Until recently, contemporary design in the Arab World was not sought after but change is now in the air. “ The younger generation is looking for an identity and in their soul-searching, they are opening up to new trends,” says Karim Mekhtigian, an interior designer currently based in Cairo. According to Mekhtigian, the actual movement in interior design is a return to the essence of Pharaonic style which aimed at the perfection of form. Nowadays, a perfect form combines know-how and high tech. One must keep in mind, however, that the goal of the most perfect form is to serve a person.
High tech brings artificial intelligence into the house. A wall may be fitted with an integrated high tech system so that it can change its color and appearance and thus create different atmospheres. Mekhtigian insists on the importance of creating an atmosphere: “No atmosphere, no interior! A house always has a story to tell.” At the same time, he is strongly opposed to using foreign styles. “People all over the world went for foreign styles. Each country possesses its own traditional architecture which developed in response to specific climatic, environmental and cultural needs. There are great architects in the Arab World so why not develop our own style derived from our roots?”
Yet when one asks him about his own style he invariably answers that he doesn’t really have one. Each project comes with unique demands and the architect finds himself in a different context.
Mekhtigian, however, acknowledges that he can be categorized as a minimalist: “I am a great believer in ‘less is more’ but I am also sleek and modern. I try to be subtle but I can also be joyful and poetic.”
His latest line of furniture which he calls a transposition of forms is a stunning expression of this poetic attitude. The star of the collection is the Fly Chair. The purity of its shape suggests the essence of a bird. “Once you feel the chair is a bird and you are sitting on it, it seems as if you are flying. I have been making furniture for 15 years. I go for intelligent furniture, furniture that will serve a person well. The pieces I design must provide maximum function with minimum form,” he explained. Lately he has also been drifting to ‘immaterialism’ — where one does not actually see the materials but feels their presence through the function. “I like a variety of materials — noble materials such as wood, marble, water and stone but I also like to play with synthetic and man-made materials such as plastic, corian, metal and fiber. I also use plenty of natural light and fiber optics.”
Mekhtigian is known for not favoring any one color over another. He is in fact extremely interested in the absence of color. Through a clever mix of elements, light, shade and materials he creates a atmosphere of color. His primary concern is for the human space. “I am not a decorator but an architect of interiors so I care a lot for the human space, the space in which people move in the house. It is important for an individual to feel free and independent in that space.”