El Shazly: Design Your Own Furniture in Dokki

As fun as parties can be, they can also be very exhausting. The days leading up to the party can be especially stressful for the host as well as the guest, who must bring a gift. And of course not just any gift; but a nice gift. After all, you don’t want it to end up in the recipient’s closet (or trashcan). Organising a party might be even worse because you have to take care of crucial matters such as organising the food and decorations. It would of course be awful if your party lacked essential decor like purple metallic balloons. If you want to make it easier on yourself, go to Party Perfect in Dokki. All kidding aside, if you really want purple metallic balloons, you can get them here. Party Perfect specialises in party supplies and decorations. Balloon-wise, you can choose from dozens of colours and patterns. There are metallic balloons, as well as ones with hearts and other prints. You can choose from normal, large and extra large sizes for between 5LE to 8LE per balloon. There are also large balloons with slogans such as 'Happy Birthday', which sell for a painful 25LE. If you really want a really a unique balloon, though; try the cupcake or pie-shaped balloons (75LE). The most exciting items in the shop are the piñatas, which can be customised into any shape you want. For those who don’t know, these are Mexican papier-mâché figures decorated and filled with candy. The idea is to hit the piñata with a stick while blindfolded, until it breaks and explodes with candy. Piñatas start at 150LE and can be filled with whatever sweets or chocolates you wish, and shaped to whatever you’d like: horse, airplane, heart; you name it, they can make it. Aside from funky decorations, Party Perfect also offers gifts, including an extensive collection of gifts for newborns and toddlers. There are cute pacifiers, teddy bears and a collection of Chico toys. For the more fashionable kids, you can purchase child-friendly eau de toilette, including Spiderman, Mickey Mouse and Disney princess fragrances for between 90LE and 125LE. Grown-ups who secretly still fancy Disney products can purchase a Disney mug (59LE) for their morning coffee. There are also party poppers (25LE) and sparkles (10LE) to add a little zing to your festivities. And if you really can’t find a nice gift and don’t know how to say it with words, then opt for a greeting card, of which there are many diverse choices of. Happy partying Cairo!

The Cairo shopping scene is mixed bag, but hidden gems can be found all over the city, especially if one’s following the fashionable, vintage trend. Wandering down quiet Hassan Assem Street in Zamalek, we stumbled across O-M; a unique shop displaying some dusty, vintage and very beautiful pieces – namely home accessories. The shop is small but covers two floors and the glass front exposes the entire space.

After brushing off the wave of dust that hit us as we entered, we felt as though we’d been transported into a spectacular Aladdin’s cave of sorts. The owner and artist, Mahmoud Abdelwahab, was sitting at his desk, busily transforming an old metal shisha into an ornate light fitting.

Other lighting creations were hung from the ceilings, made from copper and metal with beads, alabaster or glass shades. A vintage oil lamp, transformed into an electric table lamp with an alabaster shade, was priced at 400LE, whilst its twin, with an unusual salt shade, was 500LE.

We enquired about having a large custom-made lighting fixture for a stairwell, using 20 assorted alabaster shades and Abdelwahab quoted between 4000LE-5000LE, ready in two weeks and handmade of course. The choice of material and chaining was offered, as well as the promise that modifications could be made later, if we so wished.  

Every inch of the shop is used to display his astonishing products; mirrors, antique tapestries and art work (200LE+) line the walls, whilst even the beautiful mosaic display tables are for sale.

A giant, hand-sewn, black and gold tapestry was priced at 700LE, despite its slightly fraying edges – tell-tale signs of its old age. The largest mosaic-topped dining table was priced at 5400LE, however, Abdelwahab assured us he could make any shape, size and design that we required. The same applied to an elaborate Oriental chest of drawers (4000LE) made from vintage balcony balustrades.

Several different styles of coasters were available (30LE/each), too; some were funky mosaic designs, whilst others were made from wood encased with glass. There was also a collection made from photographs of iconic actors and actresses. Unique gift cards made using vintage photographs of Egypt were for sale at just 10LE.

Hand-crafted, beaded necklaces, bracelets (25LE+) and earrings were also on display. A chunky red, turquoise and silver, statement necklace was priced at 125LE. Upstairs we found more of the same, including hand-decorated ceramic plates and tiles, several hippie-type material pouches, some designed to hold sunglasses whilst others would be better suited to make-up or toiletries (40LE-75LE). We even noticed some old journals from the 1970’s, priced at 30LE.

Quality, vintage, handmade products like those sold at O-M are considered both beautiful, precious and a rare commodity in other parts of the world. Mahmoud Abdelwahab certainly has talent and is able to dedicate his life to his passion, every piece slightly different from another, resulting in exceptional, decorative and functional home accessories.