Victor Sobky is currently one of Egypt’s leading interior designers. He is a member of a talented group of trendsetters who are transforming Cairo into a design center. His main Cairo showroom, Makan, reflects his passion for an elitist eclecticism and a creative mix of styles. From his office overlooking a busy street in the heart of Zamalek, he admits that although he basically loves all styles from pharaonic to modern, he strives to represent his culture. This has led him to make some bold moves. He mixes with Pharaonic with modern, abstract with Ottoman and creates an exclusive piece.
He admires the French designer Philippe Stark and acknowledges his weakness for art deco: “Art deco is a unique style because it is at the same time rich and simple. Philippe Stark renewed art deco and also created some crazy pieces of furniture like a classic Louis XV armchair made in Plexiglas and people love it! He also paved the way for turnkey projects where the designer in charge of a hotel is responsible for the structure as well as the bed sheets. Philippe Stark takes care of all the details.”
Inspired by Stark who is reinventing European classic furniture, Sobky is showing Egypt’s rich artistic heritage including Pharaonic, Arab, Ottoman and the Egyptian colonial style in a new light. His shop displays elegant bric-a-brac of signature objects and unique pieces of furniture. The four poster bed turned into an original sofa, the delightful tambourine lamps, the bewildering yellow, red, blue and orange stained glass chandeliers, the decorative wrought iron candle-holders, an old pair of riding boots standing bravely near an art deco pharaonic-styled couch all testify to Sobky’s riveting ideas.
He has decorated one of Cairo’s most popular restaurants, Abu Sid. A regal décor combining Egyptian colonial furniture with superb lighting creates an incredible atmosphere, which has become famous. He admits his preference for decorating public spaces. However, his interior designs have brought him clients from as far away as New York, Cannes and Marrakech who want him to decorate their homes: “I definitely feel I have less freedom when I work on a client’s private house because people have their own tastes. So we have to find a compromise.”
Although, Sobky is always coming up with new ideas, he does follow certain rules. He insists that a kitchen should be closed, especially in the Middle East where cooking and entertaining are a way of life: “A kitchen which opens into the living room suits a bachelor who hardly does any cooking.” He also advises his clients to set up more than one table in their dining room if they have enough space and if they have a small dining room, they should buy an extendable table.
Where bathrooms are concerned, Sobky feels that the best baths are Turkish or Moroccan: “They did the best bathrooms. So if a client has enough space, I always tells him or her to build a Moroccan or Turkish style bathroom. It they have a small bathroom, I will chose a modern style.” He also insists that the salon should have comfortable chairs, a congenial color scheme and good music and the television should only be found in the living room. He loves earth colors, dislikes fake materials and underlines the importance of getting proportions right: “One cannot place a huge sofa in a small room.”
As we bring up the subject of fusion in today’s fashion trends, Victor Sobky agrees that fusion is found everywhere: In music, food, clothes, bags, jewelry and in interior design. But he adds that mixing styles is inevitable. People inherit pieces of furniture, which they like to keep, so a decorator’s job is to integrate the pieces harmoniously into the overall décor and create something beautiful. “However much I like to experiment with different styles, I always try to create an identity by remaining close to my roots. I don’t follow fashion trends at all because fashion always dies.”
In his inimitable way, Sobky manages to create a timeless style. His genial strength lies in the fact that each one of his interiors, although timeless, has a unique atmosphere, which not only blends perfectly with the location but also reflects the personality of its owner.