Modern Country Aesthetics in This Family Home by Ahmed Hussein Designs

Fusing country and modern interiors is a feat Ahmed Hussein Designs, a Cairo-based interior design studio, is often relied upon to execute with style. Blending industrial metallics with natural materials is not so much an approach for the studio, as it is their entire design ethos. In this three-storey home in New Cairo, they brought this ethos to life and made sure that the resident Bichon Frise had plenty of room to play and get connected to the home.

“The homeowners wanted to live in an environment that is calming and has an abundance of natural materials,” founder Ahmed Hussein tells #SceneHome. “They’re a family of four and each had specific requirements for their spaces. They wanted them to be uncluttered and easy to use.”Hussein used Black Spanish and Bianco White marble to create a herringbone pattern in the entrance of the family home. Beyond the dazzling floor, the palette gets warmer and less detailed as ceilings are covered with walnut wood. “We picked out a palette that ranged between white, black and grey, adding gold accents and leather along the way.” The calm palette was applied throughout, except for the deep velvety plant in the open kitchen.

The ground floor immediately transitions its mood with Golden Grey marble that extends to the staircase and blends with the honey-tinted glass that encompasses the staircase and elevator. “The elevator had to match the material palette, the hue gave depth to the space as well as a sense of privacy,” Hussein adds.

“The ceilings are covered with walnut wood because the owners loved the idea of their home being filled with warmth,” Hussein says of the reception, which features fur pouffes and an edgy coffee table made from the same marble slab used in the entrance. “Wood went up and we extended the Golden Grey marble to these spaces because it is much easier to maintain.”

A diamond mirror adds to the dynamic aesthetic of the coffee table, similar to the irregularly shaped mirrors in the entrance that have their own dialogue with the herringbone. As for the dining area, it features yet another signature of the studio: abstract wall art depicting dreamy forestry in monochrome. While a plant stands in the open kitchen completely breaking the colour palette with its deep and dark rouge.

Upstairs, the honey tinted elevator leads to a dining table made out of a tree trunk that contrasts the elevator’s glass. The raw aesthetic carried into one of the bedrooms where it went into a blend. “This bedroom has an industrial mood to it. The bed is wooden and raw while the chair has a steel back.”

As for Cocoa, the family’s Bichon Frise, a glass partition home was created within one of the bedrooms for a better sense of connection and with enough space for the dog to play around. “The owners wanted a home that pleased them beyond aesthetics,” Hussein says. “Natural materials capture the eye. They give soul and a different energy to the spaces they occupy, and the homeowners wanted to feel and interact with this energy.”

Hussein ended up visiting the owners after they settled in. “They told me that they found peace and have been happier since moving.” Few essential feelings rank higher than peace and happiness when it comes to homes. As for delivering those feelings in a setting that is luxurious and stylish, well, that’s just this studio’s thing.

Photography Credit: Rami Bittar