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

Fashionable lighting solutions are an easy way to modernise any home in Egypt. With the Cairo shopping scene ever-expanding, contemporary home accessories are readily available, but are notoriously expensive. Situated in a largely residential area, Rilight stands out on Farid Semeika Street in Heliopolis, with its chrome signage and eye-catching, upper floor window displays, the twinkling fixtures pulled us in.  

Heading in through the ground floor entrance, we were met by a shop assistant who proceeded to follow us around the deafeningly quiet showroom. With half the lights turned off, the shop floor appeared both neglected and ill-prepared for customers.

Although the name suggests a degree of limitation to lighting, Rilight does in fact stretch into other home accessories; sofas, coffee tables, mirrors, ornaments and table decorations were also on display.

In terms of lighting, just about every modern design is available, from floor and side lamps, to wall lights and impressive chandeliers. An interesting table lamp with a curved, almost tick-shaped base was 2100LE whilst a cubed glass lamp, along with a more classical one with a mirrored base were 2500LE. Simple wall lights were priced upwards of 250LE, and a large, impressive chandelier was 14,500LE. We also spotted a striking gold and white ceiling shade, made up of squiggly metal designs.

Large corner sofas were available in a range of different fabrics; a cream leather number was 23,500LE, whilst an elephant grey, corduroy model was 18,500LE. Contemporary leather arm chairs and loungers were also available, with some designed to match, whereas others stood out as statement pieces.

A chic, slate topped dining table was priced at 7500LE whilst decorative sequinned tablemats were priced at an extortionate 320LE each. An attractive, mirrored side table was 5700LE whilst a white TV unit with sliding glass was 10,500LE. Table topped sculptures of voluptuous women were retailing for around 2000LE, and an intricate aluminium horse was priced at 4000LE. A black, rectangular mirror was outlined with diamantes (5400LE) to match some flashy lighting counterparts.   

Rilight offer unique, contemporary furniture and home accessories, however, we were disappointed to see that once again in Cairo, such good looking items come at a price.