From Cape Town to Salone de Mobile.Milano 2026

South African architectural practice SAOTA, alongside local design studio OKHA, has joined forces with YARDCOM to present a pavilion at this year’s Salone del Mobile.Milano.

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What began as a meeting between like-minded designers has evolved into a collaboration that brings a distinctly South African perspective to one of the world’s most influential design stages.

Cape Town-based studios SAOTA and OKHA, together with YARDCOM, a global leading supplier of outdoor furniture, have conceived an immersive spatial installation for Salone del Mobile.Milano 2026 that explores architecture, interiors, furniture, and landscape as a single integrated system. This marks the first time a South African architecture practise will be designing a pavilion at the prestigious showcase.

Designed by SAOTA principals Greg Truen and Dani Reimers, with team members Lu Ke and Zander Deysel, the pavilion draws on the culture of outdoor living that characterises many South African homes, presenting a spatial experience that prioritises movement, proportion, and atmosphere.

“Rooted in the ideas behind SAOTA’s Kloof House, the pavilion expresses the belief that architecture should operate as an open system rather than a closed object. Layered, interconnected spaces create a dialogue between people, building, and landscape, deepening the connection to place,” says Greg Truen.

For the pavilion, OKHA has developed a bespoke furniture collection for YARDCOM titled ‘Forma Lenta‘. Developed through OKHA’s Design Under License model, the collection brings the studio’s architectural design language into an outdoor context.

The collection includes sofas, armchairs, daybeds, and tables, conceived to move seamlessly between interior and exterior environments.

Defined by grounded forms and a quiet material refinement, ‘Forma Lenta’ establishes a measured dialogue with the architecture and reinforces the pavilion’s emphasis on cohesion and restraint. “The pavilion allows the furniture to be experienced in relation to space, light and movement, rather than as isolated pieces,” says OKHAs creative director Adam Court.

A defining feature of the collection is its use of bronze-finished, gunmetal, and soft-gold aluminium, an uncommon choice in outdoor furniture. “It allowed the work to move beyond a purely performance-driven expression,” explains Adam. Combined with refined etched surface treatments, the material introduces depth, patina, and a subtle interaction. “The etched finish softens the surface and changes how it interacts with light, so the pieces shift subtly over time. That introduces a sense of duration – something closer to architecture or even artefact than conventional outdoor furniture,” he adds.

For those heading to Milan for Salone del Mobile.Milano, you’ll find the collaborative pavilion in Hall 18 from 21–26 April 2026. saota.com | okha.com | yardcom.net

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