Karim Mekhtigian, a world renowned artist of Armenian origin and a pioneer in the world of design, be it architecture, interior, product design, art direction as well as design management. Throughout his brilliant career, he launched several notable brand icons: Kari Mekhtigian design studio, US, Analogue, Tea House, Life Lab and The Yar to name but a few. He collaborated with top notch companies such as Al-Borouj Misr-Administrative Capital, Al Ismaelia for Real Estate Investment, and Groppi. He designed the logo and was responsible of the branding of the Pharaoh's Golden Parade. Mekhtigian is a winner of numerous local and global awards. His studio Alchemy Design received the Platinum Muse Design Award.

Born in 1964, Mekhtigian hails from a family of artists. His uncle is Takfour Antonian, one of the most celebrated distributors and producers in the golden age of Egyptian cinema. He produced films that starred Egyptian movie divas such as Soad Hosny’s Khally ballak Men Zouzou (Watchout for Zouzou) and distributed Adel Emam’s El Harrif (Streetplayer). Growing up in this environment, Mekhtigian felt the urge to travel to Paris to study cinema and theatre, along with design, which eventually became his main line of business eventually.

After working in France for years, Mekhtigian founded, in 1993, his own interior design company Dessilk. The following year, his products were announced as the year's trendsetters by Salon Maison and Objet Paris. In 1995, he represented Egypt at an Exhibition by UNICEF.

In 1997, Mekhtigian decided to return to Egypt where he founded Alchemy Design, with three showrooms in Cairo and one in Bahrain. Later, Mohamed Fares joined the studio as a partner.

Aside from his design business, he occasionally cross-paths with the film industry. One of such interesting intersections was his curation of a tribute exhibition, on the works of acclaimed set designer Onsi Abou Seif, at the 4th El Gouna Film Festival.

Mekhtigian adds to each of his designs a touch of the place he belongs to; in other words, a touch of his soul. With a design that reflects a melange of traditional and modern flair, Mekhtigian’s Alchemy Studio, creates products and logo designs for several reputable Top- grade Egyptian and global companies.

Before 2021’s end, Mekhtigian established Kyme brand, after the original name of Egypt, which means the “black land” in reference to its rich fertile valley and delta. Under Kyme’s umbrella, Mekhtigian launched a number of commercial brands, including Kari Mekhtigian design studio, which encompasses Architecture and Interior Design; US is inspired by our own rich heritage and multi-layered culture. They are promoting a new all-encompassing idea of a “living culture” influenced by Egyptian history. Analogue creates tableware, bringing traditional techniques by skilled Egyptian artisans to create contemporary products for a modern everyday living.

In addition to that, he founded Tchai Tea House, a place in Maadi where tea products are offered; Life Lab, an interactive space and The Yar, a grand experiment to introduce environment friendly “green” village designs that follow the sustainability principles of modern urban developments.

Mekhtigian is one of the most influential personas in his field in the Arab world. As part of his intense activities, Mekhtigian created the Egyptian Designer’s Forum in 2005 and served as Art Director of the Egyptian Furniture Export Council (EFEC) in 2006.He is a regular head of Cairo Design Awards’ panel of jurors. Cairo design Awards is a platform for award-winning design creativity and innovation, bringing together prominent designers and celebrating the industry’s achievements.

Karim Mekhtigian

Architect/designer Karim Mekhtigian, is one of the most influential designer in the Arab world. He studied cinema and theatre along with interior design in France. Upon his return to Egypt, he established his own company Alchemy Design.

Throughout his brilliant career, he launched several brands like Kari Mekhtigian design studio and collaborated with top notch companies like Al-Borouj Misr-Administrative Capital. He was responsible for the logo design and branding of the Pharaoh's Golden Parade.

Aside from his design business, his work occasionally cross-paths with the film industry. At The 4th edition of El-Gouna Film Festival, he curated an exhibition a tribute to the works of acclaimed set designer Onsi Abou Seif.

As part of his numerous activities, Mekhtigian created the Egyptian Designer’s Forum in 2005 and served as Art Director of the Egyptian Furniture Export Council (EFEC) in 2006. He often heads the Cairo Design Awards’ panel of jurors.

Karim Mekhtigian

Recognized as one of the most influential architects/ designers in the Arab world, Karim Mekhtigian’s efforts to enrich and inspire Egyptian culture will no longer be limited to the world of design. With his passion for cinema, Mekhtigian will draft a new chapter that will alter the perception of society towards designers.