Coastal Shades of Grey: Inside a Front-Row Summerhouse in Marassi

Imagine waking up on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast, stepping downstairs to grab your morning cereal from the kitchen before munching on it by the window - only to find a stranger innocently mistaking your home for a public art exhibit. For the owners of this stunning front row house in Marassi, its grey hues complemented with stunning artworks and soothing greenery, this is just another day in the life.

 “The main idea was to make this villa as widely open as possible,” Hussam Aboul Fotouh, Founder of HAF Interiors tells SceneHome. “It’s a first-row residence on the beach in Marassi. Opening it up allowed us to blend the indoors and outdoors, making the most of the view.”

This was achieved through folding windows, one of which features a panoramic opening, where you’ll be able to find red artworks at the centre of it all. “All the sculptures were created by Artiora,” Aboul Fotouh says. “I set the scene and dictated the form of the space and felt like it needed a curve. Artiora then did her magic by translating that into two guys complementing each other’s motion.”

Stepping back inside, the house is completely covered with a constant taupe grey tone, in contrast with the North Coast’s bright, breezy atmosphere. “Here, the hero is the view; the sandy beach and blue sea. So, we went with a white and grey colour palette to create a cool background,” Aboul Fotouh says. The combination is applied throughout the house, as well as its flooring, from the white Calacatta marble indoors to the verdi grey granite outdoors.

The kitchen follows suit; the background is white and grey with a matte finish. Meanwhile, the island catches the eye with its free form. “Forget about rectangular marble kitchen islands,” Aboul Fotouh says. “If you calmed down the walls, what’s going to dance in the middle and steal the show? This curvy island.” Throughout the house, things are uncluttered and doors are hidden. “The corridor is cladded and has a softly curved ceiling that adds just the right amount of balance. Subtle touches give designs value and allow them to withstand the test of time,” Aboul Fotouh says.

Aboul Fotouh took every opportunity to remove walls and add landscape. “Lighting and landscaping give homes richness and flavour,” Aboul Fotouh says. Sometimes lighting breathes life into the space by informing the atmosphere. At times, as is the case here, it also offers an artful look.

“If a wall isn’t opened up then it surely has art on it. There aren’t any costly materials that are meant to evoke luxury,” Aboul Fotouh explains. “Instead, the house gets its value from nature and art.” Examples for this can be found throughout the house. The bedrooms get their uninterrupted intimacy with the greenery, while the guest bathroom opens to the stairwell, where landscaping complements two parrot-shaped lighting units.

Aside from the subtle palette, the design features breakaway hues such as the aforementioned sculptures and blue glass breakfast table outdoors, as well as the meandering red dining table inside. “The dining area features grey chairs blending with the flooring while the custom-made table is strikingly red. Since the 18-seater table is long, we opted for translucent lighting fixtures above for an airy feel,” Aboul Fotouh says, describing the set up sitting at the border of the interior before ushering in the outdoors.

Boasting a variety of seating options, from the breakfast area and comfy setups under the pergola to the chaise lounges built into the pool, the outdoors features a garden that spans the width of the house. Perhaps that’s also why people assume it’s a public space. With all the seating arrangements and all. 

While most of the furniture in the house was fully customised, Aboul Fotouh relied on a number of designer items from Nineteen Furniture and Art of Form. But truth be told, most of the gatherings would take place outdoors. After all, you’re on Egypt’s North Coast.

Photography Credit: Nour El Refai