Home Made Baroque and Spare Time Rococo
Furniture Paints Sponsered by:
Paradoxia is a Multidisciplinary design label from Egypt that aims to promote ecodesigns by redesigning iconic furniture, mixing design schools, reusing old objects and modernizing antiques with new concepts of today’s vision. Each Collection has a different theme that aims to document history of design in a specific era, look through the heritage of a certain region, reexamine modern designers or challenge the function of our day to day props. Paradoxia is eco-friendly not only because it aims to reproduce found objects and antiques, but also its brand new products are painted with water base colors that are not harmful to the environment. Later, Paradoxia will provide a platform for other young local designers and promote history of design through its newsletter.
Initiator & Furniture Design: Mariam Elias Furniture Photography : Joseph Maher Meshriky
Last fall, Dolce & Gabanna launched their Baroque Collection and featured Monica Bellucci in their Campaign. These were two very good reasons to make us fall in love again with this era and reconsider it as a new trend rather than an out of fashion theme. Started in Rome, Italy, during the seventeenth century, the Baroque style was encouraged by the Roman Catholic Church as response to the protestant reformation to display greatness and communicate religious themes emotionally. However the Rococo, which is also referred to as “late Baroque”, developed in the early part of the 18th century in Paris, France as a reaction against the grandeur, symmetry and strict regulations of the Baroque, especially that of the Palace of Versailles. For that everything was lavish and exaggerated in these styles to display drama, tension, and exuberance in sculpture, drama, fashion, architecture, art and music. Apart from that history, our grandma’s had a special affection to that era. Not only they owned replicas of famous paintings, were proud of their expensive Gobelin salon’s, hold handbags with embroidery of flowers or vegetables, but
they also created their own master pieces with their needlework. Back then; they were moving factories, whose spare time was spent on producing masterpieces for their home, rather than chatting on Skype and Facebook. In Paradoxia’s first collection “ Homemade Baroque & Spare time Rococo” we wish to rescue this dying art of embroidery by giving it a contemporary twist and save these discarded tapestries from oblivion. Gobelin, for example, is used with new colors and designs to create a new aesthetic that is familiar to the coziness of our grandma’s house, but fit today’s lifestyle with our flat LCD plasmas. Gobelin was named after a family of dyers from France, who established a factory of tapestry in the 16th Century to supply the royal houses. Most of the pieces have a still life of flowers & vegetables or scenery that tell a story of Romanticism and ideal happiness. It is surely worth reviving this vintage craft to counter our mass-produced IKEA furniture. Note: If you still have your grandma’s needlework or Gobelin , don’t throw it! It’s a Heritage that only needs a contemporary reproduction from you.
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1-Marie sandal ankle boots in embroidered velvet , Balmain/ 2-Zepplin Chandelier by Marcel Wanders,Flos/3Embroidered Angel Miss Sicily Bag, Dolce & Gabbana/ 4- Tapestry Dear Sculpture, Frederique Morrel/ 5- Louis Ghost by Philippe Starck, Kartell or Hanimax / 6-Patchwork Tapestry Couch, Frederique Morrel / 7- Floral Tapestry Suit, Dolce & Gabbana/8- Lily Embroidered Clutch, Marchesa/ 9-Sicilian Baroque Sunglasses , Dolce & Gabbana/10- Bourgie Table Lamp Multi Colored by Ferruccio Laviani, Kartell /11-Showtime Chair, Jaime Hayon.
News Paradoxia Launch @ Designopolis On the 9th of March 2013, Paradoxia launched its first collection entitled “ Homemade Baroque & Sparetime Rococo” during the Cairo Flea Market event at “Designopolis” in New Cairo. Many visted our open air booth and bought pieces for their houses, while some gifts were given to few. Being in the same design complex with Moroso & Natuzzi was surely a blast, even if it was for one day only.
Paradoxia Featured in Local Press Paradoxia was featured in two different issues of ÂŤ What Women WantÂť magazine. Check a review on Paradoxia in May/ June issue and our fashion photoshoot in july / August issue. Million thanks for its Editor Reem Gamil for being a hunter for new artistic projects and talents.
Paradoxia in Local Shops We are grateful that Paradoxia was displayed in a special store like Akacia. located in El Rehab Souk, Akacia sells a wide range of furniture, home accessories & paintings of various styles. Pass by and pick several items from it or pieces from Paradoxia to resign your house.
The Swedish paint house ÂŤ TerracoÂť, will be opening a Showroom in 63 El Horraya St. Luckiely Paradoxia will have a booth inside the shop, pass by to see the various paint products & our collection.
Paradoxia In Hip Houses After they brought their Paradoxia items , some of our clients started photographing & sharing what they chose on social media. We were happy how the oval shaped chair was located under the painting of Whitney Huston inside artist Marwa El Shazly›s house; or how the gobelin tapesery cushion fitted perfectly with the houndsthooth patterened chair inside a famous animators couple.
