Local Luminaries

At Decorex Cape Town’s FloodLight showcase, local lighting design took centre stage. 

WORDS & PHOTOS Gina Dionisio

A new feature at this year’s Decorex Cape Town, FloodLight celebrated some of the best local lighting designs brought together within a showcase shaped by the 2026 theme ‘The Soft Life’.

At the heart of the immersive display – developed as a collaboration between Decorex and spatial lighting designer Martin Döller – was the idea of light as soft power: not simply as a function, but as atmosphere, emotion and a tool for wellbeing. Here’s a look at the pieces lighting the space:

Joe Paine

Brutalist in nature, the MAXIMA Standing Lamp contrasts hard edges with soft light. The lampshade fabric can be pushed in and out, augmenting the type and intensity of light. | joepaine.com

Luminaire d’Afrique

Originally launched at the Capitec handmadeAFRICA Pavilion during Decorex 2025, these Luminaire d’Afrique pendants are a collaboration between Handmade Africa, Ngwenya Glass, the Bambizulu team, master weaver Beauty Ngxongo and Johannesburg’s finest lighting manufacturers. Each light – made from hand-blown recycled glass, intricately woven palm, telephone wire textures and beads – blends centuries-old techniques with modern precision. | bambizulu.com

Mema Designs

Handmade using Mema Designs’ signature anodised woven aluminium mesh fabric, the surface-mounted Fan Lamp is inspired by intricate origami folds and classical tailored fabric detailing. | memadesigns.co.za

Ananta Design Studio

Ananta Design Studio is known for blurring the lines between craft, fashion and collectable design. The Misra Lamp – taking its name from the Sanskrit word ‘Misra’, meaning blended or combined – features steel, textile and beaded threads woven together to create a contemporary lighting object that speaks to heritage and the beauty of combining seemingly opposite worlds. | @studioananta_

Modern Gesture

Modern Gesture’s layered Woven Necklace Pendant embodies an African necklace shape through the use of wooden rings, which represent wholeness and timelessness. | moderngesture.co.za

TheUrbanative

The Ayanda Pendant Light casts captivating shadows when illuminated. This elegant homage to Zulu heritage draws inspiration from two iconic elements of a woman’s attire – the pleated skirt ‘isidwaba’ and the dignified silhouette of the traditional headpiece ‘isicholo’. | theurbanative.com

Bofred

The Martini Floor Lamp is from Bofred’s Villa Collection, an ode to languid, sun-drenched days. Featuring a sand-cast recycled aluminium frame with an oatmeal linen fabric lampshade, this version of the Martini Floor Lamp is finished in silver aluminium. | bofred.co.za

One to One by Martin Döller

Amphora is the physical embodiment of 20 years of thinking. Cast in solid bronze, the modular lighting system is hand-finished by South African artisans. Each piece is unique. | 1-to-1.world

MOS Products

MOS Products had two lights on display in the FloodLight showcase: the CATAWBA and the SINE.

The form of the CATAWBA, named after a grape varietal, was inspired by chain link lengths, using the form as the light itself, rather than as a suspension aid. The SINE, on the other hand, combines up and down light in a gentle ambient flow. The horizontal line from the hardwood forms the base on which the shapes flow, with the bulbs half hidden by the oval-esque shapes and swoops. The light illuminates the soft arch curves, adding another dimension to simple geometric shapes. | mosproducts.co.za

Don’t forget to sign up to our weekly newsletter for the latest architecture and design news.