This international family of five, wanted to upgrade their Chelsea apartment and create a warm, cosy, functional home away from home environment.

The living room was wallpapered with a textured wallpaper to create a warm wall. A bespoke back lit TV unit was created with storage for all AV equipment to be kept out of sight but movable to allow for easy access for plugging in new additions.

A large snugly sofa was handmade by Jam Space for the family to gather on, complemented with a chaise longue from to add extra seating and a wonderful place to lounge whilst enjoying the views of the garden.  The colour scheme for this room was based on a much-loved carpet that the clients already owned.

Images by Yehia al Alaily

Continue reading

Continue reading

FORTY WEST SHOWHOUSE | COMMERCIAL
Eklego Design
BRIEF
Hedayat led her team at Eklego Design in working on the Interior architecture and design of 180 apartments in a high-end luxury development in the west (capital) of Cairo.
PROJECT SCOPE: Developed interior layouts with architectural firm Machado and Silvetti. Developed three distinct styles which were applied in the details, finishes and furnishings. Natural Zen, Modern Islamic and Urban Chic.

Natural Zen was created for the young professional couple with a passion for modern design. White and grey dominated the paint and finishes palette while horizontal lines were utilised as the main pattern for the details. Dark wooden floors were utilised throughout the apartment reinforcing the Zen feel of the spaces. Grooved marble fireplaces , built-in slatted privacy screens and rough natural finishes were employed to create a tranquil warm space. 

2014 International Design and Architecture Awards Winner, Commercial Residence Project: Forty West Apartments
2013 Zimmer+Rohde Interior Contract Awards Winner, Residential Design Project: Forty West Apartments

Continue reading

FORTY WEST SHOWHOUSE | COMMERCIAL
Eklego Design
BRIEF
Hedayat led her team at Eklego Design in working on the Interior architecture and design of 180 apartments in a high-end luxury development in the west (capital) of Cairo.
PROJECT SCOPE: Developed interior layouts with architectural firm Machado and Silvetti. Developed three distinct styles which were applied in the details, finishes and furnishings. Natural Zen, Modern Islamic and Urban Chic.

Modern Islamic was geared towards the more eclectic, well travelled family. Intricate Islamic patterns were scaled into a larger format and applied to laser cut patterns in marble on the fireplace, in the bathroom finishes and on feature walls. The woodwork of the closets and privacy screen were also crafted into the same pattern to create harmony with the space. Light greige polished marble floors were utilised in the reception and hallways while whitewashed wooden floors were specified for the bedrooms rendering the apartment a cool expansive feel.

2014 International Design and Architecture Awards Winner, Commercial Residence Project: Forty West Apartments
2013 Zimmer+Rohde Interior Contract Awards Winner, Residential Design Project: Forty West Apartments Continue reading

BAR & RESTAURANT APERITIVO | COMMERCIAL
Eklego Design
BRIEF
Hedayat and her team at Eklego Design worked closely with the owners of La Bodega’s new restaurant Aperitivo, to create a space that revives the glamorous era of 1930’s Cairo. The challenge was to bring the concept to life through the design in a way that highlights the opulence and style of that period, while making it a contemporary space that is timeless.
The design emphasises the rich art deco architecture of the Baehler Building, built in 1929.  Floor to ceiling dark walnut cabinetry lines the walls while opulent crystal chandeliers (sourced by the client) were hung in clusters emphasising the magnificent high ceilings of the space. Continue reading

LEFT BANK | COMMERCIAL

Eklego Design
BRIEF
Left Bank was an empty space that was built from the ground up. Hedayat and her team came up with the architecture, concept, finishing and furnishing.
Left Bank was conceived as a Nile-side café/bistro/ patisserie inspired by downtown cultural salons, and the objective of the design was to capture the Egyptian zeitgeist and translate it in both form and function to create a venue for Nile-side dialogue and the free exchange of ideas.
The design of the space was based on the three main physical aspects that define the heart of Downtown Cairo (namely Tahrir Square); open space, a central locus, and vertical boundaries. The floor was composed of cobbled stone representing the map of downtown Cairo while the shelving lining the walls was inspired by the buildings dotting the horizon of the area around Tahrir square.
Folding glass doors were used to allow an unobstructed view of the Nile from the restaurant and to emphasise a strong indoor outdoor connection. Continue reading

Hedayat with her team at Eklego worked on the interior layout, finishing and furnishing of this award winning floating home on the Nile.  Consisting of six en-suite rooms, a reception/dining room and two outdoor decks, the boat was finished in white washed floors throughout. Each bedroom was meticulously furnished with the approach of mixing old with new.  Antique wooden night tables were placed alongside modern upholstered plush beds, while re-purposed villagers baskets for laundry collection were placed alongside white washed oak closets.  The walls of the main corridor of the bedrooms’ floor is adorned with cherished photos of the owners’ families dating from the first half of the twentieth century. The reception upstairs and the dining area were fully customised.  An overall whitewashed effect is interspersed with colourful antiques, prints and a dark Thonet marble topped side table. The inside area flows into he outside deck with the whitewashed feel enveloping the entire boat which was designed for leisurely relaxing floating on the Nile.

Continue reading

CHELSEA, LONDON TERRACED HOUSE | RESIDENTIAL
BRIEF

Luminosity, generous display zones and creating links between the various floors of this house were key to the thinking behind this design. A central shaft linking the floors together was turned into a vertical garden embedded within Mondrian inspired marble pattern and antiqued mirror panels. The latter allow the owners to look into different parts of the house through the mirror reflections.  An out-dated unnecessary aluminium window was turned into a seamless glass display case, further adorned by the vertical garden in the background. The bedrooms were refurnished and decorated to reflect the personalities of the tenants. An intellectual art loving writer, a young teen with a passion for the guitar and a little girl whose favourite colour is blue. The master bathroom was gutted and reconfigured to become more space efficient and practical. 

Continue reading

LONDON TERRACED HOUSE | RESIDENTIAL PROJECT
SCOPE
Le Corbusier once said: "The home should be the treasure chest of living."

That was the approach adopted for this Victorian home. Subtle textured walls and pale colours serve as an effective backdrop for the owners’ art collection. A contemporary crystal chandelier glorifies the reception and accentuates the Victorian detailed ceiling medallion.
A mirrored bar cabinet displays the glittering colourful glass collection of the occupants. Honed light limestone floors morph into the white washed oak planks in the reception, kitchen and dining room. The seamlessness of the floors render the space an etheral quality and a neutral backdrop to the very colourful nature of the furniture.
A shabby chic feel infuses the house with serenity while pops of colour found in the backdrop of the kitchen render the living space a happy quality.

This home was featured in Homes&Gardens, October 2015

Continue reading

We (Hedayat and the team at Eklego Design) took over this house which was a single levelled shell overlooking the Pyramids of Giza and worked closely with the contractor to complete the 15000 square foot house. The house was a celebration of the client's passion for Egyptian art, ornaments and history. We successfully reinterpreted their passion into a contemporary showcase which is practical and functional in every corner.

The clients were keen to take with them many of the furniture pieces and artefacts which will remind them of their first home for the first seventeen years of their lives.

The client also wanted a zone for a formal reception, as her husband is a successful entrepreneur who needs to entertain frequently. 

The house was zoned into private and public spaces and within the private spaces we created more zoning to accommodate the various personalities of the household.  The one element that united all spaces is the fact that they presented a display for the couples’ extensive art collection. 

Images by Faouzi Massraly

Continue reading