Architect Hala Saleh Curates Zamalek for Cairo Design Week 2025

As Cairo Design Week returns for its third edition from November 21st to the 29th, the city’s design energy will once again centre around its three main districts: Heliopolis, Downtown Cairo, and Zamalek. This year, Zamalek will be curated by architect and designer Hala Saleh, who has long considered the island her professional and creative home. “Zamalek is the heartbeat of the city,” Saleh tells SceneHome. “It has the right balance between the past and the present, between new and old.” Her office, housed in one of the neighbourhood’s century-old buildings, serves as both a workspace and a source of inspiration — a place she describes as charged with energy that constantly pushes her to evolve and raise the bar for design in Cairo. For this year’s edition, Saleh introduces the curatorial theme ‘In Between’, drawing from Zamalek’s position as an island in the Nile — physically and symbolically suspended between contrasts. “The Nile is our lifeline, it’s the source of life, abundance, and renewal,” she explains. From this concept, three interpretations of “in between” emerged: between space and self, silence and expression, and past and present. Each participating designer is invited to explore one of these ideas through their practice — by creating an object, transforming a space, or reactivating an existing one. Zamalek, as Saleh describes it, already pulses with creative energy. With its mix of art galleries, design studios, furniture stores, and cultural venues like the Cairo Opera House and El Sawy Culturewheel, the district rarely sits still. The challenge, then, is not to introduce activity but to curate, connect, and reframe what already exists under a shared narrative. “The beauty of Cairo Design Week is that it attracts people from all walks of life, not just those in the design field,” Saleh says. “I’ve seen students, grandparents, busy parents, and friends coming after work to explore something new.” For her, that inclusivity is what makes the event unique — a reminder that design isn’t limited to professionals but is part of how everyone interacts with the city. As Zamalek stands as a bridge between eras, Saleh’s curatorial approach reflects the same balance — honouring heritage while encouraging new creative expression. “Things are always a work in progress,” she adds. “Every year, we learn how to move people and ideas differently.”