A classic Eames chair is being torn apart by two glamorous women in a Beirut boutique. The supple black leather covers are stripped off, leaving the elegant plywood body looking like a model who’s just wiped out on the catwalk. Swathes of ornately patterned fabrics are tossed over the naked frame, as if whatever will be, will be.

“Many times, the result surprises us,” says Hoda Baroudi, who, along with partner-in-crime Maria Hibri, forms the creative force behind the international design sensation Bokja. Together, the women deconstruct and reconstruct mid-20th-century chairs, sofas and ottomans in their own style.

“You think you’re leading the way,” pipes in Hibri, “but then you find the chair is leading you.” The process sounds haphazard, but it results in eye- catching creations adored by stylists, and they frequently feature on the pages of magazines such as Vogue and Elle Decoration.

Although now close friends, Baroudi and Hibri didn’t meet until a decade ago. Baroudi grew up in Sidon, the third-largest city in Lebanon, and her love of antiques started early: “I adored anything with a soul and would collect old brooches, fabrics, boxes – items with a passage of time in their aesthetic.” Hibri’s childhood interest was in handmade goods, thanks to her grandmother, an artisanal embroiderer who sold her work to make ends meet after being widowed at a young age.

At 17, Baroudi went to study at the American University in Beirut, and decided to make the buzzy metropolis her home, although she still makes frequent escapes from the city: “My favourite getaway is my country house in Beit Mery in the hills overlooking Beirut. It’s tucked in a pine forest, and I go for peace of mind as well as physical and spiritual rejuvenation.” It’s also where she and Hibri, who was born and raised in Beirut, relocated their families during Lebanon’s periods of conflict and unrest a few years ago. Hibri is divorced, but she has two sons, now 24 and 18, and one daughter, 21. Baroudi is married with two daughters, now aged 15 and 20.

Before the women met, Baroudi was an economist and Hibri owned a flower shop. But they had each developed their creative interests on the side. On a trip to Uzbekistan in the 1990s, Baroudi spotted a selection of Central Asian textiles, “I couldn’t believe the beauty and the spontaneous creativity that was evident in these wonderful old traditions,” she says.

“We know now,” pipes in Hibri, “that people don’t make fabrics the way they used to. The exuberant flowers that you find in textiles from Central Asia, they don’t do today.” While Hibri admires the fabrics, her real love is vintage furniture. This struck her on a visit to New York in the early 1990s. She would go to auctions to buy 20th-century antiques for her home, then haul her purchases back to Beirut, where the old chairs, sofas and tables were put to the test by her children.

Eventually, Hibri started holding vintage furniture auctions at her flower shop. It was at the shop that the women met, just over a decade ago, and when chatting, discovered their shared interests. They decided to collaborate on a simple 1950s chair, which they covered in antique floral suzani fabric. It was a huge hit at Hibri’s next furniture fair.

“We thought it would be a one-off,” says Baroudi. “Then we got offers from people to do an exhibition in Riyadh, then Beirut, Kuwait, Jeddah…” When New York’s high-end homewares department store, ABC Carpet and Home, placed an order in 2004, the two realised they’d have to take their fun project seriously.

“ABC wanted to test the market, so they ordered a couple of pieces. The minute they got them in, they were snapped up,” says Baroudi. The buyer? Actress Kate Hudson. Soon the likes of Julia Roberts, Salma Hayek and Sandra Bullock followed in her footsteps.

But it’s not just celebrities who’ve fallen for Bokja. Middle Eastern craftsmen and disadvantaged Lebanese women have become enamoured of the company after Baroudi and Hibri gave them work that would otherwise have been difficult to come by.

“We always work with traditional artisans, who carry their profession from father to son, using their hands to create labour-intensive textiles made with natural dyes,” explains Baroudi. “Over the years, we also realised that we wanted an extra element to our design, and the embroidery has been key to that.

We have given this work to women in prison and to widows in our society who have fallen on hard times, helping them earn much-needed extra income.”

Giving back to the community has always been part of the Bokja ethos. “We never really thought about it. It just comes naturally from who we are. At all the exhibitions we did, our proceeds were given to NGOs in those respective countries,” says Baroudi.

Success has created its own challenges. “Unfortunately, we don’t have time to do exhibitions any more. To create a chair or sofa can take anywhere from one day to three weeks,” says Baroudi. “The demand for our designs keeps growing, and there’s a limit to how much we can produce while keeping the product unique.” Despite their success, the women have no plans for major expansion. “We’re keen not to add more unnecessary stuff to the world, so we shy away from the idea of mass-production,” says Baroudi.

You can find a handful of their Classics range, including the Eames chair I saw being transformed (design buffs needn’t worry – it’s a more recent reproduction, not an original), in Beirut’s historic Saifidistrict at the Bokja shop, a 200-square-metre boho-chic boutique with pretty secret garden. Or look for their pieces in London at luxury department store Liberty [www.liberty.co.uk" www.liberty.co.uk] and at Mint boutique [www.mintshop.co.uk" www.mintshop.co.uk], or in Cairo at Sadaf [www.designopolis.com" www.designopolis.com]. “We will only work with stores that share our ethos and that have designers we identify with,” says Baroudi.

But they also frequently create one-off pieces when Hibri finds an irresistible antique, or on commission from clients like Christian Louboutin, who uses their sofas and chairs in his fashion showrooms around the world, helping raise the profile of Lebanese design.

“Through our work, we are creating a dialogue between the East and West, hopefully encouraging more interest in Beirut,” says Baroudi. “Our most recent design, for example, is a chair called Schizophrenia. We chose the name not only because it can be used inside and outside, but also because we’ve put a huge mix of fabrics and textures into it, which we feel reflects the state of mind of Beirutis. On the one hand, we might be recovering from a war, but at the same time we’re still partying.”

Bokja, 332 Mukhallassiya Street, Beirut, +961 1 975 576, www.bokjadesign.com" www.bokjadesign.com

BOKJA’S BEIRUT HOTSPOTS

Baroudi and Hibri share their favourite local places

THE SHOP

For vintage jewellery in a unique space – don’t miss the cylindrical room – browse in Madame Rêve. 1st floor, Tamraz Building, Gholam Stairs, Mar Mikhael Street, +961 372 8654, www.madamereve.net" www.madamereve.net

THE CITY-CENTRE HOTEL

Hang out on the terrace at sunset at Beirut’s only boutique hotel, Albergo, to see why it’s so popular with locals and visitors in the know. 137 Abdel Wahab El Inglizi Street, +961 1 339 797, www.albergobeirut.com" www.albergobeirut.com

THE ART GALLERY

Pick up pieces of conceptual art at Sfeir-Semler Gallery. 4th floor, Tannous Building, Street 56, Jlisr Sector 77, Karantina, +961 1 566 550

THE BAR

Michel at Centrale is the king of bartenders.

Mar Maroun Street, +961 1 575 858, www.centralerestaurant.com" www.centralerestaurant.com

THE RESTAURANT

At Varouj in Armeniatown, just outside Beirut, the owner tells you what to eat, and the rest is performance art. Near the Cinema Royal, Bourj Hammoud, +961 388 2933