WORDS Danielle Weakley PHOTOS Max Bohme/Unsplash; Supplied

Voaara, Madagascar

This is barefoot luxury at its finest and most toes-in-the-sand, with tropical-style thatched bungalows scattered along the northern tip of the island of Sainte-Marie off the coast of Madagascar. The island is renowned for its swashbuckling pirate past (Captain Kidd’s loot was said to have been buried here), and is one of the best spots in the world to view the humpback whale migration. With just seven stripped-back but quietly luxurious bungalows and one stunner of a three-bedroom villa, Voaara – designed by South African-Chilean architect Luis Mira – boasts a rustic, unbuttoned style thanks to the inclusion of local artisanal furniture and a wholly unpretentious energy. Do not miss the private dining experience of Bird’s Nest – it offers 360-degree views from its elevated top deck, making it perfect for sundowners and a romantic night of stargazing, telescope included – or a pizza while catching a movie at the outdoor cinema. | voaara.com

Cheval Blanc, Seychelles

This is the first Cheval Blanc maison in Africa, and LVMH’s newest property in its uber-luxury hotel portfolio. Architect Jean-Michel Gathy’s sculptural buildings curve around Mahé’s rugged Anse Intendance in the south, with villas ensconced in sunny eyries or perched atop the ridge, surveying the sprawling blue bay. The design is a sublime blend of modern and Creole – a dialogue between the tropical island and contemporary architecture. Expect floor-to-ceiling glass-fronted spaces with clotted-cream interiors offset by intricate latticing and African art – like the works of Madagascan textile artist Joël Andrianomearisoa. Slide back the glass doors to a private infinity pool and wraparound wooden deck. No luxury has been spared by parent company LVMH – the interiors are designer, the spa is by Guerlain, and the public spaces are utterly swoon-worthy. | chevalblanc.com

Waldorf Astoria Platte Island, Seychelles

Think the Seychelles, think private island – and this particular secluded escape integrates nature and conservation with architecturally airy beachfront villas that snake along the ivory sands of remote Platte Island. Inspired by the largely untouched lagoon, palm tree forest and coral reef of the island, the resort’s design echoes its natural surrounds. The main buildings take cues from the patterned shell of the native hawksbill turtles, forming faceted shapes that create canopies of dancing light; while the villa interiors surrender to nature’s palette of sage-green and off-white. The resort is not just eco-conscious in design, but in sensibility too – sustainable with its own solar field and produce gardens, respectful of the local ecology, and minimally intrusive towards the turtles nesting in the lush gardens. That said, you do need to arrive by plane… | hilton.com

Four Seasons Resort, Mauritius

Sustainability and luxury are the beating heart of this freshly renovated property at Anahita, on the lush east coast of Mauritius. From the seagrass meadow nursery that encourages marine biodiversity (you should be able to spot turtles, fish, stingrays and even seahorses in the newly planted underwater meadows) to an on-site seahorse conservation initiative, the biophilic resort is dedicated to preserving the natural splendour of the island. This same natural splendour is echoed in the contemporised interiors, where golden, beachy-toned colour palettes and natural finishes offer seamless integration between indoors and out, complete with basalt- encrusted private infinity pools. There’s a wellness spa that hugs the lagoon, as well as a spectacularly verdant oceanfront golf course designed by Ernie Els – both are not to be missed. | fourseasons.com

Soneva Secret, Maldives

There are just 14 villas tucked away at Soneva Secret, in the startling aquamarine waters of the Maldives’ Makunudhoo Atoll – a hyper-exclusive, super-private island enclave that includes a much-talked-about floating villa. Yes: the floating Castaway Villa can be dragged to different anchor points around the island to catch both the sunrise and the sunset as you live out your best Robinson Crusoe fantasy. Quirky Soneva touches are everywhere, from the reclaimed driftwood decks and rustic-chic upcycled decor to the pops of signature sunshine yellow, the retractable ceilings for stargazing, and the curvy water slides that deposit you straight from your deck into the water below. The villas are completely self-contained, so you’re off the grid in the best way possible – with endless unobstructed views, and your own so-called barefoot guardian and chef to cater to your every desire. | soneva.com

Jaz Amaluna, Zanzibar

Situated along the unspoiled shores of Uroa Beach on the east coast of Zanzibar, Amaluna is pure relaxation. Yes, there’s a mix of garden and ocean-facing suites – but there are also private swim-up terraces, a vibrant beach bar set along the powdery white sand, the sanctuary of an island spa, and three sprawling pools. The property pulls its exterior inspiration from Zanzibar’s diverse cultural heritage, with softly spoken interiors that are designed to take full advantage of the seemingly endless azure-toned vistas. | jazhotels.com

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WORDS Gina Dionisio PHOTOS Supplied

Since its founding in 2011, Mervyn Gers Ceramics has become synonymous with enduring design, craftsmanship, and unique ceramic pieces that bring a playful spirit to any tablescape. And the latest collection from the celebrated Cape Town-based studio is just as delightful.

