Rhapsody in August: Forever Summer With This Functional Art Brand

Risk-taking in design is always worth it, especially when it comes to unconventional products that look like a whole lot of fun. We mean, go big or go home, right? When Interior Designer Nour El Rifaie and Artist Rana Ibrahim came together to launch August, a bold furniture brand, they had their minds set on creating pieces that are “exceptionally exquisite.” Hence, their debut collection features delicate petal-shaped pots, coral-inspired floor lamps and geometrical shapes covered with striking colours.

“Rana and I had a difficult time looking for furniture pieces that really stood out, so we decided to join forces and create items that are different,” El Rifaie tells #SceneHome. The designer graduated from the AUC and obtained an interior design degree from Florence Institute of Design International in 2016. Prior to founding her own design studio, Nuri Interiors, El Rifaie worked at Alchemy Design Studio. 

Ibrahim, the artist behind Artiora who has been producing stunning artworks for years, brought her background into the mix when the duo released their first collection in June. The shapes really speak for themselves, telling of their many inspirations which reach far into the sea to mimic the natural forms of corals and across continents to Mexico, in the Sombrero Side Table, which promises to add character in the space it occupies. “Most of them are made using wood, and reinforced steel coated with polyester and fibreglass,” El Rifaie says of the pieces.

“Our main aim is to add an artistic touch into every home we furnish. When it came to choosing colours, we went bold and striking,” she continues. The collection features a ‘B.W.Y’ line that is coloured black, white and yellow. Such as the Nesting B.W.Y side tables which can also be coffee tables, and in red, green or blue. “The pieces that have uniform shapes are often given more vibrant colours,” El Rifaie explains.

Casually playing around with geometric shapes such as a circle, triangle and cylinder, resulted in making the Outstanding B.W.Y Side Table, which has similar dazzling patterns to the B.W.Y Bench, which is rough and looks sleek. “As for the sculptural pieces like the pendant lights, that’s when Rana’s game is on,” El Rifai says of pieces such as the Wave Dining Table, which Ibrahim fashioned after the natural shapes found by the beach. The artist also applied her sculpting finesse in the Out of The Sea Floor Lamp, which looks like a coral pulled straight out of the sea.

Aside from their collections, August also produces customised furniture, such as the Red Love Pot, which was requested by clients who had floral inspirations. “We were keen on making our brand bold and balanced,” El Rifaie recalls naming the brand. Both founders were born in August and also, what is most commonly associated with the month? Summer. Which explains why their debut designs are coated with colours that are bright and energetic. Ultimately conveying the ethos of the designer-artist duo’s brand. And we’re left to wonder what their Winter Collection will evoke when it is released in October 2022.