In the heart of Maadi rests Villa Esorus, a one-of-a-kind design house providing smart solutions for interior sourcing in Egypt. Not only restored to its former glory the villa also has been equipped with modern amenities and design touches for a contemporary aesthetic. Today the villa hosts pop-ups for interior and furniture brands or artists or talks with industry leaders engaging the Egyptian design community.
We spoke to founder and architect Dalia Laz to unfold the story behind her visionary concept.
Fresh out of architecture school, driven by her passion for interior design, Laz landed a job with a Middle Eastern design company. “The people I worked with would praise Egyptian fabrics and carpets, and tell me they wanted to get these products for five-star hotels,” Laz told ELLE. She then realized the gap between the manufacturers and the designers and decided that communication and cooperation could bridge that gap. “I began to reach out to well-known textile and carpet manufacturers in Egypt.”
That was the seed that grew into a business in 2019 when Laz decided to implement theory into real-ground-action with Esorus. The name, she told us, actually has a double meaning. “The first brings across Esorus as an abbreviation for ‘E-sourcing’ since the platform aims to digitize everything related to architecture and interiors. The second presents Esorus as the Eye of Horus, the symbol for the sun god of ancient Egyptians.” A fitting name for including an Egyptian element in the brand and its logo.
Winds often flow against ships’ desires, An old Arab proverb usually quoted when misfortune strikes. The year 2020’s winds blew against the ships of Esorus. “I spent an entire year working hard to educate the market about the platform, and by March 2020, when investments started flowing in and our business was beginning to flourish, the pandemic hit the globe, disrupting almost all of our future plans.”
Laz, determined to carry on her business, did not let it stop her. “During COVID, I came up with the Design-To-Go initiative, which basically aimed to provide online consultations,” She told us. “It did not aspire for financial profit, but rather for exchanging experiences in the market. It was very beneficial as the consultations were streamed live between the platform’s community.”
Design-To-Go played a major role in raising public awareness about Esorus, and it paved the way for where the company stands today.
The pandemic was not the only difficulty standing in Esorus’s way. “We certainly faced many challenges. The biggest one for me was bringing people together; since initiating cooperation between different manufacturers and various designers was the real challenge and proved extremely tough.”
Success comes with a price, and we always wonder about the trade-offs. Laz has definitely had hers. Has her passion for architecture and devotion to her business had a negative impact on her life? “Achieving work-life balance is so tricky, and it took me a while to figure out. Boundaries, time organization, attention to outcomes, and priorities, this is how I achieved my work-life balance.” She concluded, “I want to deliver a message to every woman, that she can be a success at work and at being a mother too, the balance can always be earned.”
