Meet the Influencer of the Year Nominees for the 2026 DOTY Awards
Influence in design today extends well beyond the finished room. Social media has created a space where designers and creatives can share their process, personal aesthetic and approach to everyday living, building communities around the way they see the world. The 2026 House & Garden South Africa Designer of the Year Awards recognise four such voices in the Influencer of the Year category: Anna Weylandt, Kamo Mafokwane, Misha Levin and Wendy Sibiya. From interiors and renovation to fashion, travel and lifestyle, each brings a distinctive perspective to the conversation around contemporary South African design.
Anna Weylandt
Anna Weylandt is the Chief Brand Officer at Weylandts and Director of StudioLandt, where she works across furniture design, interiors, hospitality, and brand strategy. Alongside her professional role, she has cultivated a growing social media platform as a secondary creative outlet, sharing a more personal perspective on design and everyday life. Through content spanning interiors, fashion, floral design, travel, and creativity, Anna has built an engaged community drawn to her thoughtful approach to living well. By documenting both the polished moments and the creative process behind them, she hopes to inspire others to find beauty in the everyday and to embrace a more intentional way of living.
Kamo Mafokwane
Kamogelo Mafokwane is the Founder and Design Director of NAIA Interior Atelier, a multidisciplinary interior design studio creating considered residential, commercial and hospitality spaces across South Africa and internationally.
Working between South Africa and Paris, her creative perspective is shaped by an appreciation for thoughtful spatial design, craftsmanship, materiality and the relationship between place and culture. Beyond the studio, Kamogelo has cultivated a distinctive creative voice across design and lifestyle, using her platform to share an intentional perspective on interiors, travel, architecture and contemporary living.
Her work and storytelling are grounded in the belief that good design extends beyond aesthetics, shaping how we experience spaces, places and everyday life. Through both NAIA and her personal platform, she continues to champion a considered, globally informed perspective on African design and creativity.
Misha Levin
Misha Levin is a Johannesburg-based entrepreneur, content creator and serial renovator. An ambassador for RYOBI, Misha isn't scared of a power-tool and can most likely be found in her garage building something. Last year Misha and her husband bought an old 80s face-brick fixer-upper which she reimagined, designed, project managed and shared to her audience of 100k across Instagram and TikTok. This project and Misha's storytelling online landed her a spot on Top Billing and has South Africans reconsidering old facebrick homes with renovation potential. She's also not afraid to call out the oomies who give her a hard time online. Misha recently designed a high-end sofa range for Zorora Sofas and there are more exciting collaborative design projects in the works; watch this space.
Wendy Sibiya
Wendy Sibiya is a South African interior designer and digital creator known for her considered approach to interiors, lifestyle and everyday living. Through her social media platforms, she shares her passion for creating beautiful, functional spaces, offering an accessible perspective on contemporary South African design. Her work explores the relationship between home, personal style and the details that make a space feel individual. Alongside interiors, Sibiya’s content encompasses fashion, food, travel and lifestyle, giving her audience a broader view of modern living. Through her creative work and online presence, she continues to inspire a design-conscious audience with her distinctive aesthetic and thoughtful approach to home.
Credits
Images: Alex Oelefse, Supplied, Instagram: @wendy_sibiya