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CairoScene
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CairoScene
Welcome Home: Poltrona Frau's Cairo Debut at Villa Magenta
From gallery walls to storied furniture, the launch explores what 'home' really means. It's not every day that a 114-year-old villa in Heliopolis becomes the setting for a furniture launch. But then again, Poltrona Frau isn't just any brand—and Villa Magenta isn't just any venue. During Heliopolis Anniversary Week, Cairo's design community stepped through the doors of Villa Magenta to mark the arrival of Poltrona Frau in Egypt. The event—titled Welcome Home—was part launch, part exhibition, part reflection on what home really means. Curated by Design Point's Karim El Hayawan and Nehal Leheta, the experience unfolded across the layered rooms of the heritage villa, mixing design, art, and storytelling. At the centre of it all was the Poltrona Frau collection, staged across Villa Magenta's restored interiors in a way that felt less like a showroom and more like a living space in motion. Guests moved through settings where leather textures, subtle tones, and restrained forms didn't shout for attention—they just sat with it. The furniture, handcrafted in Italy and rooted in over a century of design heritage, was positioned not as a luxury statement but as a backdrop to lived-in moments. But this wasn't a typical launch. Alongside the furniture, Welcome Home layered in a series of art installations exploring the personal and emotional ties we each have to the spaces we inhabit. A short film played on loop, tracing fragments of memory, routine, and family. A gallery showcase brought together works from Motion Art Gallery, Picasso Gallery, Ubuntu, and TAM Gallery, all interpreting the concept of 'home' through the eyes of contemporary Egyptian artists. The artworks shared one thing in common: they invited guests to reflect on their own stories—creating an archive of perspectives shaped by nostalgia, change, and identity. Held during Heliopolis Anniversary Week—a city-wide initiative by the Heliopolis Heritage Foundation celebrating 120 years of the district's history—the event echoed the neighbourhood's layered identity. With its regal facade and restored interiors, Villa Magenta provided a setting that blended architectural legacy with contemporary design. It's also a reflection of founder Ramy Effat's wider vision: a space that brings together collectible design, art, and culture under one roof, offering something closer to a lifestyle gallery than a showroom. For Poltrona Frau, this event marks a new chapter in its international presence. Founded in 1912, the Italian brand has become known for its work across sectors, with custom interiors in places like the European Parliament and collaborations with brands like Ferrari and Bang & Olufsen. Bringing that legacy to Cairo emphasizes engagement with a different kind of audience—one that values craftsmanship, heritage, and emotional design in equal measure. The launch was supported by a group of local partners including Design Point, Le Baron, Kahhal Looms, Flower Bar, and Crave, with the Heliopolis Heritage Foundation acting as a cultural partner. Together, they helped position Welcome Home as a meaningful pause in the city's creative calendar. At a time when luxury often leans too far into spectacle, this was a softer kind of moment. A chance to reframe design not just as an aesthetic practice but as something rooted in memory, craft, and everyday experience. As guests trickled into the soft-lit rooms of the villa, that message was clear: home isn't a style. It's a feeling. And the best design doesn't impose one—it makes space for yours. Photo Credit: SceneHome
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Yahoo
Crown withdraws environmental charges in N.S. highway-twinning case
Prosecutors in provincial court in Halifax have withdrawn environmental charges relating to a highway-twinning project on the South Shore. Eight charges were laid against Dexter Construction and a sub-contractor, Design Point. The charges stem from work the companies were doing on a section of Highway 103 near a brook in Queensland. Sediment from the construction got into the brook and eventually into a lake known locally as "the Puddle." "The issue at trial would have been whether the parties took reasonable or lawful steps to prevent the releases from occurring," Crown prosecutor Brian Cox said outside court Friday morning. "There was no actual harm to plant or animal species disclosed by the evidence in this case. It was the potential for that harm." Charges were to go to trial next month The eight incidents of sediment release stretched from late 2021 to late 2022. The charges were to go to trial next month. Cox said many considerations went into deciding not to proceed to trial, including the circumstances of the alleged offences, what steps may have been taken to comply with the environment act, what omissions may have been made, the actual impact on the environment and the impact on interested parties in the community. Cox said they also weighed the benefits of having the highway twinned and of saving the time and expense of a full trial. The Crown also stayed charges against the Department of Public Works. Cox said the stay will enable the Crown to revisit those charges in future to see whether promised remediation has taken place. MORE TOP STORIES
