I got married four years ago, plus about six months of furniture hunting before that, that’s about five years of knocking on every store there is to find something that didn’t look like a million other homes, didn’t cost a fortune and was of decent quality.

I don’t have a black book of all eligible bachelors to share with my best friends on my wedding day, but today, and after years of furniture shopping, I do have a black book of interiors to share with all of you. Some of these stores are personal favorites while a few others were strongly recommended by my partner Hadeel El Deeb from her own furniture hunt as a newly-wed.

We updated this list a year and a half after we launched it to add all our new findings and all the quirky new additions to the market to keep you updated and on top of furniture hunting.

Stop running in circles and ask a girl who had to do her own interiors because I just could not afford to pay a 30-something-year-old interior designer LE 100,000 for her thoughts.

The List:

– Dokan Boutique: Image’s latest addition to their many brands and only available in their Maadi branch. This is one of my favorites for various reasons, the most important of which is that it’s all made in Egypt. Fashionable interiors have gone through various phases in Egypt, from the ultra modern, to the very oriental, and now the colonial, the chabby-chic and the neo classic with a touch of hobo funk; and that the last two are exactly what Dokan is about. From patchwork to pastel-colored writing desks, and shabby-looking chests of drawers, Dokan adds a hobo, eclectic and edgy feel to their neo classic designs. Don’t expect to buy your whole bedroom, they’re essentially good for bits and pieces to mix and match together, although you can also visit Image next door where you can find great deals on fabrics if you catch them on sale as well as modern and neo classic livings, dining  rooms and bedrooms. I bought a patchwork daybed that they happily personalized for color and size, which cost about LE 3,500, and a vintage-looking blue writing desk, complete with the weathered-out work and all, which cost about LE 3,500.

Dokan Boutique, Image • Corniche El Nile, Maadi • Tel. +2 (02) 2528-7677

Editor’s note: If you don’t feel like paying thousands for a new piece to look like an old one, check out Human Nature’s Blog for designer Ramzi Makram Ebeid’s top six salvaged second hand vendors for those with a passion for recycling furniture. 

– Eklego: They’re the people behind Sequoia’s new funked up interior, Left Bank and various awe-inspiring designs in Gouna. They are initially interior designers but have a range of furniture that fits a modern taste and might border on earthy at some point. Be warned, they are not cheap, but they do provide good quality and designs.

Eklego • 8 Sheikh El Marsafy St., Zamalek • 2 Ahmed Tayseer St., Koleyet El Banat Square, Ard El Golf, Heliopolis • Tel. +2 (010) 9974-3207

– By Papousa: This is a new addition to our list that Hadeel El Deeb swears by. By Papousa offer a range of truly unique and many custom-made designs that scream colonial with a hint of provincial and tons of Egyptian identity. They were established in 2000 to furnish hotels, offices, restaurants and home. The designer and owner, Papousa, trained at Marbella’s School of Interior Design, which show in her style influence and impeccable wood work. The biggest perk for us? They use 100% Egyptian raw materials and manufacture locally.

By Papousa •  bypapousa@gmail.com

– Beit Matta: Handmade using local craftsmen, Beit Matta has a collection of eclectic home accessories and furniture that are crowned by their collection of quirky trays and table accessories. Their products are sold through their own showroom in Gouna (by appointment only) as well as two outlets in Gouna: Inside Out and Cookit. They also offer delivery to Cairo and you can order through their Facebook page.

Beit Matta • Sabina, El Gouna (by appointment only) • Tel. +2 (010) 9999-1541

– SPAN Marketing for Interior Design: We are smitten by their collection of cozy, chic English-country inspired furniture. But they also offer a range of furniture that reflect English and French country with a touch of contemporary. They are also the official distributors of designer wallpapers and fabrics that they put to use in their furniture and interior designs. It’s a melting pot of shabby chic, vintage, contemporary and country that are all locally manufactured.

Span Interiors • 75 El Orouba Street, Heliopolis • Tel. +2 (0122) 390-3492

– Williams: This store screams contemporary chic, Williams is the place to go if you’re looking for a good-quality leather sofa, an L-shaped sofa or a sleek, modern coffee table.

Williams • 18 Ahmed Moustafa Street, El Nozha El Gedida, Heliopolis • Designopolis, Cairo/Alex Road, Sheikh Zayed • Tel. +2 (02) 3857-2036

– Natuzzi: Natuzzi is a luxury Italian furniture brand that was brought to Egypt by Image. They have every leather sofa, couch or whatever you have ever dreamed of in streamlined designs and impeccable manufacturing. Modern, luxurious and simply  lush, Natuzzi is a little on the steep side.

