On 30 September 2026, the House & Garden South Africa Designer of the Year Awards brought together leading names from across the country's creative industries to celebrate the people and practices shaping the design landscape. From architecture and interiors to landscape design, product design, art, hospitality and digital influence, the 2026 winners represent a diverse cross-section of South African creativity.
This year's winners reflect the increasingly fluid nature of design, where architecture intersects with interiors, furniture becomes art, and traditional ideas of African design are being reconsidered through new materials and technologies. Here, we introduce the winners of the House & Garden South Africa Designer of the Year Awards 2026.
Architect Of The Year: Lisa Rorich
Lisa Rorich is the winner of the Architect of the Year award. Based in Durban, Lisa Rorich Architects works across Southern Africa and beyond, with a portfolio spanning bespoke residential projects and luxury safari lodges. The practice places emphasis on sustainable design, locally produced interiors and finishes, extensive landscaping and the preservation of cultural heritage and natural surroundings. Its approach brings together architecture and interior architecture, with sustainable materials and energy-efficient technologies forming an important part of the practice's design ethos.
Restaurant Of The Year: Nine Lives At Hyde, Rosebank
Nine Lives at Hyde, Rosebank is the winner of the Restaurant of the Year award. Hidden between the fourth and fifth floors of Hyde Johannesburg Rosebank, the speakeasy-style restaurant and bar creates a sense of discovery from the moment guests arrive. Intimate lighting, plush seating and tucked-away corners establish its after-dark atmosphere, while a menu designed for sharing complements an extensive drinks offering. Its combination of fine-dining discipline and the relaxed character of a supper club makes Nine Lives a distinctive addition to Johannesburg's dining scene.
Hotel Of The Year: Tamodi Polo Estate By Sophie Ashby Interiors
Tamodi Polo Estate by Sophie Ashby Interiors is the winner of the Hotel of the Year award. Set among the Tsitsikamma hills near Plettenberg Bay, the estate takes a more understated approach to luxury, combining its countryside setting with equestrian heritage and a sense of quiet refinement. Sophie Ashby's interiors incorporate South African and European vintage pieces, with much of the furniture sourced locally. Natural materials, generous proportions and changing natural light allow the surrounding landscape to remain central to the guest experience.
Product Designer Of The Year: Hutch Custom
Hutch Custom, founded by Cape Town furniture designer and carpenter Warren Turnbull, creates one-of-a-kind pieces rooted in refined modernism and traditional woodworking. Working primarily with solid hardwoods, Turnbull combines clean contemporary forms with organic details, meticulous joinery and a deep respect for the character of natural timber. Each piece is designed and handcrafted in his Cape Town workshop, then signed, dated and numbered as a unique creation intended to become an heirloom. With a philosophy centred on patience, craftsmanship and longevity, Hutch Custom has earned recognition for its distinctive approach to bespoke furniture. In 2026, Hutch Custom won House & Garden South Africa’s DOTY Product Designer of the Year award.
Home Of The Year: House Bishopscourt By Head Interiors
House Bishopscourt by Head Interiors is the winner of the Home of the Year award. For this newly built Cape Town family home, designer Abi Brodie brought together the architectural language of Cape Dutch revival and Victorian design with a contemporary sensibility. The interiors balance two contrasting personalities through a layered combination of colour, texture, pattern and vintage pieces. Checkerboard flooring, timber, rusted metal, klompies and sculptural lighting add depth, while the double-volume kitchen and living area creates space for bolder colour and pattern.
Influencer Of The Year: Misha Levin
Misha Levin is the winner of the Influencer of the Year award. The Johannesburg-based entrepreneur, content creator and serial renovator has built an audience of around 100 000 across Instagram and TikTok by documenting her hands-on approach to design and renovation. Her transformation of an 1980s face-brick fixer-upper, which she designed and project managed herself, brought renewed attention to the potential of older homes. Her work has since extended into collaborations including a high-end sofa range for Zorora Sofas, with further design projects underway.
Interior Designer Of The Year: Marie-Louise Koen
Marie-Louise Koen is the winner of the Interior Designer of the Year award. The founder and creative director of Marie-Louise Koen Interiors draws on experience in Cape Town and New York, as well as her fine-art background, to create expressive yet highly considered interiors. Koen approaches each project much like a painting, bringing together colour, materials, furniture and artwork as parts of a cohesive composition. Rather than imposing a signature style, her studio focuses on the people and stories behind each project, resulting in interiors that feel personal, layered and connected to their surroundings.
Landscape Designer Of The Year: Tim Steyn
Tim Steyn is the winner of the Landscape Designer of the Year award. Raised in KwaZulu-Natal's Midlands, Steyn grew up surrounded by gardening and went on to establish Tim Steyn Landscaping in 2004. His practice spans high-end residential gardens, lodges and golf courses across South Africa and internationally, with projects extending to Zimbabwe, Portugal and the United States. Among his recognised projects is the Brahman Hills garden, created during lockdown and subsequently recognised by the Royal Horticultural Society.
Pan-African Designer Of The Year: Locha Design
Locha Design is the winner of the Pan-African Designer of the Year award. Founded by industrial designer Tshidzo Mangena, the studio explores what Mangena describes as an Afro avant-garde approach to design. Rather than relying solely on familiar interpretations of African heritage, Locha Design combines cultural thinking with technology, experimentation and sculptural forms. Traditional woodworking techniques are brought together with CNC machining and 3D printing, creating furniture that looks towards the future while remaining connected to place.
Artist Of The Year: Mmangaliso Nzuza
Mmangaliso Nzuza is the winner of the Artist of the Year award. Born in Empangeni in 1998 and now based in Cape Town, Nzuza is known for large-scale oil paintings populated by fragmented figures and imagined landscapes. His distinctive visual language developed after he moved from pencil and charcoal into oil painting, drawing on the fragmentation of early Cubism while retaining a highly personal approach to gesture and emotion. His debut solo exhibition, An Open Letter, opened at Southern Guild in Cape Town in 2024, followed by Ballad of the Peacock in 2026, which marked the opening of Southern Guild's New York gallery and his US solo debut.
Icon Of The Year: Sumari Krige Of La Grange Interiors
Sumari Krige of La Grange Interiors is the winner of the Icon of the Year award. Krige founded the South African interiors and décor brand with Charlotte Daneel in 1996, initially operating from a 200-year-old barn in Franschhoek. The business has since grown into an internationally minded design studio and curated furniture destination, with projects spanning private residences, boutique hotels and lodges. Drawing on her background in economics and international trade, as well as her travels and relationships with artisans, Krige has developed a distinctive approach that combines old and new, natural textures, layered tones and globally sourced pieces.
The 2026 Winners
Together, the House & Garden South Africa Designer of the Year Awards 2026 winners demonstrate the breadth of contemporary design in South Africa and its connections beyond the country's borders. From the architecture of Lisa Rorich and landscapes of Tim Steyn to the furniture of Studio Kalki, the interiors of Marie-Louise Koen and the work of artists and designers such as Mmangaliso Nzuza, this year's recipients reflect a design culture that continues to evolve while remaining rooted in place, craft and creative exchange.
Credits
Images: Supplied
