A summer house is rarely just a place to escape. Along Egypt’s Mediterranean coast, it is often where generations gather, where family rituals take shape and where the boundaries between indoors and outdoors become almost irrelevant. It is this particular understanding of coastal life that informs Yasmina Makram’s latest project at Marsa Baghush, a beachfront villa conceived within the development designed by Egyptian architect Shehab Mazhar.
The Cairo-based studio approached the interiors with a clear idea: to create a home that feels distinctly Egyptian, without relying on nostalgia or conventional interpretations of Mediterranean style.
The three-storey residence was conceived to accommodate three generations of the same family. Rather than treating this as a purely practical requirement, the studio made it central to the spatial organisation. A bedroom on the ground floor provides easier access for older family members, while generous living and dining spaces encourage the kind of informal gatherings that define summer life. A concealed, fully functional kitchen allows the entertaining areas to remain visually uninterrupted.
At the centre of the house, the garden becomes an extension of the interiors, connecting spaces intended for different moments of the day. The landscape follows a circular arrangement, creating a sequence of more intimate outdoor areas alongside spaces for dining, entertaining and afternoon relaxation.
Yet perhaps the most interesting aspect of the project lies in its material language.
Rather than looking abroad for inspiration, Makram turned towards Egypt’s own decorative and artisanal traditions. Locally sourced materials, Egyptian tiles, textiles and sculptural lighting introduce layers of texture throughout the residence. Bespoke pieces by Kahhal 1871, Bamboo Al-Assiouty and Akhmim Textiles bring the work of Egyptian craftspeople into a contemporary domestic setting.
“In true alignment with our enduring ethos, the interiors were designed to pay homage to Egypt’s rich artisanal heritage,” explains Yasmina Makram Ebeid, founder and head designer of the studio.
The approach extends outdoors, where pieces from Makram’s Summer Moon furniture collection draw on familiar Egyptian forms and reinterpret them for contemporary coastal living.
There is an interesting tension at work here: between the desire for a modern holiday residence and the wish to preserve a sense of cultural continuity. The villa does not attempt to recreate a traditional Egyptian home. Instead, it draws on the country’s materials, craftsmanship and ways of living to shape an interior suited to the present.
At Marsa Baghush, the result is a vision of coastal living in which design is not simply about the view of the Mediterranean, but about the people who gather around it.