The Mother of Pearl collection draws its inspiration from the beauty of natural shells, translating the ocean’s shifting tones and soft iridescence into pieces that feel tactile, serene, and timeless.

“Its soft mineral tone harmonises with warm and cool palettes, pairing effortlessly with bolder colours while standing confidently on its own. The glaze reflects a broader lifestyle trend toward organic textures and tactile finishes. It’s inspired by nature and interpreted through a contemporary, subtle lens,” notes Sales Director Shireen Ridgway.

“We wanted to capture that understated glow in a glaze that rewards a closer look rather than demands attention. Mother of Pearl is about restraint, refinement and a gentle pearlescent quality that sits just beneath the surface,” says Founder and Creative Director Mervyn Gers. At launch, the glaze is exclusively paired with the new shell forms, creating a collection where surface and shape speak to one another. “It remains intentional and cohesive for now,” he adds.

Each piece is handmade in Cape Town, with variations in tone and surface celebrated as part of the craft. No two pieces are ever exactly alike, reinforcing the brand’s commitment to artistry and to creating objects that bring beauty to everyday life.

For Mervyn, Mother of Pearl is more than a new glaze. “For those seeking ceramic pieces that combine subtle elegance with tactile presence, the collection brings refined texture and understated luminosity to everyday interiors, creating objects that feel both intentional and lived-in.” mervyngers.com | @mervyn_gers_ceramics

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WORDS Jo Buitendach PHOTOS Gieves Anderson (Printemps), Antoine Wagner (portrait), Stephan Julliard (Hotel Hana), Jérôme Galland (Casa Monti), Courtesy of Cartier, Matthieu Salvaing (Saint James), Tony Pradeu (Kapla Disco, Bosphore), Supplied

Paris-born interior design Laura Gonzalez is known for a creative universe where classic, maximalist and contemporary influences meet, guided by a respect for craftsmanship and a passion for art, sculpture, photography and painting. Her spaces are curated, soulful and unmistakable. She works her magic from a studio that occupies a six-storey Belle Époque mansion in Paris’s 16th arrondissement; more a country estate than a traditional office, it exudes warmth and elegance through patterned carpets, printed fabrics and curated details at every turn. It is from here that Laura collaborates with artisans such as cabinet makers, ceramicists, sculptors and decorative painters to transform spaces into poetic, one-of-a-kind interiors.

For Laura, design is about storytelling as much as about aesthetics. “My ambition is to compose interiors that tell a story,” she says. “Every piece, every pattern, every texture contributes to a visual narrative. I like to invent wandering daydreams, drawing inspiration from panoramic landscapes, wallpapers with sweeping scenes, and delicate touches gathered during my travels.”

Not content with interior design work alone, Laura has in recent years expanded into furniture, lighting and object design, contributing pieces to both permanent and limited-edition collections. She’s also opened galleries in Paris (on Rue de Lille) and New York (on Franklin Street), which function as exhibition spaces, creative laboratories and staging areas. “I often reconfigure them with a scenographic dimension, based on themes,” she explains, thus turning each space into a constantly evolving narrative.

Laura’s first book, Intérieurs (published by Rizzoli in 2023), offers a glimpse into her most emblematic projects and recent creations, tracing the evolution of her distinctive style. From elegant homes and luxury hotels to restaurants transformed into works of art, it is both a retrospective and a source of inspiration, showing how she seamlessly blends tradition with modernity.

Among her many notable projects, the Saint James hotel in Paris’s 16th arrondissement stands out. Laura has transformed a private mansion into a sumptuous 50-room château-hotel, in which Art Deco touches, 19th-century references and a rich collection of antiques converse with the building’s grand architecture. The lounges, rooms and suites celebrate colour, texture and the artistry of French craftsmanship, offering guests an experience that is both refined and delightfully eclectic.

