Kahhal 1871 & NYC Artist Alex Proba Turn Stone Sculptures Into Carpets

One of Egypt's oldest luxury rug houses has found an unlikely muse in natural stone. Kahhal 1871, now in its fifth-generation, has launched a new collaboration with New York artist and designer Alex Proba, inspired by her recent work for Art D'Egypt's ‘Forever Is Now 5’.

Against the backdrop of the pyramids, Proba’s original body of work engaged with sculptural stone, prompting Proba to reflect on “time, erosion, and the layers that shape both landscapes and cultures,” she explains. In this new iteration, those same concerns are carried into the softer medium of the carpet.

"At Kahhal 1871, we see rugs as architectural surfaces, not merely decorative objects," says Mohamed El Kahhal, the brand's Managing Director. "Collaborating with Alex allowed us to explore how sculptural ideas can translate between materials, capturing the weight and presence of stone in a tactile form while keeping the essence of the original designs."

Rather than simply replicating form, the new collection investigates how meaning shifts when material changes. Solid, immovable stone becomes plush wool and silk. Drawing inspiration from the forms of the sculptures - in design and shape - the rugs merge two forms of artistry that aren’t usually paired.

Proba recalls how “This collection grew out of my natural stone sculptures with SolidNature for Art D’Egypt’s Forever Is Now 5. The rugs carry that same spirit. They translate monumentality into something tactile, bringing the memory of stone, colour, and history into everyday interiors.”

The collection visual dialogue between both artists and their craft, and seeks to transform rugs from solely a functional object to a storyteller: one that bridges material and form as well as cultures and landscapes.

The Alex Proba x Kahhal 1871 collection can be found in Kahhal 1871 showrooms in Cairo and online.