With a soaring atrium, this spacious Cairo Villa raises the bar for refinement in residential design in Egypt, quite literally.
As one of the few established women architects in Egypt, Emy Hussein is driven by the desire to provoke emotional responses to a space, creating highly experimental designs in her role as partner at Cairo architecture studio Alchemy and founder of interior design firm Else Lab. With the latter, she’s just completed this expansive three-bedroom Cairo villa which amply demonstrates her philosophy. “The concept revolved around the delicate balance between two contrasting emotions: a sense of awe and a feeling of gentle comfort,” she explains. “These dual forces served as the core drivers behind the design, infusing the space with both intensity and warmth.”
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The home is the principal residence in a family compound consisting of four adjacent villas. Hussein was initially brought on board to open up the landscaped garden of the site, creating a large, unified garden for the family. She did this in intelligent style, designing a huge pool that’s punctuated at intervals by lounging and dining platforms, allowing for varied experiences that family members can enjoy at different times of day.
Subsequently, Else Lab was commissioned to rework the façade and interior of the main villa on the site. Hussein followed through on her pool design with a concept that celebrates generous open spaces and linear forms: the home’s double-height rooms are flooded with sunlight thanks to large glass windows on the front and rear elevations. Electing to rearrange the layout of the house – the main reception room is now on the basement level, connecting it directly with the garden – Hussein demolished existing concrete slabs to open up double-height ceilings in the reception space and entrance hall, with the latter forming a light-filled mezzanine that overlooks the living area below. “This approach created an interesting connection between the interior volumes,” says the designer. “The volume of space in itself is so powerful: we accentuated its vertical lines, emphasising the height using soft forms that layer and flow.”
Despite its cavernous proportions, there are many fine details to the interior that contribute a sense of comfort and warmth. Layered partitions in the entrance hall, for example, incorporate gentle lighting, while curved elements on the walls soften the linearity of the interior architecture. “We were very selective in the materials we chose, in order to maintain the house’s minimal look,” says Hussein. “The dominant finishes are travertine – which creates a focal point on the huge fireplace in the reception room – and green marble, which adds life to surfaces around the house, such as the TV unit.” For a touch of organic warmth, Hussein chose light oak for ceilings, flooring and doors, mirroring the timber used on the villa’s façade.
As for the furnishings themselves, Else Lab worked with a palette of earth tones, which complement the white walls and serve as a subtle foil for bold artworks. “The client wanted a house that was airy and bright, minimal but refined,” says Hussein. Scale is important when furnishing a house of this size, so she opted for oversized pieces – such as the big dining table by Gallotti & Radice, which sits cosily by the fireplace and is surrounded by Miniforms chairs, and the huge artwork hanging above the sofa, by Egyptian artist Hady Boraey. These pieces are contrasted with playful touches, such as a Bocci light fitting above the dining table that suggests a cluster of flying saucers and a series of black sculptural figures that perch on various surfaces around the villa.
“The client had bought them before we began the project, and they became like the hosts of the house,” says Hussein. “You can see them sitting in the entrance, on the TV unit and on the staircase. We got excited about them and designed different elements to accommodate them.” The finished project, says Hussein, is a space that feels impactful yet emotionally soothing. “Our aim for this contemporary Cairo villa was to craft a minimalist environment that transcends mere simplicity – one that evokes a sense of tranquillity and renewal, while also sparking joy, comfort and inspiration.”