March 2025 saw the arrival of Printemps in New York – a showcase of Parisian savoir-faire in the heart of Manhattan. Laura’s interiors explore a poetry of contrasts, pairing marble with soft fabric and classicism with contemporary boldness, and translating the spirit of the iconic Parisian store for a global audience. Highlights include a brasserie, a bar, and her reimagining of the historic mosaicked Red Room (by Hildreth Meière, 1931), which has been transformed into an enchanted forest where gigantic silver flowers bloom, their petals catching the light and casting ever-shift ing shadows.

The recently opened Casa Monti in Rome embraces a sunny, colourful aesthetic rooted in Italian tradition. In a celebration of la dolce vita, each space functions as a stage, inviting guests to experience the hotel as a living tableau, and effortlessly blending Italian elegance with bohemian fl air.

Laura and her team also designed several boutiques for Cartier, including Cartier Azabudai in Tokyo and Cartier Haikou in China. These projects extend her ongoing collaboration with the maison, allowing her to explore a more international design language. Cartier Haikou is an interior interpretation of the tropical island of Hainan. Spanning three levels, it takes visitors on a sensory journey through a variety of spaces and moods, from the island’s marine depths to its lush mountain peaks. | lauragonzalez.fr

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WORDS Gina Dionisio PHOTOS Adel Ferreira

For aesthetes and long-time admirers of Natasha Sideris and the Tashas Group, the launch of Tashas Home is an opportunity to bring Tashas’ signature warmth into their own space – an invitation to explore and live with pieces that have shaped the restaurants for two decades.

The concept for Tashas Home – a curated collection of crockery, glassware and collectable objects sourced from and used across the Tashas Group’s restaurants – is rooted in both practical experience and the desire to create something beautiful, deeply nostalgic and functional.

Located in Dolce Vita, an Art Deco building in the heart of Sea Point, the Tashas Home retail space reflects the Group’s signature design simplicity, with a focus on warmth and understated elegance. Natural textures and thoughtfully selected finishes create a warm, inviting atmosphere, while the understated interiors provide a refined backdrop that allows the curated collection to take centre stage.

Pieces for living

The collection comprises crockery, glassware, linens and collectables sourced from and used across the Tashas Group’s restaurants over the past two decades. Each item has been selected for its craftsmanship and premium materials.

Tashas Home currently showcases a curated selection of pieces from three of the Group’s restaurant concepts, including tashas, Avli and Arlecchino:

The tashas range

Centred on crisp white crockery and simple glassware, the range is clean and timeless. White linen tablecloths and napkins complement the collection, reinforcing the brand’s classic, relaxed aesthetic.

The Avli range

Inspired by the Group’s Athenian-influenced locations in Dubai and Bahrain, the Avli range reflects Mediterranean influence with its bold detailing and textured finishes. The collection incorporates silver-toned metalware and statement serving pieces, alongside artisanal tableware that speaks to Avli’s Greek-inspired approach to shared dining.

The Arlecchino range

Inspired by the newly opened restaurant, the range introduces a more playful Italian dimension. Across the crockery selection, materials include porcelain, stoneware, earthenware and bone china in finishes ranging from slip-cast to hand-thrown. All pieces are chosen for balance, weight and durability.

The Tashas Home collection includes an array of glassware, linens and textiles, with each piece chosen for its material quality and designed for everyday use.

Over time, the intention is to introduce many of the Group’s 14 brands through capsule collections, offering South African customers a glimpse into the broader Tashas Group world beyond its local footprint. | tashashome.com

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With a profound respect for its past and a clear vision for its future, Vergenoegd Löw stands as a meticulously restored tribute to 18th-century Cape heritage. As one of the oldest working wine farms in Stellenbosch is home to two wine-driven, seasonally inspired restaurants, as well as an intimate boutique hotel and spa. Together, they offer an experience that feels deeply authentic yet effortlessly refined.

For those seeking a quietly luxurious Winelands escape, the Vergenoegd Löw Boutique Hotel & Spa provides the perfect base from which to explore the estate’s rhythms – from art walks and duck-watching to wine tastings and lingering seasonal lunches. At its heart lies the reimagined 1773 Homestead, once the working centre of the farm and now reserved exclusively for hotel guests, offering a deeply immersive and private stay experience. Breakfast, however, is available to the public by pre-booking, allowing day visitors a rare glimpse inside this historic space.

