February 2026 | With Karim El Hayawan

February has never been my favorite month. Cloudy, damp, and caught between the nostalgia of past festivities and the long anticipation of spring, it’s the shortest month of the year, though it often feels the longest. Between Valentine’s Day and a birthday no one lets me forget (mine), February rarely gives me much to praise, even after spending forty of them in Paris, my hometown.
Cairo’s February is different. Sunnier and more forgiving, it’s the one month when walking the city feels effortless, when you can move through its streets (the walkable ones, at least) without breaking into a sweat. In that frame of mind, I wanted to speak with someone who embodies how kindness can sit naturally alongside expertise and talent, as winter gives way to spring.
Enter Karim El Hayawan, a Cairo-based visual artist, designer, and interior architect. The spaces he creates resonate with me, blurring the lines between architecture, design, and art.
I’ve been fortunate to collaborate with Karim several times, including for my first solo show with Le Lab, where he produced a haunting series of photos in response to my work, transforming body parts into intangible sepia landscapes.
“Hayawan” actually means “animal” in Arabic. The family name is real, but what it evokes couldn’t be further from the truth. One of the first Egyptian street photographers to gain recognition through social media, Karim has used everyday life scenes as a universal metaphorical language. His photographs have inspired many, their aesthetics now woven into a collective consciousness.
His work has been exhibited at the Institut du Monde Arabe, Abu Dhabi Art, Dak’Art Biennale, Ithra World Cultural Center in Saudi Arabia, Art D’Égypte, and featured in numerous international publications.
Karim is also the founder of Cairo Saturday Walks, an initiative inviting participants to explore Egypt’s neighborhoods through street photography. Proceeds from the annual group exhibition are reinvested in one of the neighborhoods explored.
He co-founded his Cairo-based interior architecture studio Design Point Egypt with his partner Nehal Leheta in 2002, with projects including the venue for the El Gouna Film Festival, the Amalilia Nile Cruise, and many others.
I’m thrilled to introduce him to those who don’t yet know him, and to share more about his work with those who do.

Hello ya gameel! (Colloquial Egyptian for “beautiful.”) what do you think about that intro?

I think the intro is as wild as the pursuit of what you constantly design and present to the world… however, I hate to burst your bubble, Hayawan, (in Classical Arabic) is the plural of ‘life’ citing the verse 64 sura 29 from the Holy Quran, yet I’ll take your interpretation as a compliment (roar).

Karim, how do you professionally define yourself?

Well, according to ChatGPT, quoting: ‘You’re the kind of architect who says “let’s keep it simple” and then submits 14 references, 3 eras, a balcony from Korba, and one obscure Italian chair discontinued in 1978. Minimalism, but make it archaeological. You don’t design projects.You curate narratives. A client asks for a café and you pitch them “a post-colonial, limewashed memory of morning rituals anchored in terrazzo trauma.” When they just wanted decent Wi-Fi.

Are you a designer, an architect, a photographer or an artist?

I design experiences. Sometimes they become buildings, sometimes objects, sometimes images. The medium changes; the intent doesn’t.

What kind of architecture do you most love?

I’d say vernacular.

What are your thoughts on Egypt’s current architectural developments?

Egypt is in a transformation phase. Strategic planning and mega-projects are reshaping the urban landscape in ways that have never been seen before. A renaissance in its own sense. However, there is an opportunity to further refine its direction. The involvement of diverse stakeholders calls for a wider lens – grounded in anthropology , sociology, humanity, local materials, and vernacular practices, among many others. Responsibility for this rests with us all.

Do you aim to connect your photography with your architectural practice? Why or why not?

I already have in multiple occasions and exhibitions. One of which is “What If Art is Elsewhere” which was sparked by an observation of workers’ drawings on site walls during construction visits which begged the question ‘where art exists and where it doesn’t’. This also prompts the question of the role of the Curator in between as well as very interesting conversations with clients on their definition of art.

Your design studio partner is also a dear friend, Nehal Leheta. She needs an interview of her own. What brought you two together?

What brought us together stems from the idea that we both believe that art is seamless. Nehal as an artist is equally Nehal as a designer, a cooking master and a curator. For me it’s an integral part of the process, starting from her graduation project all the way to designing a mega project. Nehal carries the same passion, dedication, love and respect to the project. I think this is something I always look up to.

Egypt presents a polarizing landscape, from the often overwhelming realities of its immense population to what I perceive as a taste for over the top luxuries from cars to gigantic mansions from its privileged class.

Do you look for a balance between residential assignments, commercial spaces and projects that embrace the public service? These aren’t mutually exclusive concepts but can you elaborate?

If I were to think of a single project at the top of our list, Nehal and I would say “Tawasol Community School” with Yasmina Abu Youssef in an underprivileged area, a project that we took so much pride in designing, and even going back to revisit, develop, and engage. They have world class theater activities, art, education, music, and they have hope. We have designed a plethora of projects; however, Tawasol remains on the top of our list. We are currently designing a circus for them in the area as well.

Can you tell us about your favorite architectural project to date?

GLC’s ‘House of the Future’ and a project in Fayum that I can’t disclose.

I feel like you’ve stepped back from your street photography recently. Am I mistaken? If not, why?

Coming from the belief that change is the only constant in life. I think the street has evolved in a way and I have evolved in a way. I always go back to the street, but not for photography, more for observation, specifically sociological observations. However, I have taken the street with me elsewhere. I have taken what existed and what I felt in the street to other projects and spaces. The human interaction between what happens outside the gate and inside the gate is what interests me currently. What happens outside the social behavior, the disconnect and connect. What interests me now is more of the unseen rather than the seen.

I often struggle to understand some of the infrastructural decisions made by the government and am constantly amazed at how people here adapt to having to drive hours and hours from one new suburb to another, juggling the overwhelming amount of events happening all over Cairo, children, office hours, traffic and life in general! I can’t do it and I don’t have children! How do you always seem to handle all that so graciously?

In and out in 20 minutes, timing is key.

What’s next for you? What are you most excited all the time about?

I’m focused on work that sits between design, culture, and commerce, spaces that operate like ideas, not just interiors.

Rapid Round

Name an architect

Kengo Kuma / Waleed Arafa

Name a film

At Eternity’s Gate – Julian Schnabel

Name a street (anywhere in the world)

“Playing” – Where the Streets Have No Name – by U2 now.

Name a historical figure

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)