It's a well-known saying that a woman's home is her kingdom, and yet the world's most famous interior designers are men. But not for long. These days, women interested in designing their own homes can choose from a number of interior design courses to attend. And with advanced education and demonstrated expertise, some of those women are now proving their skills in the field of interior design. One of them is Rania Fahmy. Fahmy studied interior design in London and began working with Nada Allam, an interior designer in Egypt Fahmy has now been in the business for 12 years and is the owner of Arkan, a company that provides interior design services for commercial, residential and retail projects. Arkan also features a showroom for lighting control and home automation solutions produced by renowned company Intellitech. Arkan does not just display and sell different designs, furniture and accessories: it provides its clients a custom service. “What identifies this company is the service it provides, bringing exclusive pieces of furniture and providing interior design,” Fahmy says. Quality of items, price, and diversity of products are three reasons why Fahmy imports from France, Italy and Spain. “Unfortunately we have a problem with labor and sometimes it is much cheaper to get products from abroad than making them here in Egypt,” she says. Today, Fahmy aims to serve young and newly married couples, rather than targeting only those with the purchasing power to buy high-end products. To be able to do so, she needs to find companies that provide good quality with affordable prices.
