and be replaced by managerial schemes which reward employees with positions and money based on efforts and work ethic, not their last name. ICONIC Studio most recently participated in FURNEX 2015 last February, winning it an award for best booth design. For them, FURNEX is a marketing opportunity which they hope will offer them many profitable leads in the future.

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Due to economic conditions, sometimes even creative professionals (most notably designers) have to abandon a sense of aesthetic idealism in favor a more practical sense of economic pragmatism. Design is a business as much as it is an art and science, and it is leadership and proper management that have become fundamental components of running a business rather than simply creative, innovative thinking. And as far many experts are concerned,

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management and leadership are not the same thing! Steven Covey, the famous self-development expert and renowned writer of Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, once said that “Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success; leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall.” It’s experience that creates efficient managing but it takes youthful creative thinking to ensure that you are climbing up the right wall, and that’s what leadership is all about. The world of theory proves as always to be a realm of limitless thoughts, ideas, and tests that defy the rules of reality, the world with physical limitations. Design plays in the theoretical void which every human being seeks to satisfy and it is in essence is like a circle with one point in the middle and infinitely huge number of points, all spaced out equidistantly around that single point. The idea is there, though invisible to naked, it is indeed existent within our mental framework.


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LOCAL • PHOTOGRAPHY

SNAPSHOT DIARIES: UPPER EGYPT AS YOU’VE NEVER SEEN IT By Nader Ramadan Photography by Arch. Karim El Hayawan

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UPPER EGYPT... A MELTING POT OF THE ANCIENTS AND RURAL LIFE

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pper Egypt (commonly referred to as Sa’eed in Egyptian colloquial Arabic) is one of the most misunderstood regions in the Egyptian nation as a whole. It’s a region where many of Egypt’s most ancient traditions have been preserved within the culture of its local people and its natural beauty infuses the passerby with a scenic sense of genuine inspiration. Movies and documentaries will not suffice to understand this region, rather it requires the still life of a photographic collection to study and reflect upon. Going beyond the trivial nature of today’s entertainment industry, photography seeks to be more scientific in its expository nature, capturing life without movement within the frame of a single shot. It’s silent, yet has enough to visual elements to create noise and movement. It is thus this that can reform the way we think, creating paradigm shifts and changing our worldview. Pictures can tell an even more detailed story of Upper Egypt, being the home to a people who have lived in harmony with the country’s ancient relics for 7000 years. Arch. Karim El Hayawan embarks on this journey, taking with him a fullyequipped camera, only to rediscover rural Upper Egypt at its finest. When one thinks about the Upper Egypt, usually it’s about the Karnak Temple. Light enriches the appearance of the Karnak Temple as one of filling, making the viewer feel the texture and essence of the world’s most ancient languages. Civilization maybe one aspect of rural life in Upper Egypt, but so is the pleasant simplicity that one can find beyond the wear and tear of modern life, especially in cities such as Cairo or Alexandria. Arch. Karim in this case dazzles eyes with nothing more than hay as light interacts with its golden brown color.

The wisdom is in those who see the deeper message that Arch. Karim tries to portray in his photographic work, with the emphasis on eliminating social misconceptions and enlightening his audience with an informative series of well-constructed shots. As Albert Erwin once said, “To me, photography is an art of observation. It's about finding something interesting in an ordinary place... I've found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.”

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COVERAGE • LOCAL

FURNEX is Back! By Nader Ramadan Photography by Nader Ramadan and Maha El Masry

Creative Egypt Section Overall Shot

Organized by the Egyptian Furniture Export Council (EFEC) in cooperation with Expolink and the Industrial Modernization Center (IMC), FURNEX being Egypt’s main international design, furniture, and home solutions fair kicked off early last February at the Cairo International Convention Center, exhibiting a myriad of different furniture design firms, suppliers, and producers. It also included the Design Hub for young designers to exhibit their work, in addition to an interestingly diverse handcrafts section, featuring the stars in Egypt’s rich, artistic tradition. Many are expressing hope that FURNEX could be a promising sign of hope for the recovery of the design market.

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fter a long period of economic setbacks, FURNEX is back, doing what it always has done in the past since its inception, promoting Egyptian furniture exporters, manufacturers and designers by gathering them all in one hub. Though some may argue that it’s not back with the same strength it had in the past as some visitors may claim, many assert that this is just the beginning of reestablishing the status that Egypt’s furniture industry once had after almost four years of economic instability. With security on the rise, there isn’t a doubt that it will be from now on, business as usual. A telling sign of the fair’s importance to establish economic stability and vitality as well attract foreign investments is the fact that FURNEX was visited by Egypt’s Prime Minister Dr. Ibrahim Mahlab, who was given a complete tour of the fair, monitoring the progress that Egypt has made in terms of its industrial potential. It is without a doubt an impressive tour that the Prime Minister had, especially with the wide variety of designs and design ideas that were showcased at the event. Near the entrance, the focus was mainly on office furniture with Williams, who

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typically offers more home furniture, devoting the entire display for boasting of his latest office collection. Giving the young generation an opportunity to show off their creative abilities, the Design Hub featured the work of many different studios, among them Lab 59, Phrase, Yasmine Fahmy, Yellow Studio, the designs of Ahmed Abdel-Azim and Nedal Badr, as well as that of Arch. Ahmed Hamdi. And if you’re a lazy visitor, Antakh might also be an ideal option with its soft cushiony furnishing options. ICONIC Studio, owned by young designers Adham Afify and Ahmed Yousry, won the best booth award, with a display of mostly wood and a TV screen to the present the work of their architectural-interior design firm. For those who are into the slightly sleek, modern, with clean lines and fine details, they could also have their fill as well. Geometrical and color experimentation is a rare quality which could be found most evidently Minart’s exhibit, being a furnishing company which mostly works within the hospitality industry, showcasing a variety of different contemporary pieces to visitors. One of its products won the best product award from the EFEC. Handmade

Egypt Network for Integrated Development


Shahira Fawzy

Creative Egypt Display

Minart

Drawing upon the country’s Islamic tradition and woods crafting, NADIM owned by Adham Nadim also had an impressive display demonstrating the intricacy and dexterousness of his workers craftsmen as well as the designers involved. Equally impressive was La Roche’s exhibit, being owned by current EFEC Chairman Ihab Derias, showcasing highly elegant modern furniture as well as that of Meuble El Chark, owned by Ahmed Helmy, who

Yasmine Fahmy Design Hub

had an impressive display of chairs in addition to commemorating the company’s long history and heritage. Moving to even smaller designed items, FURNEX had a complete section called ‘Creative Egypt’ with help of the Industrial Modernization Center (IMC), and it included handcrafts, carpets, traditional glassware, pottery, specially-designed furniture with drawings on the upholstery, fabrics and ethnic shawls. There were also the Islamic lighting designs of Randa Fahmy (sister of jewelry designer Azza Fahmy) as well as the drawing works on furniture by Shahira Fawzy. Overall, the fair served to be a platform for various development initiatives to create opportunities for skilled craftsmen most notably that of the Egyptian Network for Integrated Development (ENID) which though outside of crafts section was near the entrance and attracted many visitors. Last year, FURNEX did not take place and was instead replaced by “The Furniture Show” (also organized by the EFEC) at City Stars, which was of notable success featuring the Design Hub and a small celebration on the mall’s top floor. The Furniture Show also included some of the elite among Egyptian furniture producers. Many believe that the fact FURNEX is once again up and running is a telling sign for progress in the right direction. Displays in Creative Egypt Section

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