Mostafa El Nahawy is a young ambitious entrepreneur who’s interested in creativity within the living environment, believing that the spaces we live in are meant to be inspirational starting from sitting on an artistic fabric to living in an inspiring co-living progressive space.
While exploring interior design within his practice, Mostafa discovered his passion for real estate & architecture. Evolving into a larger scale, Mostafa desired to pay homage to his home town by creating a high rise development as a landmark to hold his family’s name & legacy in El Mahala El Kobra and to his family, long rooted in the garment-textile business.
In 2017 Mostafa created Teela, the first multi-purpose complex development in the city, in which its architecture uses fabric weaving as its main inspiration. Named after “tela” the Latin name for fabric threads.
Mostafa believed in a redefinition of the real estate & built environment as we know it & aimed to create efficient progressive living spaces to empower millennials. In 2019 Mostafa founded BIRDNEST, the first co-living concept in Egypt & the Middle East to build & activate spaces that foster human connection & enable people to lead more fulfilling lives. BIRDNEST creates a holistic living experience that drives personal & professional development within an aspiring community.
WHAT WOULD MAKE YOUR SOUL SING? WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY?
Feeling the cold breeze during my Sunset kitesurfing sessions and listening to my favorite songs.
A CHILDHOOD STORY THAT ANNOUNCED THE CREATIVE PERSON YOU ARE TODAY
During my elementary school, I used to get very excited for my secondary classes where I have the freedom to use any colors in my notebooks. So I used to draw/color unusual frames for every page. Some of which was a classic photo frame that I drew out of a frame my parents used to have. Another one was drawing pencils as borderlines on the top and bottom of my notebook page, and the most interesting idea was using the negative stickers as decorative elements and write in between
BEST CONTEXT EVER FOR INSPIRATION WAS
Textiles. Since I was born I have been surrounded by textiles at home, and my dad used to take me to work when I was a kid. When the time came, I used this inspiration to build a landmark in my hometown.
THE PROJECT YOU LOVED MOST
Five years ago, my dad was showing me a land lot that we own in my home town, that we left 15 years earlier. He was telling me that he’s planning to build a residential building on it. So I suggested to sell it and buy another land plot in new Cairo where we live now. But he argued that he wants to build a landmark that carries our family name since we don’t live there anymore. Couldn’t argue anymore, but I got inspired by our history as a family and our relationship with the city. I am 3rd generation in family-owned textiles manufacturers. And our hometown Al-mahala Al-kubra is known for textile manufacturing. In fact, it’s where the famous Egyptian cotton is mainly manufactured. So I thought if we want to build a landmark, it has to reflect who we are as a family and to be relevant to its contextual history. Nothing felt more relevant than textiles to be the source of inspiration for its architecture design. We worked with the amazing Xavier Villalta.
THE PROJECT OTHERS LOVED MOST
Both Teela and Birdnest are my biggest hits.
THE BEST THING ABOUT EGYPTIAN CREATIVITY IS
Shabby music and resourcefulness.
BEST STATEMENT OF EGYPTIAN HUMOR
Not taking harsh realities so seriously makes us live happier even when we have tough times. Bassem Youssef’s satire program that evolved out of 2011 revolution is a great example.
ADVICE FOR INTERNATIONAL HEADHUNTERS, RELATED TO EGYPTIAN CREATIVES
In my opinion, glocal spirit is the key to authentic work in any creative field. By mixing local inspirations with today’s global modern look and feel gives the output a unique style that can be appreciated from a diverse international audience.
9. BEST PLACE IN CAIRO
Zamalek concept stores, and art galleries for modern creativity, and Moez street for an original Egyptian Fatimid architecture.
BEST PLACE IN EGYPT
Sinai, natural vibe and activities.
MOST DISTURBING CLICHÉ ABOUT EGYPT, IN THE MEDIA OUTLETS OF THE WORLD IS
EGYPT SHOULD BE KNOWN FOR
The young, creative, and entrepreneurial movement that changes our realities for the better.
YOUR VIEWS ON MONEY
Money is good but too much of it is a curse. It solves problems, secures good quality of living but chasing it too much eats on one’s nerve and makes him worry a lot that he can’t enjoy what he has.
AN INSPIRATION SOURCE YOU RECOMMEND FOR A YOUNG CREATIVE
I love watching TED talks, they always have something that inspires me or to open my eyes on a subject that I don’t know much about.
For more information on Birdnest, clickhere.