North Egypt summer house

20 May 2009

North Egypt summer house

Moorish art and culture provided the inspiration for this interior fit-out in northern Egypt.

Project description

When interior designer Nihal Zaki’s friend asked her to create an ethnic summer home with a contemporary edge that would appeal to both his children and grandchildren, she took her cue from the Moorish-style architecture of the house and its north Egypt location. ‘As the client is often busy and traveling, after I presented my ideas for the house, including fabrics and flooring, he more or less gave me the green light to handle the entire project on my own,’ explains Zaki.

So she set about putting the bland interior of the house in sync with the domes, mosaics and color palettes of the exterior of the property. Her first job was to strip back the poorly ventilated dining room that leads on from the entrance. She has transformed it into a Moroccan-style patio, with arches, mosaics and carefully chosen glass tiles in the wall. This space separates the four bedrooms from the living area, which features a bespoke leather and iron-work breakfast table.

Zaki chose to use a mixture of cement, mosaic, sand and color oxides (rather than regular paints) for the wall finishes throughout the house. ‘This was because this type of finish has a cooling effect in the humid weather of the north coast of Egypt, as well as giving that authentic Moorish feel,’ she says, adding: ‘Its other benefit is that it lasts for years!’

She has also kept true to the theme by sourcing furniture and accessories from the artisans who regularly display their wares in downtown Cairo, such as traditional-style wall lights and tussled mirrors. A local gallery, Konooz el Maghreb, based in Zamalek in Cairo, was a key supplier, as was Egyptian artist Samy Amin. Zaki’s ‘favorite piece’ in the house – the sink in the master en suite bathroom- was carved and engraved from a single piece of natural Hash my stone.

As the house benefits from views over the Mediterranean sea, the exterior of the project was as important as the interior, leading to her creating both shower and dining areas on the outside terrace, complete with acrylic shade panels that were inspired by a pair of Zaki’s own colored sunglasses.