Karim Mekhtigian The Brilliant Designer
Karim Mekhtigian (1964, Cairo, Egypt), is a global artist of Armenian origin and a pioneer in the world of design, architecture, interior, product design, art direction as well as design management in general.
Mekhtigian studied architecture, interior design, and scenography in Paris, where he posteriorly worked for ten years. He worked for companies in France for a while, before starting his own interior design company, which he named Dessil, meaning vision in Armenian. He focused more on product design and successfully distributed his products to places like Japan and beyond. Also, he has been designing furniture for the past two decades, his works include collaborations with international brands.
When an interior design project brought him back to Egypt, he decided to stay and work. He set up Alchemy, his interior design office in Cairo in 1998. In 2003, Mekhtigian opened his first showroom and was joined by his first partner, Mohamed Fares. In the following years, his business flourished and Alchemy became one of the most sought-after interior design companies in Egypt, with three showrooms in Cairo and one in Bahrain. After the 2011 revolution and the economic difficulties that followed, the company closed all its showrooms and focused more on architecture and commercial projects, like the design of major compounds like Seashell and La Playa on the North coast, and other ones in Cairo.
Besides, commercial projects, like restaurants, bars, and hospitality. Also, branding, strategy, and design for all its commercial projects. This includes conceptualizing their logo, communication strategy, and visual identity.
The Pharaohs' Golden Parade
Alchemy had a lot of cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities as it had to be historically corrected. Three elements were used in the designing of the logo, The sun rays which symbolize eternity, scarbs that represent rebirth, and eagle feathers, which stand for the pride and honor of the pharaohs.
These elements were used by pharaohs with their mummies and their ceremonies.
The Egyptian spirit abroad
"Making the ordinary - extraordinary, lies at the heart of Analogue’s design philosophy and collections." Karim Mekhtigian
Mekhtigian has recently started to promote Egyptian products through Analogue, his new brand of high-quality handmade products crafted in Egypt. His products are high-end, contemporary, and very well suited for sophisticated markets abroad, where he is marketing them.
Urban development sustainability
He founded Tchai Tea House, a place in Maadi where tea products are offered; Life Lab, an interactive space, and The Yar, a grand experiment to introduce environment-friendly “Green” village designs that follow the sustainability principles of modern urban developments.
