HOMES

25bh october 2017 | 37cairo apartment| 25bh###### Pausing on a whistle-stop tour of her Cairo apartment,Souraya Hassan points out some of her favourite pieces.There is the burnished gold table from Holland, a glasscarafe, hand-blown in Egypt, and a slender candlestickfrom Sweden. It is a cross-cultural trio that sums up the style of thishome; a fluent East-West combination, where cool Scandi tones andstreamlined shapes chime with the warmer, hand-crafted texturesthat come from Middle Eastern design.The Nordic brightness of the apartment is immediatelystriking. ‘Traditional Egyptian interiors are quite dark,’ saysSouraya, a photographer and designer, who lives here with heractor-filmmaker husband, Mahmoud. ‘This place was a mix ofpurple and red with brown doors. So the first thing I did was to``````paint everything white.’ Underfoot, sombre tiles were swapped formilk-pale wood flooring. The fluttering linen curtains also departfrom convention. ‘Most Cairanese cover their windows in heavydrapery to keep out the heat, but I wanted to capitalise on the light,’says Souraya, ‘so thank goodness for the air conditioning!’The layout of the capacious living area is also unconventional.‘Egyptian homes are designed for large family gatherings with lotsof sofas,’ says Souraya, ‘but as we both work from home, Mahmoudhad the idea of dividing the space with glass walls to create ourhome office.’ The kitchen was also given a northern twist: dark unitsare painted white with rustic open shelves for crockery and glassware.The apartment’s well-travelled style mirrors Souraya’s ownoutlook. Born in the Netherlands to an Egyptian father and Dutch``````Kitchen-dinerWarm-toned traditional egyptian tilesblend with cool blues and whites.For similar tiles, try Kasbah, £23sq m, tonsof tiles. Grange dining table, £1, 499, Heal’shas the same look. tygo pendant light, £88,Karwei, is comparable``````OfficeA glass wall was added to separateSouraya and Mahmoud’s working area.Zuiver oMG chairs, £ 140 each, Lefliving.Dutchbone cubo pendant light,£72, Houseology