Among the estate’s accommodation offerings are the four vineyard suites which serve as private retreats, combining sweeping vineyard and mountain views with refined, contemporary luxury. Set just a short stroll from the historic 1773 homestead, the suites pays homage to the estate’s Cape Dutch heritage, echoing the whitewashed clay-and-lime walls of the original homestead, while contemporary lines and modern finishes bring them firmly into the present. Inside, the design is quietly sophisticated – a considered blend of clean-lined furnishings, natural textures and warm, earthy tones that reflect the surrounding landscape.

Beyond the accommodation, the estate’s culinary offering expresses its terroir at the table. At the heart of this are Clara’s Barn – one of the oldest surviving barns in the Cape, currently under renovation – and Geuwels. Geuwels’ refreshed interiors are quietly sophisticated, with warm timber tones, natural textures and contemporary furnishings that mirror the estate’s surroundings, creating a setting as inviting as the cuisine itself. The menu is thoughtfully composed, and with gastronomist Michelle Theron at the helm, the food draws confidently on local flavours, underpinned by a considered approach that is at one with the estate’s wines.

On the plate, dishes champion produce from the estate and its surrounds – think traditional werf chicken pie scented with fynbos; nostalgic Merino lamb frikkadelle; and carefully composed bites that let farm-picked vegetables shine. On Sundays, Geuwels extends its farm-led philosophy with harvest lunches served family-style –generous, seasonal feasts designed for convivial gathering and shared at the table, in keeping with the estate’s warm, communal spirit.

The wine list is, unsurprisingly, a focal point, and those keen to explore can settle in for a guided tasting or pairing at Geuwels’ Wine Lounge. A highlight among the curated wine flights and artisanal platters is the Indigenous Tasting. Celebrating South Africa’s rich culinary heritage, it brings together often overlooked local ingredients such as Kei apple, spekboom and kaiings, complemented by a selection of estate wines.

For those wishing to linger after a lunch and savour the estate’s natural beauty, the art walk provides the perfect way to spend the afternoon exploring the grounds on foot. Along the route, sculptures by local artists Manuela Holzer and Dylan Lewis punctuate the landscape, while flora- and fauna-inspired paintings and thoughtfully landscaped garden scenes invite discovery at every turn.

And of course, no stay at Vergenoegd Löw Boutique Hotel & Spa is complete without watching the estate’s famous Indian Runner ducks waddle across the lawns while you eat breakfast. These charming residents are more than a playful presence; they are an integral part of the estate’s regenerative farming practices – a gentle reminder slow down, hit pause and appreciate the harmony that exists between the land and vineyards at Vergenoegd Löw. | vergenoegd.co.za

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WORDS Gina Dionisio

The 2026 edition of Cape Town Furniture Week unfolded as a dynamic, citywide celebration of contemporary design, bringing together a diverse network of emerging talents and established studios across showrooms, galleries and creative hubs. From new collection launches and site-specific installations to collaborative pop-ups and open studios, the programme reflected the depth and diversity of Cape Town’s design landscape.

Below are a few of our highlights (of which there were many) from the four-day design showcase – exhibitions, installations, collabs and new pieces that caught our eye.

CTFW x VISI Design Prize exhibition

This year’s Cape Town Furniture Week Festival Hub, hosted in the old Africa Bank Building at 81 St George’s Mall, featured more than 40 exhibitors. The ground floor housed the CTFW x VISI Design Prize exhibition, while the second and third floors came alive with pop-up installations and displays.

Established in 2025, the Design Prize recognises new design objects that contribute to the advancement of South African design. This year, 12 designs were shortlisted, with outstanding pieces from Wiid Design, MŪVEK x Spectrum Mirror, DEFT Studios, Rasengani Atelier, TheUrbanative (in collaboration with Grey Room and Weluka), Alkaline, Woodbender, LIM (in collaboration with Lise van Schoor), NØDE, Hoi P’loy, Stripped Studio with Tom Lead, and Arkivio.

Italian Design Day

Established as an initiative to promote Italian creativity and innovation, Italian Design Day takes place around the world and, in South Africa, was scheduled to align with Cape Town Furniture Week. For this year’s edition, interdisciplinary designer Francesca Lanzavecchia took part in various events across the city, bringing her insights on Italian design.

