Following the final results of the International Property Awards 2017-2018, we meet the designers behind three of the major award-winning interiors.
Versatile style
Nihal Zaki graduated from Inchbald School of Design in London in 1999 and founded Nihal Zaki Interiors shortly after returning to her native town of Cairo in Egypt. The company has won ‘Best International Interior Design for Private Residence’ for Karma Residence in Egypt. The project features no less than 20 different styles, providing each and every room with a varying theme.
Nihal explains how the concept behind her design evolved. “My client was my inspiration! He wanted a house combining all sorts of classic ‘Period’ styles whereby he could walk from one zone to another, feeling totally transported to a different era or space.” She believes that Karma Residence’s versatility in terms of style is one of the main reasons for its success. “Yet it has the ability to move smoothly from one space to another through the use of one common palette of paint effects for the walls. There is also the fact that the house is a huge open space with lots of sunlight coming in from its big window façade.”
During her initial consultations with clients, Nihal ensures that she finds out as much as possible about their character, likes and dislikes. “My first advice is to make it ‘personal’,” she explains. “I usually start by inquiring if clients have a favourite colour, style or maybe piece of furniture or painting, something they love and would enjoy having in their interiors. I usually take it as my starting point for the design.
“Another recommendation is the ‘pièce de résistance’ of the house which is usually an out-of-the box concept or eccentric space. I usually love implementing this in the entrance, the dining room or the guest bathroom. As for the reception and general living areas, I prefer more subtle and chic luxurious themes and not too much on the eccentric side.”
Nihalzaki.com
