Tile Talk with The Nile Co.

What do the Cairo Opera House, American University in Cairo, Cairo Marriott, Zooba and Gourmet have in common? No, it isn’t academically oriented Egyptians with a thing for eating oriental sausage while listening to Omar Khairat and fantasizing about having an organized grocery procurement schedule at the Marriott. All these locations - along with Cairo’s metro lines - feature The Nile Co.’s tantalizing tiles.

Founded in 1942 by industrial pioneer Ibrahim Abdel Hafiz, The Nile Co. was the first company in the Middle East to import Italian manufacturing machinery, revolutionising the industry and gaining the appreciation of King Farouk and President Anwar Al Sadat. Being a family-run business, its cultivation of 70 years’ worth of experience along with a recent rebranding to appeal to a new generation of savvy style-aficionados, make it one of the best-loved design-labels in the country.

Mona Hussein Design House used their two-toned brown flooring and colourfully detailed mosaics at Fort Arabesque resort in Hurghada, Eklego Design Studio inserted patches of summer blues and neutral pinks in expressively patterned tiles for fun visuals at Pottery Café, while Studio M6 used monochromatic diamond tiles to complement their maroon vault design labeled ‘Vault of Heaven.’

Famed for the quality of its decorative products, The Nile Co.’s striking tiles are crafted from handmade cement, quartz and terrazzo, laced with painstakingly curated custom-colours and imagined into a dazzling array of geometrical shapes.  Their distinctive hexagons, sleek diamonds and traditional Egyptian patterns create mosaics that have a dizzying 3D optical effect. Their work is immediately recognisable and impossible to look away from.

Step beyond fabulous floorings and The Nile Co.’s tiles do wonders on tabletops, backsplashes, bathrooms, and feature walls, a versatility of home finishing that has seen them becoming a pop-cultural favourite with a plethora of bright young brands while making stunning appearances in some of the hottest homes in the city.

You can visit The Nile Co. showroom at 6 Salah El-Deen Zamalek.