This year’s programme featured the participation of a number of standout Italian design spaces, aligning with the annual Italian Design Day initiative. Brands including Officine Gullo, Poliform, Valcucine, Eurocasa, INOVA Concept Store and CRÉMA all hosted open showrooms, walkabouts and talks.

Totem by TheUrbanative and Mash.T, curated by Hoven

Legendary Johannesburg-based creatives Mpho Vackier of TheUrbanative and Thabisa Mjo, founder of Mash.T Design Studio, joined forces to present The Totemic Field at Sisonke Gallery. Their living, shape-shifting installation explored the contemporary totemic – how waste, error and experimentation are not by-products of design, but generative forces producing functional forms that quietly hold collective meaning.

HALDANE ‘Site Meeting’

HALDANE unveiled its new outdoor collections inspired by construction, with an interactive showroom launch aptly titled Site Meeting – there were hard hats, high-vis vests, and a brick-and-mortar-inspired cake to celebrate. Highlighted pieces included the Scaffold New Brute occasional tables and the Super Rational modular sofa system.

Mungo x James Mudge Furniture Studio

Led by longevity and material respect, the Mungo x James Mudge Furniture Studio collaboration saw the Harrington and Nordwood chairs upholstered in Mungo’s new Miro Cloth. The bespoke natural-fibre textile brings softness and depth to the chairs’ considered forms.

J O H N | Chair by NISH

Tanisha Neill, founder and designer of N I S H, launched the new J O H N | Chair at a pop-up at Sindiso Khumalo’s flagship store. The new chair, featuring stainless-steel elements, emphasises the brand’s dedication to craftsmanship and highlights the interplay between material precision and natural imperfection.

What the HEX

Furniture and interior specialists Tonic unveiled their new collection, HEX – a trio of hard-edged, geometrically profiled tables crafted from solid French oak. The series is defined by its bold, architectural forms, set in striking contrast to the softness and natural grain of the timber..

Coffee and Craft

Acre, hoop, Kino and Platō Coffee collaborated on an immersive, multi-sensory experience hosted at Acre and hoop’s new work-in-progress studio space. The event celebrated design not only as a finished product but also as a process – inviting visitors behind the scenes of making and material exploration.

Acre presented the various stages of its manufacturing journey, offering insight into the evolution of its pieces from raw material to refined form, while hoop highlighted its own production processes alongside a striking kitchen installation. Upstairs, Kino debuted its new Café Tables, while Platō Coffee guided visitors through a hands-on drip coffee experience.

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Copy‑and‑paste interiors have had their day. Artificial intelligence has flooded feeds with derivative ideas. The future centres on authenticity, personal taste, longevity, quality and self‑trust.

South African tile specialist Stiles pulls apart some of the major trends that drove style decisions over the last decade and describes a new, evergreen view reshaping design in 2026.

“We’re leaning away from sameness and into spaces with soul,” says Stiles CEO Stevie Joubert, “homes that feel lived in, not staged”. At Stiles, that means discernment: choosing surfaces that reference nature, finishes that age gracefully and products made with sustainability and quality at the centre. “Trends are temporary, true style has staying power,” says Joubert.

Stark white minimalism is out

Steer clear of a clinical look. Design is moving away from surgical‑theatre tiling towards matt textures and warmer tones.

If you like a minimalist aesthetic but want to avoid anything sterile, consider large‑format, earth‑toned tiles. The Continental Sand tile  is a versatile neutral. This 1 222mm × 1 222mm tile has a concrete look and a practical matt finish. It’s part of a complete range for indoor and outdoor applications, including slip‑resistant tiles, pavers and a decorative textured tile.

Quality over cheap and basic

Scrollable temptation is real, but impulse buys often disappoint. This is the year to steer clear of mass‑produced, low‑cost, high‑regret options.

Take a tip from fashionista, Vivienne Westwood: “Buy less, choose well, make it last.”

2026 is about investment materials and sustainability, with premium quality as the real statement. Choose pieces that age beautifully and last for decades.

In this conversation with @mrphoenixgrey, the designers discuss the beauty of a stone sink. In 2026, look out for stone‑look porcelain slabs that go beyond floors and walls. Slabs can be sculpted into sinks, islands, vanities, shower benches, tables and furniture‑like joinery.

View the Florim range at Stiles for interesting marble‑look and rare‑stone‑effect porcelain slabs. Porcelain’s durability also makes it one of the most sustainable building materials for modern homes: you won’t need to replace it for decades.

