Bagua: Colour for Comfort

We're suckers for all things cute and kitsch – the more loaded with colour, the better. They've just got such a transfixing visual appeal, whether or not you'd actually wear/use them. So when we drove past Bagua, a furniture shop in Zamalek that basically epitomises funkiness, we were like kids going past a candy store. STOP NOW!! WHAT IS THIS?

Bagua gets its name from "a map that's used in Feng Shui to arrange furniture in a way so that positive energy keeps flowing" according to one of its co-founders Alia Abouzeid. The store itself looks like a kid went crazy with a box of Crayolas inside the store – in the best possible way. It's all super electric shades, piled on top of each other in funky patchwork arrangements. "We're definitely inspired by colour!" Abouzeid tell us, "There's a lot of patchwork and mixing different fabrics."

The pieces range from those that have a vintage feel in terms of form and structure, but are imbued with shocking colour to give them a modern look, to quirky shapes, to cool copper pieces.

The shop was founded by sisters Alia and Menna Abouzeid. After Menna spent several years designing and creating furniture and showcasing it in various boutiques and bazaars, the two eventually decided to make their own boutique to sell the pieces.

While Menna is the architect behind most of the furniture, Alia goes more for metalwork, making the copper lanterns or plates. Though the designs are theirs, they get artisans to help them with physically creating the pieces. "One of the main ideas behind the brand is that we want to encourage Egyptian handcrafted goods, and there are so many people out there that are really skilled and produce great work," Alia explains.

The pieces also carry aesthetic elements of Egypt. "The style is contemporary but with an Egyptian, oriental twist… we'll go for shabby chic but then combine that with Arabic calligraphy for instance," Alia says. For a serious injection of colour in your home décor, pieces you're unlikely to find elsewhere, Bagua seems like a perfect place to start.

You can check out their Facebook page here or follow them on Instagram @baguaegypt.