Natuzzi • Designopolis, Cairo/Alex Deser Road, Sheikh Zayed • Inside Image, Zahret El Maadi Tower, Corniche El Nile, Maadi • Tel. +2 (02) 2528-7683

– Saloni: Think Turkish drama; you know those velvety, lush receptions you see on El Eshk El Mamnou”? That’s exactly what you get at Saloni; those comfortable armchairs with the pretty flowery prints and that little sleek sofa with pastels are what the Turkish brand is about.

Saloni • City Stars, phase 1, ground floor • Mall of Arabia • Cairo Festival City • Tel. +2 (010) 1333-0133

– Tanagra: So chic, so contemporary and so sleek; Tanagra offers both local and imported furniture and home accessories that can be customized to your needs (the locally-produced ones at least). They do wonders with wrought iron, upholstery and wood and have the airiest outdoors designs.

Tanagra • 2 Mossadak Street, Dokki • +2 (0100) 424-2642

– Enza: From delicate textiles to chunky, knitted throw-overs and all the way to sofas and television units, Enza is brilliant for your basic home needs. The furniture range is on the modern side and for the no-frill minimalists.

Enza • West Side village, next to the Egyptian Hospital El Khawater, Hurghada • Tel. +2 (010) 1050-9990

– Kare: Quirky and trendy are the names of the game at Kara. Their accessories and furniture are eclectic, young, hip and mostly modern or contemporary. Think lots of colors, oversized chairs, comic strips on tables, animal-shaped lamps and lots, lots of character.

Kare • 2 Omar Ebn El Khattab Street, Heliopolis • 45 El Hegaz Street, Mohandessin • Tel. +2 (011) 666-0072

– Theodore’s: Tucked in Maadi, the shop offers a range of revamped and antique vintage collections that have an airy, light feel. Theodore’s is good for decorative and small pieces rather than full-on room sets. They revamp antique pieces for that funky, weathered classic feel and hold pieces from international designers.

Theodore’s • 12 Emarat El Shahid, Road 15, Maadi • Tel. +2 (010) 0109-3804

– Fayek: The rather traditional store has launched a neo-classic line that we are in love with. Known for furnishing classic interiors like the Four Seasons’ Tea Lounge, their contemporary line is funkier than you would expect.

Fayek • 49 EL Horreya St., Heliopolis • 27 Abdel Moneim Riad St., Mohandessin • Tel. +2 (010) 0005-1278

– Pinocchio, Razzmatazz and Caravanserai: All three are ethnic, but while Pinocchio and Razzmatazz have a very Oriental vibe to them, Caravanserai is more on the tribal side. They all have great designs and offer good quality wood that you can trust. Razzmatazz and Caravanserai also offer very ethnic lighting.

Caravanserai • 15 Ahmed Heshmat St., Zamalek. • Tel. +2 (02) 2735-6003

Razzmatazz • 2 Mostafa Kamel St., Maadi • Tel. +2 (02) 2380-3744

Pinocchio • 8/2 El Nasr St., New Maadi • Tel. +2 (02) 2754-7211

Editor’s note: I have had several custom made chandeliers and lamps in Khan El Khalili. You will get the same workmanship but with prices, of course, slashed. This only works if you have a specific design in mind, but they also offer quirky and ethnic designs to browse through and adapt to your taste. Mind you, we are not advocating copy right theft, so please do not go and take pictures of designs you like to replicate in the Khan. Be original.

– Miac, Al Cazar and Nadix: These are the classics when it comes to quality. They are on the higher end of the spectrum, but offer guaranteed quality. Nadix, launched by famous interior designer Nadia Allam, and Miac, although Allam has launched a modern line, Al Cazar is rather contemporary with beautifully crafted and designed dining rooms.

Al Cazar • 17 Sizostris St., Korba, Heliopolis • Tel. +2 (02) 2417-3503

Nadix • 10 Ramsis St., Korba, Heliopolis • Tel. +2 (02) 2419-2316

Miac • KM 25, Misr Ismaileya Desert Rd, Obour City • Tel. +2 (02) 4477-0831 

– Studio Zafir: Perfect for a collection of home-grown talents that range from colorful ahwa (traditional coffee shop) chairs to a bicycle-wheel-shaped chandelier that I never managed to convince my husband to buy. You can also find Drumstick Design stickers and socket covers, which add a bit of Egyptian funk to any dull looking kitchen tiles or electricity sockets.

Studio Zafir • 15 B Taha Hussein St., Zamalek 

– Markaz: One of my favorite shops in Egypt, Markaz is all about handmade products from artisans in Sinai and Upper Egypt. The shop aims to revive craftsmanship in rural communities and offers a range of cushions, rugs, baskets, towels, beddings, curtains and the most amazing hand-sown wall hangings. This screams authenticity and craftsmanship that are adapted to today’s needs and designs, ranging from Sinai’s signature beadings in blue and white on a linen cushion to the traditional Gargous pottery adorned with hand-painted local birds and shapes straight from their workshop in Upper Egypt.

