Inside Out Serenity in This El Gouna Home by CAI Design Studio

Envisioning a relaxed mode of living, the designers CAI - a design studio based in Cairo and Boston - created a four-bedroom residence in El Gouna that blends the indoors and outdoors together through massive windows, perforated wooden walls and an airy courtyard. Using an open passage to link the two main bodies of the house, the design sets a serene ambiance that really focuses on how its spaces feel as much as seamlessly functioning.

Towering arches gracefully hold a wooden ceiling up at the entrance while being embraced by palm trees. The natural introduction is supported by the design’s dependence on locally available materials. To compose their vision and present the desired mood, the designers connected baked clay and dry stone through natural oak wood.

A sense of unity runs throughout the residence as sand concrete tiles cover its flooring, from the living spaces inside to the courtyard outside. On the east side, concrete walls are covered with smooth flutes that blend with detailed stonework. Signifying the design’s ambition, massive windows with black metal frames capture dramatic angles of the lagoon ahead. As minimal spaces inside are oriented to encourage users to spend more time outdoors. With a wooden patterned wall allowing breeze inside through their perforations, which create ethereal patterns of shadow within.

A courtyard situated in the heart of the abode’s masses is shaded with a cantilevered wooden pergola and features stone gravel on the sides and olive trees that breathe life. Creating a tranquil setting that is complimented by the surrounding natural beauty. Terraces facing this courtyard neighbour wide openings in the ground floor to ensure flexible circulation within the house.