Egyptian Architect Omar Sedky Designs a Moroccan-Inspired House

What happens when intricate Moroccan domestic references are interpreted through the lens of a minimalist architect? In his latest project, “Project Maroc”, Omar Sedky, founder of Studio Blank, explores this dialogue in a house in New Cairo.

The starting point is a brief shaped by the client’s Moroccan background. From there, the project moves between two directions: one comes from Moroccan homes, where wood, tile and pattern are part of daily life, and the other comes from a minimal way of designing that focuses on simple, clean spaces. Both are present in the house at the same time.

“The client of this house was Moroccan, and she wanted something inspired by her culture,” Sedky tells SceneHome. “That became the starting point for how we approached materials and details.”

Alongside this, his own design background shaped how the house was put together. “I come from six years of working with minimal architecture, so I brought that approach into the project as well,” he says.

Across the house, each room follows a simple rule: one main feature is highlighted, while everything around it is kept calm. This makes each space easy to read and gives focus to specific details instead of filling every surface.

Woodwork is one of the main materials used. It appears in doors, lighting and selected details, drawing from Moroccan craft traditions. A mashrabiya screen is used as a key feature in one of the spaces, placed on its own so its pattern and shadow can be clearly seen.

Pattern appears through cement tiles with Moroccan-inspired designs. The same tiles are used in different ways across the house, but never in the same scale or layout.

On the ground floor, the pattern is spread out more. On the stairs, it becomes tighter and more focused. In the kitchen, it is arranged in a different way again. This helps connect the spaces while still giving each room its own feel. Bathrooms are kept simpler, with white surfaces and very little pattern. This creates contrast with the more detailed areas in the house.

The house is built using the same small set of ideas, repeated in different ways. The materials stay the same, but their use changes from space to space, creating a clear and easy rhythm across the home.