Cape Town’s Best Design Studios Are Opening Their Doors This October

For two nights this October, Cape Town’s architecture and design community is inviting you in.

There’s a particular pleasure in seeing a city through the eyes of the people who design it.

For two evenings this October, Cape Town’s architecture and design community will make that possible. Open Studios returns on Wednesday 14 and Thursday 15 October, bringing together 30 practices across some of the city’s most creative neighbourhoods – from the CBD and Gardens to Woodstock, Salt River and Observatory.

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Instead of a conventional design fair or exhibition, this is an opportunity to wander through the city and step inside the places where ideas become buildings, interiors, landscapes, and urban spaces.

Think of it as a design crawl

The best way to approach Open Studios is without too much of a plan.

Studios are open from 5pm to 8pm, allowing visitors to move between practices at their own pace. The participating studios have been arranged into neighbourhood clusters, making it possible to walk or cycle between several stops in one evening.

Some locations will require a short drive, but there is no fixed route and no obligation to see everything.

The appeal is also in the unexpected discoveries. You could spend an evening looking at the work of established architectural practices, stumble across an interior design studio you have never encountered before, or find yourself talking to the person responsible for a building, restaurant or workplace you pass regularly.

Cape Town’s architecture and design community opens its doors for two evenings of studio-hopping this October.

Start in the city centre

The first evening, Wednesday 14 October, is centred around De Waterkant, the CBD and Gardens, with 20 studios taking part.

The line-up includes some of Cape Town’s best-known architecture practices alongside smaller and more exploratory studios:

Bomax, Chris van Niekerk, dhk, Jacobs Parker, Jane Visser Architects, Jenny Mills Architects, Kevin Fellingham Architects, KMH, My Place in Cape Town, Ohkre Collective, Paragon Group, Peerutin Karol, Revel Fox and Partners, Salt Architects, SAOTA, SEA School of Explorative Architecture, Stewart & Partners, Terra Design, TwoFiveFive Architects and VDMMA.

There’s enough variety here to make an evening of it. Follow your interests, pick a cluster and see where the night takes you.

From established architectural practices to exploratory design studios, Open Studios offers a glimpse into the creative minds shaping Cape Town.

Then head east

Thursday 15 October shifts the focus towards Woodstock, Salt River, and Observatory – neighbourhoods that have been part of Cape Town’s evolving creative landscape.

Ten studios will open their doors: ACG Architects, Craft of Architecture, Design Network, GAPP Architects & Urban Designers, In House Design Studio, Meyer and Associates, Mobius Interior Architecture, R&L Architects, Source Interior Brand Architects and Yes&.

For anyone interested in the relationship between architecture, interiors and the city itself, this second route offers another perspective on how these creative disciplines intersect.

Across two evenings, Cape Town becomes a city-wide design trail, connecting curious visitors with the people and ideas behind its spaces.

Why it’s worth making the time

Much of the design work that shapes our everyday lives happens quietly. We notice the finished building, the restaurant interior or the considered public space, but rarely meet the people behind it – or get to see the process that went into making it.

Open Studios changes that for a few hours.

It is as much about conversation as it is about architecture. You can ask questions, look around, linger over details, and move on when you’re ready. There is no pressure to arrive with a professional interest in design; curiosity is enough.

It also makes for a good excuse to experience Cape Town differently. Instead of driving from one destination to another, you can spend an evening moving through its streets, popping into studios, and seeing familiar neighbourhoods from a different perspective.

The 2026 event is supported by Ceramica, with OWA, Modena Technologies, Selective Fans and Homemation as supporting sponsors.

So, whether you have a long-standing interest in architecture or simply want to know who is behind some of the spaces that make Cape Town what it is, put aside an evening.

Wear comfortable shoes. Bring your curiosity. And leave some room for the possibility that the studio you never planned to visit ends up being the one you remember.