Texture takes the lead

Texture is the new therapy. Three‑dimensional surfaces bring depth and movement. Fluted, ribbed, pleated, embossed and reeded finishes create light‑and‑shadow drama. Consider smaller formats with relief surfaces such as the Matiz fluted tiles, the Cuore My C Deluxe ribbed tiles and the Funky Tiles Arrow Kit Kats.

Larger formats include the marble‑look Monaco White tile, the fluted Terrazzo Satin and the Escama Brie tile with a raised chevron texture.

Edges matter in 2026, with a return to tile borders – and trims on just about everything: piping and fringing on furniture, tassels on cushions, pleats on curtains and mouldings on walls.

Add instant character and personalisation by creating a bespoke boarder using the Zoe tiles in stripes and checkers.

Minimalism, reconsidered

Architect and designer John Pawson is often described as the King of Minimalism. His own home, Life House in rural Wales, is the purest expression of the philosophy, a place of “perfectly proportioned rooms stripped to their essentials”. Life House is intended to reveal “the excitement of empty space.”

That kind of quiet can be beautiful in its context. But in 2026, minimalism can feel less like refinement and more like retreat. We’re fatigued by homes that look good online but feel hollow in real life.

In a contest between minimalism and mood, mood wins every time.

Think playful, soulful interiors that tell the truth: personal art collections, musical instruments leaning casually in the corner, photographic portraits, heirlooms, handcrafted objects, whimsical decor and those unexpected details that make a space feel alive.

Lenny Kravitz’s opulent Parisian home, Hôtel de Roxy, is the perfect example. Described as a space of “soulful elegance”, it is layered with memory, artistry and atmosphere.

The message is clear: the future of style isn’t empty. It’s expressive. It’s textured. It’s storytelling, built on warmth and materiality, with wood grain, raised patterns, stone‑inspired surfaces, bold design and surfaces chosen to age beautifully.

The most compelling homes are never showrooms. They’re personal signatures.

Stiles believe tiles should feel considered, personal and quietly confident – chosen not for a season, but for a lifetime of living. View the collection online at stiles.co.za.

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WORDS Gina Dionisio PHOTOS Justin Patrick Photography

In a powerful meeting of minds and materials, PICHULIK and Studio Lloyd have revealed ‘to hold’ – a collaborative installation presented as part of the CAPSULE section at this year’s Investec Cape Town Art Fair.

Drawing on the ancient arts of knotting, crochet, and weaving, the installation explores the language of rope – not just as a material but as a vessel for feminine knowledge. For centuries, these practices have shaped ritual, trade, and domestic life, encoding care and continuity into every loop and bind. Now, this lineage is brought vividly into the present through a dialogue between two distinct yet complementary practices: PICHULIK, the luxury jewellery atelier known for its bold, sculptural forms; and Studio Lloyd, a design studio celebrated for its handcrafted lighting and objects.

At the heart of the installation is a series of limited-edition embellished bags by PICHULIK. Each is a carrier of meaning, incorporating semi-precious stones, sculptural rope, and symbolic cast brass to evoke ancient ideas of value and adornment.

In response, Studio Lloyd has created a sculptural light landscape that envelops the space. Handwoven and luminous, the structure echoes the rhythms of the bags, transforming rope, stone, and light into an immersive environment.

Together, ‘to hold’ honours craft as a feminist inheritance, reclaiming it as a site of strength, beauty, and contemporary expression. pichulik.com | studiolloyd.com

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Weylandts, StudioLandt, and The Mill are united by a shared belief that true design begins with connection. Each brand embodies a distinct expression of this ethos. Together, forming a bond where authenticity, heritage, and purpose converge.

On their trip to The Mill in Namibia, Weylandts and StudioLandt became enamoured with the sociable weaver’s nests. Patiently woven from grasses and twigs, built layer by layer to shelter entire colonies, these nests are suspended in trees and shaped by both instinct and environment.

Their weathered surfaces, sun-bleached hues, and tactile density offered a quiet study in function, resilience, and collective making. Rooted in a place shaped by time, weather, and lineage, these works mirror the textures and tonalities of the land that continues to inform the Weylandts’ and StudioLandt design philosophy.

Through twists, knots, and looms that map material, texture, and structure across land and lineage. Formed from reclaimed wool, these works are regenerative, sustainable, and small-scale, honouring both resourcefulness and the terrain that inspired them. 

