Bassam Magdy: The Mastermind Behind

BASSAM MAGDY The Mastermind Behind BVISION INTERIORS

Interview by Aya Aboshady

Photographer: KHALED FADDA

We had the opportunity to have a one on one with Bassam Magdy, Founder and CEO of Bvision Interiors. We chatted about the reasons behind the success of his firm, his strategy for overcoming challenges and dealing with market competition as well as the nature of his target customers and more!

1. How did you start Bvision Interiors?

I’m originally a civil engineer with a passion for architecture and the talent of interior design. Ever since I was still a college student, it was my side hustle to learn more about interiors - taking advantage of my time to increase my knowledge of the field as I aimed to make it my lifetime career. Post-graduation, after spending some time working in my main field, civil engineering, I decided to start working as an interior designer and did some work for people in my inner circle. One project led to the other and from there, Bvision Interiors was born.

2. How do you deal with the competitive field of interior design? And how do you see the challenges that come with such competition?

Interior Design is mainly about taste. This is something I always say. It’s also all about identity. A client could look at a certain design and immediately associate it with the designer, without having to check the logo. Therefore, all we care about in Bvision is conveying our identity through the designs we put our hearts and souls into.

And in the end, based on that kind of taste and identity we’ve created, we’re always certain that our customers will come back for more because they simply found what they really want with us - meaning that a connection had already been built. As for the competition, I actually find it healthy because it always pushes us to do our best and focus on being creative and original.

Not to mention that our modern and fresh designs are now sparking questions from clients about whether or not we’re actually located in Egypt and that only proves how our quality is now being confused with international brands.

3. Which kind of customers or a specific segment does Bvision Interiors target?

Before anything, the way I see it, my customers should always have a certain level of understanding and culture about what exactly is interior design and the kind of work that goes into creating something of really high quality as our products and designs. If my client is aware of such a thing, then they’ll definitely understand how much detail and therefore time naturally goes into finishing their unit and perfecting it, for example.

You could only imagine the amount of time and effort involved; from solving the functionality of spaces to coming up with the concept and matching the materials with the lighting system. Moving on to the technical department, taking into consideration all facilities required, paying attention to the tremendous amount of details and from there the execution drawings, and finally, the site where everything takes place.

We also use the finest materials in the market, which, by default, makes our products and designs very expensive and extravagant. So in conclusion, our target customer is someone who has the patience and understands the value they’re going to receive and are aware of the costs involved. And that makes our clients basically belong to the “Crème de la Crème” of the society.

4. Speaking of the identity of Bvision Interiors, how would you describe it in terms of both the vision for the designs and the quality of the products?

In terms of the products, as mentioned earlier, they’re the finest in the market. That’s what we often work with. And that’s why we’re on the expensive side. Not to mention that because of this fact, our clients are always certain that their expectations will not only be met, but exceeded.

As for our identity as designers, we always try to match the concepts to the right angles and materials that suit them best, based on the space itself as well as our own imagination. That’s why the designing phase alone could take up to four months in order for it to turn out as expected - considering the level of details. We’re also always focused on matching our newest designs to Bvision’s portfolio; so it’s also about living up to our own significant work. 5. As a designer, which style do you prefer working with?

It’s important for any designer in the world to be able to execute all forms and types of design styles. However, if we’re talking about a personal favorite to work with, then it’s definitely contemporary. It’s also worth mentioning that most of today’s clients in the Egyptian market also prefer the contemporary style. Mainly because it has a lot of varieties and color palettes that do not at all oppose the quality, which is hardly the case for the classic style.

6. How do you adapt to the local and global changes that affect the market? For example, the whole world including Egypt is going through a pandemic - which is definitely affecting the work process; how do you deal with that?

The current circumstances are, without a doubt, affecting the market as we speak. However, we have to admit that every crisis often affects some people more than others. And in our case, considering the fact that our clients are of the triple-A class, such circumstances don’t necessarily affect them much. In terms of the work process itself, it will definitely take a longer time and some projects and designs might be delayed, but that doesn’t mean that the current situation could affect us to the extent of having to halt production altogether.

And going back to the point of being adaptive to the circumstances, well, we sure are. However, we always hold on to our top quality and level, regardless. This is why we don’t like to meet a certain budget; we only meet values for the best end results. 32 August 2020

7. From the concept to the finished design, what is the process that leads up to the execution?

We first hold the initial client meeting in order to settle on the design orientation, go through the details, pick the materials, the color palette, and all. From there, I hold a workshop with the designers and creative team to discuss the client requirements in order to come up with a concept in the form of a 3D model where we implement our own original ideas as trials until we settle on a theme that meets the required path and then move to the material selection and execution.

8. What’s next for Bvision Interiors?

Thankfully, at this stage, Bvision is a big name in the market and has already left a significant mark, especially for the clients who always come back for our top-quality designs. Our aim, right now, is to basically keep excelling and to continue reaching the top. The next step would be making our own furnishing products through our own factories for supplies of furniture and home accessories, instead of relying on trusted manufacturers.

9. What kind of advice would you give to amateur designers who would want to someday have their own designing firms and make it big in the market? My advice would be for them to start by nourishing their eyes. Any amateur designer or a fresh grad in the field should always be focused on the details of any space they enter; in terms of materials, color palettes, the way the space was used.... etc. They should also be constantly looking up ideas and getting familiar with all kinds of design styles.

That will ultimately lead to them creating a library of ideas inside their mind which should then lead up to using the imagination and being creative and original, instead of relying on external sources and involuntarily turning into a copycat. From there, things will definitely pick up. And lastly, having patience, not panicking, and respecting the space is key.