The ancient Egyptian home was brightly colored and inspired by nature. Perched on the banks of river Nile, the home was a hearth and sanctuary for its owners, and its decoration celebrated the cooling, life-giving waters and bountiful shores of the river. Wrapped in shades of blue and green, colors which continue to be favored by Egyptians to this day, walls and ceilings were painted with murals. Aquatic themes depicted the Nile’s plant and animal life - lotus flowers, papyrus reeds, fish, ducks, and geese. Exposed roof beams and plastered wall surfaces were painted with spirals, rosettes, and stylized foliage.

The four-legged stool, with seat of woven reeds or wooden slats, was a furniture item found in the home of pharaoh and ordinary citizen alike. Another was the straight (or reclined) back chair, which began as a status symbol of the noble class, but was eventually introduced into the common household. Chairs, beds and tables were decorated with symbolic hieroglyphs or lattice work. The scarab, the sphinx, the sun disk, the spiral, the wave pattern, and figures, both human and animal were applied through a variety of techniques as ornamental detail.

Modern Egyptian living keeps the luxury of mixing decorative styles from very different periods of a long and textured past. While sophisticated, contemporary design is preferred, opulence is very much appreciated. Mamluk and Ottoman era artwork finds expression alongside popular French empire style. The most successfully designed Egyptian homes are style balanced, using restraint with gilded, inlaid accessories, since too much of a good thing can often come off quite badly, becoming a testament to the homeowner’s bad taste rather than his or her great style.