The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Step inside
virtually any Cairo apartment, and there is a strong likelihood that it will be
furnished and decorated in the typical, classical Egyptian style: ornate, dark,
and invoking a time in Egyptian history when the thing-du-jour was to adorn
one’s home with fakes and replicas of French Renaissance-like house ware. The
house will be questionably cluttered with crystals, fancy cushions and
lampshades that a home in Victorian-era England could have had. Step inside one
of Mit Rehan’s two entrances, though; and the style and design of its furniture
and home accessories could not be more different.

Open since
the mid-1990s, Mit Rehan is an upscale furniture and home accessories shop
selling contemporary pieces that retain the Oriental/Middle Eastern style, but
with a 21st century flare and elegance. Shereen Fahmy is both the owner
and the designer responsible for almost every item in the shop,
with the exception of accessories such as mirrors, trays and other wall
ornaments, some of which are imported or are antiques. Fahmy blends
Oriental/Middle Eastern themes into the simple silhouettes of her bed frames,
couches, tables and more.

The designer also employs a myriad of colours in her
designs – bold crimson reds, silver-blues, taupe, etc – using a plethora
of materials such as velour, cotton and wood as well as bronze and glass. It’s fairly
safe to say that there is something to satisfy almost every kind of taste at
Mit Rehan. 

This kind
of elegant, unique home accessories comes at a steep price. While the products
available are beautiful and of a high quality, it is arguably overpriced; a
small set of two mirrors with an iron frame sells for 6000LE; a framed
nautical-inspired sketch costs 390LE and a large iron chandelier sells for 6000LE,
while a simple silver coffee tray with a bit of detailing on the corners will
cost you 1050LE.

Looking for
an entire set for your bedroom or living room? Mit Rehan currently has a
silver-blue living room set including a couch (9670LE), two single chairs (2215LE
each), wood and glass coffee table (5000LE) and a set of two large, modern
glass lamps (2400LE) patterned in a Greek/Mediterranean theme (geometric
patterns against a soft silver-blue velour-style material).

Mit Rehan
can customise orders for its clientele; the living room ensemble, for example,
can be reupholstered with a different fabric, and the shop’s friendly sales
person mentioned that custom-designed and built pieces are also an
option. 

Classy,
modern, and filled with one-of-a-kind creations, Mit Rehan has everything you’d need to outfit a home, albeit at a very high price.