StudioLandt travelled to Namibia to learn directly from the artisans, researching the shapes, piles, and patterns that would best translate the desert’s textures into their designs. Each contour and loop acts as a woven pathway, a landscape rendered through the hands of its makers and the careful study that shaped it.

Sign up to the Weylandts newsletter to find out more about the launch and to pre-order the collection. | weylandts.co.za

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WORDS Gina Dionisio

Participating designers and brands are invited to submit one project, released with the past year, from which 12 shortlisted designs are selected. Those shortlisted entries were exhibited together at the Festival Hub for Cape Town Furniture Week, where they were reviewed by an independent jury based on three criteria: Authenticity, Design and Advancement.

This year’s judging panel included VISI editor-in-chief Steve Smith, Lebo Kekana, Roddy Clarke, Sindiso Khumalo and Chiara Piperni with the winners of the Design Prize announced at a private awards event for the industry.

The CTFW x VISI Design Prize 2026 Shortlist

Massa Forma Square Table – Wiid Design

The Massa Forma Collection is a new, evolving series of tables which have been constructed around a recycled cork composite mass, paired with a removable glazed ceramic tile surface, creating a tactile surface that reads as a resolved tactile object.

MŪ202 Ametrine Mirror – MŪVEK x Spectrum Mirror

MŪVEK and Spectrum come together in a new collaboration that introduces a highly customisable mirror design, merging rigorous geometry with expressive surface treatments.

Checkmate – DEFT Studios

CHECKMATE is the ‘Deftest’ piece of furniture DEFT Studios have ever made (and the most difficult). It features exaggerated, sculptural form, playful curves, and complex techniques.

Held Smoke – Rasengani Atelier

Held Smoke is an authentic extension of Resengani Atelier’s material-led practice, rooted in ritual, slowness and the quiet choreography of everyday objects.

Wadi Panel Screen – TheUrbanative (in collaboration with Grey Room and Weluka)

The Wadi Screen is a freestanding spacial divider that explores landscape, material memory and contemporary African design through structure and textile.

WAYST 01 | Pendant – Alkaline

The WAYST collection is an ongoing exploration of storytelling through waste material. Each object in WAYST begins with what is often discarded: rubble from demolition, fragments from renovations, and offcuts from industrial processes.

The Scoop 33 Chair – Woodbender

For decades, Woodbender has honed the art of steam bending – a discipline shaped by precision, patience, and a deep respect for natural materials.

The Reader Lamp – LIM (in collaboration with Lise van Schoor)

With its quirky curved lines and statement colourways, the Reader Lamp is equal parts sculpture, lamp, and side table. Designed with a light footprint, it slips easily into even the tightest spaces, while adding a generous dose of character.

Meridian Tables – NØDE

Meridian draws subtle reference from navigation and alignment, offering a quiet nod to the marine origins of its extruded uprights, above which sits a circular aluminium plane, creating a presence that feels balanced and deliberate.

Di Ponti Touch Light – Hoi P‘loy

The Di Ponti Touch Light pays homage to Luigi Di Ponti’s iconic design (the Moka Pot), by echoing the faceted cylinder we’ve all come to know as the universal symbol of coffee, while drawing on the signature sharp angles found in the Hoi P‘loy logo.

Koppie – Stripped Studio x Tom Lead

Koppie is a contemporary dining chair informed by African vernacular typologies and modern production processes. The design references the stance and proportional logic of the traditional African tripod stool, reinterpreted through a restrained contemporary language that remains grounded and deliberate.

Woven Linear Light – Arkivio

The Woven Light was inspired from a process of material experimentation. The design originated in the workshop while exploring the properties of wet centre cane.

2026 Award Winners

CTFW x VISI Design Prize 2026

• CTFW x VISI Design Prize 2026 Winner – Koppie Chair by Stripped Studio x Tom Lead
• CTFW x VISI Design Prize: Authenticity category award – Held Smoke by Rasengani Atelier
• CTFW x VISI Design Prize: Advancement category award – Massa Forma Square Table by Wiid Design
• CTFW x VISI Design Prize: Design category award – Checkmate by DEFT Studios

Cape Town Furniture Week Award Winners

• Contemporary Craft award – African Jaquard
• Best Collaboration – MŪVEK x Spectrum Mirror
• Best Display – Haldane
• Best in Show (voted by the public) – Ananta Design Studio

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