Inside Design Point’s Brightly Contrasting Hacienda White Beach House

Clients play a big role in the design of their homes, but sometimes the boldest decision a homeowner can make is to just let go. Giving designers free reign over your house can require a lot of trust. And if you’re well acquainted with Karim El Hayawan and Nehal Lehata, the co-founders of Design Point, then trusting their design approach should really just be a matter of course.

The owners of this Hacienda White beach house come from an entrepreneurial background and had experienced Design Point’s aesthetic flair by having their Cairo residence and a couple of boats designed by them. “This summerhouse was the cherry on the top in terms of our good relationship with them,” Lehata tells SceneHome. “Houses are organic creatures that grow with you, and we prefer to be part of this growth by continuing to add artworks to this interior and celebrate these moments to come with the homeowners.” This went beyond mere formalities or contracts; this was work driven by passion to deliver a good experience.

“One of the homeowners is an art collector who appreciates the designer's practice,” El Hayawan says. “They dealt with the project as though it was like curating one big artwork.” This catered to the designers’ affinity for experimentation, removing all boundaries. “The result was eclectic and loose, with tons of geometry in the mix.”

Stepping through a distinctly designed grey and white door, the ground level’s flooring immediately is immediately captivating with its dazzling array of water jet flooring that was made out of a very diverse range of marble selections cut into tiny triangles, which if you’re familiar with the technique, is an extremely demanding task as these types of floors usually have large and clear designs. “The client had to believe in the technique and our ability to apply it to pull off this microcosm of detailed craftsmanship,” El Hayawan explains.

“Terrazzo was on the high at the time but we felt that it would be a bit overkill for the main space, so we applied an inspired form that gave similar aesthetics,” Lehata adds. “The exterior landscape design collaborated on with Khaled Shokri abstractly mimicked the geometric pattern indoors.”

Standing in full view of those sunny outdoors is a mid-century dining table, and a chandelier ornamented with colour by Enlighten. Above and beyond is a double heighted curtain wall that brings all the rays of the sun into the interior, while a wooden staircase links to the visuals of the dining tables.

The designers weren’t really adamant on paint, going instead with all white and leaving the contrasting materials and subtle hues in furniture to provide the colours. “Except for a blue mirror which was unconventional, but maintained a Mediterranean aesthetic,” El Hayawan points out.

Changing things up in the rooms upstairs, the designer duo went for an exotic print from Design Emporium’s Matthew Williamson selection, while the staircase featured pastel prints from Cole & Son. “The floors upstairs were simple, so we compensated that with colourful wallpapers,” El Hayawan says, ensuring that as the design fluctuates from one space to another, balanced aesthetics maintain visual intrigue.

“Beach houses are relaxed, there’s less stress on being hyper functional and things become more loose and happy,” El Hayawan says. “And, we capitalised on that very much.” There’s a charm in mixing different geometric forms like the plethora of arches that decorate the living room and contrast with the sharp features on the ground.