Build process
Furniture takes the route a room gives it
We begin with the awkward corner, the west light, the building lift that is never quite as large as advertised. Then we make a piece that belongs there, not a drawing that only behaves on a screen.
A useful promise
We show the work while it is still work
There is no magic handover at SAAQAH. A commission moves through five plain stages: measure and map, select and mill, join and true, finish and cure, then deliver and settle. You will hear from us at the points where a decision matters, not through a weekly message written only to sound reassuring.
Timing is discussed honestly. A compact chair may move quickly. A long dining table with matched boards, a pigmented finish, and a difficult Maadi stairwell cannot be promised the same calendar. Cairo heat, timber moisture and access conditions are part of the job, whether a quotation mentions them or not.
- First visitRoom, access and use mapped on site
- Material reviewBoards and finish samples viewed in person
- Working updatesAt the real decision points
- After deliverySettling check and care guidance
The route, in five stages
A sequence with room for reality
Measure / map
We measure the room, but also the route to it. Door swings, skirting, sockets, radiator pipes, lift depth, stair turns and the place you naturally drop your keys all go on the sheet.
In older Heliopolis apartments, walls are often neither square nor parallel. We do not “correct” them on paper and hope. We scribe where needed and leave breathing room where a room needs it.
Select / mill
Timber is chosen from actual boards, not a generic swatch. We look for colour, movement and grain direction, then let the stack rest before milling it to dimension.
A board delivered through a hot July morning can change its mind indoors. If the moisture reading says wait, it waits. Milling too soon is borrowing trouble from the future.
Join / true
We cut joints, dry fit the piece, check it on a flat reference, then take it apart again. This is where a cabinet becomes quiet: doors sit evenly, drawers close without a shove, and legs meet the floor.
We refuse shortcuts that make a finished object look good only from three metres away. Veneer printed to imitate timber, stapled structural joints, and filler as a substitute for fit do not leave the shop.
Finish / cure
Surfaces are sanded through the proper sequence, cleaned, tested on offcuts and finished in the rear bay. Oil and stain have their own pace, especially during dusty or humid weeks.
Dry to touch is not cured. We will not wrap a fresh tabletop because a moving date became urgent. A trapped imprint or a cloudy finish is not a service to anyone.
Deliver / settle
We protect the piece, confirm the route again, carry it in, level it and make sure drawers, doors and leaves work in their new home. We take packaging away with us.
Solid timber continues to live with the room. A small seasonal movement is normal; a rocking table or binding drawer is not. We leave care notes and remain reachable after the delivery day.
Stage one, properly done
A tape measure cannot answer every question
We ask how a room is used at 7am and at midnight. A dining table is not only its length: it is knees around it, chair pull-back, the path to the balcony and whether someone will use it for work every weekday.
For apartment projects we also ask the concierge about service access and delivery hours. Cairo traffic can delay a truck. A sixth-floor walk-up with a narrow landing can change how a sideboard is built. Neither is embarrassing. Both are worth knowing before we cut timber.
The last week is where patience earns its keep. We do not turn cure time into a customer problem.
Questions we answer early
The parts that protect a good result
Can you meet a fixed move-in date?
Tell us the date before we quote. We can plan around a real deadline when the scope allows it. We will not promise a schedule that requires uncured finish, unmeasured access or a rushed final fit.
Can we approve the exact wood?
Yes. For bespoke pieces, you can view the shortlisted boards and finish samples at the atelier. Natural variation is part of solid timber; we discuss it rather than hiding it beneath a dark stain.
What happens if the piece does not fit upstairs?
That is why we map access. Where a route is genuinely tight, we design in manageable sections or agree another delivery method before production begins.
For a new commission, write to [email protected] or call +20 102 300 5500. Bring the difficult details first. They are usually the ones that make the final piece feel inevitable.