Markaz • 1b, Road 199, entrance from Rd. 233, Degla, Maadi • Zamalek • 4 El Yamani Buildings, Zamalek • Tel. +2 (0100) 240-5858

– Yadaweya: Similar to Markaz, Yadaweya is a website launched in an effort to revive and promote Egypt’s traditional crafts. They carry crafts from Nuba in Aswan, Sinai, Shalateen from Red sea, Naqada and Hagaza from Qena, Siwa, Sohag, Fayoum, Old Cairo and Delta region, including the traditional pottery of Qena, rugs from Siwa, Sarsou’s wooden crafts, Nubian rugs and more. It was launched by Usama Ghazali who originally comes from Qena and felt the urgency to revive traditional crafts through allowing them marketing and selling channels before they’re extinct.

– Clara Home Accessories: A little store tucked in Heliopolis, Clara has an earthy feel to it and offers a range of home accessories and chairs, lamps and tables made of gereed (made of palm trees), which come in many shapes, colors and designs. I have also had several custom-made gereed designs that the shop’s owner was more than happy to work on with me.

Clara Home Accessories • 22 El Horreya St., Heliopolis • Tel. +2 (02) 2417-9897

– Studio Meem: A group of home grown designers have launched a design studio that offers environmentally friendly contemporary designs that reflect our surroundings and have an ethnic, earthy feel. We love their designs and the concept, so check their Facebook page for browsing and placing orders.

– Style Treasure, Odezy and The Giftery:  These are perfect for home accessories and registering gift lists. Style Treasures include a wide range of Egyptian designers like Rimal, Joud, Nina Shawki, Aya Home Textiles and Tica’s linens and towels. Odezy needs registration and offers discounts on locally designed and produced as well as imported home accessories and light furniture. The Giftery has a collection of various popular stores for gift lists like Table Royale and Mounaya Gallery, with a wide range of choices and prices to choose from. The Giftery and Style Treasures also carry a range of Helcometals tableware designs, a staple for every home.

– Tanis, Printshop, Shatex, Image, Damask and Omash: These are all great for fabrics, with a range of classic and modern prints. Also check out Wekalet El Balah where you can buy the basic, solid color fabrics or maybe some sheer curtains. While Damask and Tanis are on the higher end, Printshop and Omash have great deals. Image also carries a range of home textiles and with amazing prices on sale.

Shatex • Shop 240, City Stars, Nasr City • 27 Lebanon St., Mohandessin • Tel. +2 (02) 2480-2058

Printshop • 20 Shehab St., Mohandessin • 25 Khalida El Maamoun St., Heliopolis • Tel. +2 (02) 2418-6735

Tanis • 30 Anis Mansour St., Zamalek • First Mall, 35 Giza Street • Tel. +2 (012) 2865-0189

Damask • Shop 310, Phase 1, City Stars, Nasr City • 3 Geziret El Arab St., Mohandessin • Tel. +2 (02) 2480-2017

Omash • 13 Samir Abdel Raouf St., Makrab Ebeid Extension, Nasr City • 3 Geziret El Arab St., Mohandessin • Tel. +2 (012) 2311-6477

– Reflection, Style Team and Aura: For lighting, these three are my favorites. Reflection offers a modern and contemporary range of imported brands like Philips and Massive while Style Team manufactures their own products as well as import some. Style Team has a range of traditional to contemporary designs. Aura has a quirkier taste and the prices are a little higher but have some to-die-for pieces.

Reflection • 2 Ramez St., Mohandessin • 15 Abdallah Deraz St., Ard El Golf, Heliopolis • Tel. +2 (02) 3749-8617

Style Team • 1 Shareka Al Saudia Buildings, El Nozha St., Heliopolis • 7 Sour Nadi El Zamalek, Gameat Al Dowal St., Mohandessin • Tel. +2 (02) 2414-4583

Aura • 103 Oman Ibn El Khattab Street, Heliopolis • Tel. +2 (02) 2690-8117 

Aya Home Textiles and Malek Home Linens: These are our two favorite spots for linens and towels; all locally produced using prime Egyptian cotton and all done with craftsmanship and dreamy designs.  Malek Home Linens started off exporting their luxury cotton good and then started selling locally recently through their showroom in Maadi. Aya Home Textiles’s showroom is in Alexandria but you can buy their products online on their website, TheGiftery.com and Style-Treasure.com as well as at Eklego showrooms and others. Check Aya Home Textiles’ Facbeook page for a full list of outlets carrying their products.

Aya Home Textiles • 1 Central Street, El Mansheya, Alexandria . Tel. +2 (0100) 669-5154

Malek Home Linens • 3/1 El Laselky Street, New Maadi, Maadi • Tel. +2 (010) 1515-7993

You can browse through a range of furniture store on www.TheHomePage.com.Eg and the higher-end www.TheDesignStreet.com