Egyptian Theme Home Decor

Made in Egypt with pride

By LISA KAAKI, LISA.KAAKI@ARABNEWS.COM

Published: Jun 15, 2011 19:39 Updated: Jun 15, 2011 19:49

Egyptians have regained their pride in the wake of the revolution. This newly rediscovered patriotism has become the driving force to attract business. There are still many stands with Egyptian flags for sale and demand for black, white and red paint is high. Nadia Zarkani, who established the Nuniz brand for trendy bags, is having little flags sewn in all the bags. She has also designed red, black and white striped clutches and tassels.

“I tie red, black and white tassels on every bag I carry and the clutches have sold surprisingly well,” she said. “I have been invited, along with a group of young Egyptian designers, to Paris and I intend to exhibit all the Egyptian themed products that we have produced since the revolution.”

The owners of Alkhatoun Gallery, Suzanne El Masry and Ayman Azabawy are amongst a handful of designers, including Victor Sobky and Sami Amin who have launched the ethnic chic style in Egypt. Long before the revolution, they were inspired by the rich Egyptian heritage to design furniture, lamps, chandeliers, lanterns, fabrics and home accessories and are contributing to the revival of the Egyptian handicrafts.

El Masry and Azabawy use the copper filigree, an art that was disappearing. They have breathed a new life in this handicraft, which is now sought after by a growing number of designers. The creative tandem are also making exclusive wall hangings decorated with Arabic poetry by mixing two different techniques, appliqué and embroidery.

Handicrafts flourished under the Fatimid rule and reached its peak in the Mamluki era. When the Ottomans took over Egypt, they ordered the best craftsmen in 50 different fields,to be sent to Turkey, but they also built beautiful houses like Beit El Suhaymi, situated in El Muizz Street, and Zainab Khatoun, near the famous Khan El Khalili Souk.

There is an open-ended approach to ethnic style, which makes ethnic decorating fun. One basically starts with an object as the focal point and decorates around it. This can be a hand embroidered Sarma or a piece of furniture — the bigger the better, but it should not, of course, overwhelm the space, especially if the room is small.

Lately, four-poster beds and sleeping couches are reclaiming a place, lost in time. They are being transformed into sofas that are not only comfortable, but are also esthetically beautiful showpieces. The bedroom in Europe, incidentally, is a fairly recent invention. Until the 18th century, even for the wealthiest, the bedroom was a semi-public space, a room of display and for receiving guests rather than withdrawing. The bedroom of Louis XIV, the Sun King, was the center of royal ritual when he woke up in the morning or went he lay down at nighttime. Kings all over Europe followed the example of the French king and received their guests in their bedchambers, often on their beds. The only privacy to be had was by turning the bed into a room. Consequently, curtains were put to surround the four-poster bed, which turned it into a room within a room. Louis XV, and his bourgeois inclined one-time mistress, Madame de Pompadour, brought the concept of a modern bedroom into the palace, while the emerging bourgeoisie in Holland, and then England, built houses with smaller and more private bedrooms. And, more recently, the Hollywood film of the 1930s brought glamour, fantasy and dream into the bedroom.

The Statues and Furniture of Egypt - Home and Garden Statues and ...

The Egyptian theme for décor is very popular and we have many exclusive pieces of Egyptian art for you to consider in your search for just the perfect item for your home.  Statues of Egyptian women are very beautiful and you might like the Egyptian Harem Consort Statue .  This exquisite lady of the harem is reposing on a long chaise and has a black panther at her feet.  Like most Design Toscano exclusives, she is hand painted. Our marble busts for sale section carries many things, but first and foremost it is your place to find busts at a great price.  If you are working on an Egyptian theme, we have several busts that are just right in that décor.  One of these is the Queen Cleopatra Neoclassical Sculptural Bust which is 21 inches high and shows the queen with her cobra headdress.  It is, of course, hand painted and in a basalt and faux gold finish.

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