The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Every inch of the shop is used – from floor to ceiling – to show off their products; using heavy duty rolls, hangers or catalogues of samples. Because there are so many fabrics, often overlapping one another and no clear organisation structure, this shop was both overwhelming and a little claustrophobic.

Straight away, we established that the fabric is sold by the metre, excluding the table of folded,  left over cuts, which are priced and sold at a discounted price. At the time of our visit, there was 4.5 metres of denim like material for just 100LE.

House of Fabrics will also re-upholster furniture and measure windows to make sets of curtains or blinds for an extra fee.

The first wall of fabric we were drawn to consisted of rolls of genuine, dark, Spanish leather. Deep brown, imitation crocodile skin leather or a similar snake skin cost 250LE per metre. There is quite a large selection of rich, warm coloured fabrics; a luxury crimson velvet would set you back 290LE per metre, whilst a dramatic, red and black floral design costs 430LE per metre.     

They also cater for those who prefer lighter colours with plenty of neutral tones; off-whites, beiges, creams and golds. A thick cream fabric adorned with large, white flowers is priced at 290LE per metre and a plain white, blackout material costs 100LE per metre.

There’s also a vast collection of net, satin, silks and sheer fabrics in a multitude of colours. Unfortunately, House of Fabrics doesn’t stock many bright or unusual colours; there was no neon or animal print in sight. We were also disappointed to find they don’t sell sequins, beads or fastening necessities such as buttons and zips. However, they do sell both decorative and discreet curtain poles, a few contemporary and some classical.

If you’re looking for a range of quality fabrics, either fussy or plain, House of Fabrics would be a good place to start – as long as you don’t mind hunting through the mountain piles of material to find what you’re looking for.