Costum-made Paradoxia
Paradoxia was involved in couple of costum-made projects, one of which were four copies of the same chair, made to decorate different corners in the client›s villa. With the client, we designed the chair that was made of brown velvet, gold leather and bronze woodframe to create a classic lavish chair interpreted with a contemporary  all metalic conept. The other was a chair made to counter the plain beige new bedroom of a married couple.
Designer Profile
Alessandro Mendini
While looking at design history, nobody fitted more as an inspiration for our first collection like Alessandro Mendini. Born in Milan in 1931 and Mendini graduated from Politecnico di Milano in 1959 with a degree in Architecture، His design has been characterized by his strong interest in mixing different cultures and wrote several articles for Casabella, Modo and Domus magazines. For him re-design highlighted the intellectual and cultural void which was precieved to exist in furnishings of industrial scociety. The banality of existing objects was emphasised by applying bright colurs and quirky decoration, as in “ Proust’s armchair and the “ Kandissi” sofa. Through his quintessential works of postmodernism, such as the Proust Armchair and the Groninger Museum, Mendini changed the landscape of modern design . In the seventies he was one of the main personalities of the Radical design movement. In 1982 he co-founded Domus Academy, the first postgraduate design school.
Opposite page : « Proust›s armchair», Studio Alchimia , 1978, reissued by Cappellini,Arosio. This Page: “Proust Geometrica”, 1993.
Decorative Tips
Time for Emerald Green
Pantone , highest authority of color , announced their color of the year to be “Emerald Green� in 2013. Whether in interiors, home accessories or fashion, the rich green hue of the Jewel is perfect to add royality & class to any design. No Wonder why the first items that were sold from our collection, such as the table lamp and chair in the photos, were painted with this trendy color.
UseColor Or Mix Syles Not only colored furniture is trendy but it can also make your house more vivid and lively. Add Paradoxia›s red coffee table to your plain modern furniture or mix with with a classic salon to revamp your old reception area and redesign your house. Also, don›t fear to mix up different styles. Check the next page to see how a minimal sofa , an arabesque table and a Gobelin tapestry ottoman can be juxtaposed beside each together.
Add Color To Your House With Paradoxia
Mix Between Styles With Paradoxia
Furniture Collection
LightingCollection
FashionCollection Fashion by : Paradoxia ( floral Goblein tapesery belt, baroque Gold & blue skirt, silver & nude baroque dress, chair, all available at Paradoxia ) Make Up : Eariny Halim make Up Photography: Expiermental Click photography Styling : Mariam Elias Model : Yassmin El Sisy
Product Overview Product overview
Sofas
«Romeo & Juilet» Three Seating Sofa. Patchwork of Gobelin tapestry atwork. Floral Gobelin and Gold Leather In The Back. Wood Painted in Purple lacquer. Opp: Detailed View Of Sofa Arms.
«Lady In the Garden» Three Seating Modern Sofa.Brown Fabric with Gobelin Seating and Two-sided Cushion.
Tables
Red Coffee Table With Two Drawers and Flower Handles.
« Party In The Garden» Neon Pink Two layers Coffee Table. Zan Wood. Inside Gold Classic Frame With A Gobelin Tapestry Vintage Artpiece.
Opp: Top View of Coffee Table with An Inside Gobelin Artwork And Golden Wood Frame.
Chairs & Ottomans
ÂŤ The Horse RideÂť Ottoman With Gobelin Tapestry On The Above Seat and Stripes Fabric On The Side With Silver Metal Legs.
« Girl On Swing» Armchair» Gobelin Tapestry on Front & Back. Beige Leather On Seat . Green Leoparde Leather on Arm rests. Woodframe Painted With Nude Color.
Lighting Units
« Flower In A Glass» Table Lamp with Glass Painted Uplighters .Gold Painted Box With Glass.
« Lotus Light» Rectagular Cube Table lamps . Wood Painted With Marble Texture and Two Uplighters.
« Pink Rose» Squared Cube Side Lamp With One Uplighter. Wood Painted In Fushia & Gold .
« Light Fountain » Squared Cube Side Lamp With One Uplighter. Wood Painted In Silver Patches.
« Urban Flower» Rectangular Frame Side Lamp.With One Mulitcolor Uplighter. Wood Painted in Blue
« Emerald Jewel». Side Lamp Painted in Various degrees of Green With dark green shade.
« Love Story» Rectangular Cube Table Lamp with an Extended Circular Illustration in The Middle and One Uplighter. Wood Painted in Metalic Rose
« Neon Flower» Long Rectangular Table lamp With One Uplighter. Wood Painted In Yellow and Green neon .
Home Accessories
Two Pillow Covers With Baroque Illustration Of A Man & A Woman. Below: Detailed View of Baroque Fashion Illustration on Pillows.
Four Two-sided Cushions With Two Different Sizes. Front Gobelin Embroidery and Black & White Stipes Back.
Small Rose Metalic Frame With Two Lovers Illustration.
Contact Us : Facebook/Paradoxia mariamelias85@gmail.com