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Furnex Egypt highlights country's design strengths

Jenny Heinzen York -- Home Accents Today, 9/28/2010 7:03:33 AM

The seventh edition of Furnex Egypt, held in Cairo in August, represented a significant increase in exhibitors, visitors and product categories.

A key trend at the 2010 Furnex show was the extensive use of mixed media. This end table by Mohm combines wood, leather and stainless steel.

Amr Helmy Designs offers a line of furniture using Corian fused with natural teak wood, including this chaise and coordinating accessory pieces.

     This year's show featured 225 exhibitors of furniture, accessories, textiles and handicrafts and more than 800 international visitors representing 69 countries. That was up from the 2009 totals of 180 exhibitors and 609 international visitors from 60 countries.
     "Furnex is considered one of the important tools used to boost the Egyptian furniture exports," said Ahmed Helmy, chairman of the Egyptian Furniture Export Council and owner of furniture producer Meuble El Chark. "During the seven years of Furnex, from 2004, furniture exports jumped from $46 million U.S. to $320 million U.S."
     Egyptian furniture manufacturers tout their design and craftsmanship skills as on par with European companies, but at a significantly lower price. And though the Egyptian furniture is produced at a higher cost than in the Far East, there are advantages over those countries as well, market organizers said, such as 25-day shipping to less-crowded East Coast ports, no duties or tariffs, and modern production facilities operating with inexpensive energy.
     "We cannot offer the huge volume or prices of Southeast Asia, but we do have a competitive advantage. We offer more than China in terms of service, communication and proximity," said Ihab Derias, managing director of La Roche, a multi-product contemporary specialist.
     Because Egypt does have capacity limitations, its furniture industry is focusing its efforts at the higher end of the marketplace.

Egyptian furniture vendors pride themselves on their distinctive designs and exacting craftsmanship, as evidenced in the Fingerprint console by Nadim.

Intricate carvings and inlays are other hallmarks of Egyptian design, as showcased in this bombe chest by Meuble for French Furniture.

     "We know what we are capable of, but we want to take it to the sophisticated American clientele," said Adham Nadim, chairman and managing director of Nadim, another contemporary furnishings source, who said that the greatest opportunities now worldwide are at the high end.
     "The high-end market is booming, even in the States. People who lost a lot of money had a moment of truth that triggered a notion to spend on yourself at the luxury end," he said. "Whether it's a watch or a car or a yacht, the people who had spent some of their money had something to show for it. There's now a sense of, ‘What am I waiting for? Let's do it now.'"
     In order to reach those exacting consumers, Egyptians have placed an emphasis on merchandising and design and are outspoken about protecting design integrity.
     "We have very good design coming out of our country," said Sherif Abdel Hady, managing director of Multi M Group, also a contemporary design specialist. "We took on design and the value-added of design as an important aspect for us to work on. We show great respect for copyrights, and we have made sure that copying designs is taboo. We think we are a good compromise between how expensive European companies are, and we are much more flexible and offer better quality and value than China and Southeast Asia."
     Though the Egyptian marketplace was affected by the global economic downturn, it has weathered the storm better than other regions, Helmy said.

This room scene is from the +20 Egypt Design exhibition, which placed contemporary furnishings in three homes in Old Cairo. The use of the modern pieces in a historic setting was a tribute to Egypt itself, where the very old and the very new coexist in harmony.

This buffet by La Roche showcases a signature Egyptian style trend: combining a traditional motif (in this case, a Moorish symbol) on a contemporary furniture design.

     "For the furniture industry and exports, total exports in 2009 dropped 6% over 2008," he said. "This dip pales in comparison to the contraction in global consumption due to the global financial crisis. This is promising for the Egyptian manufacturers as it shows the increase of their share of the global market.
     "Moreover, having quite a broad scope in styles, size and capacities that help accommodate the needs of the international markets from major projects to small retailers, the Egyptian furniture industry is very promising, especially when strategically having design, quality and price together as the main goal," he said.
     To showcase its design abilities, the Egyptian Furniture Export Council hosted +20 Egypt Design, an exhibition of contemporary furniture displayed inside three homes in the old Islamic section of Cairo. Italian designer Paola Navone was invited to curate the installation, which featured 70 exhibitors including 55 Egyptian producers.
     "Visitors were treated to a unique fusion of local craftsmanship with innovative design objects; new global design pieces with traditional artisans; a true melting pot of design, culture, manufacturing and technology," Helmy said.

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