By Happinest

A design-led pause within the exhibition journey, the Bubbly Bar positions hospitality as spatial experience. Through atmospheric lighting, tactile finishes and a gentle rhythm of movement, the space encourages visitors to slow down, connect and recalibrate. It reflects the Soft Life ethos through lightness, sociability and the intentional design of ease.

A contemporary dining environment where food, identity and spatial design meet. Rooted in the Soft Life philosophy, the restaurant reframes dining as ritual rather than transaction - prioritising comfort, generosity and meaningful social engagement through thoughtful layout, material warmth and layered brand storytelling

KLAY

A material-led dining environment showcasing the spatial potential of architectural clay. Designed and constructed using KLAY’s terracotta surfaces, tiles and screen blocks, the bistro demonstrates how natural clay products can shape atmosphere, texture and spatial rhythm. The installation highlights the brand’s legacy of craftsmanship and innovation, presenting clay as both structural and sensory material. In alignment with the Soft Life theme, the space emphasises warmth, tactility and durability - illustrating how honest materials can support slower, more grounded everyday rituals.

Featuring Jozi Customs & Zest & Co

A calm, functional café environment demonstrating how high-traffic spaces can still embody clarity and restraint. With a focus on intuitive flow, balanced visual rhythm and material simplicity, the space shows how everyday service environments can support a softer pace without sacrificing efficiency.

Curated by The Academy Art

Curated by The Academy Art, Cultivating the Soft Life is an immersive art-led environment designed to restore, inspire and encourage connection. Featuring lounges, a wine bar, live artists and flexible workspaces, the space transforms the energy of the show into moments of reflection, conversation and new ideas.

A composed arrival experience that frames first impressions as a design responsibility. Calm, confident and refined, the lounge introduces the exhibition through spatial clarity, material balance and quiet anticipation. Positioned in the foyer, the space also serves as a waiting point for visitors with booked Lexus concierge drives - offering a comfortable, design-led pause before continuing their journey through the show.

featuring interior designer, Tshepo Sealetsa

A conceptual installation exploring future mobility through a human-centred lens. The feature reimagines the garage as a considered living interface rather than a purely technical environment, integrating softness, fluid spatial transitions and material sensitivity into the narrative of tomorrow’s home.

Home isn’t just where we live — it’s what we feel.

Experience Living with Woolworths in Cape Town is an immersive, editorial retail environment designed around moments of attention: spaces that invite visitors to slow down, engage intentionally and reconnect with the emotional power of home. Inspired by the four natural elements — fire, air, water and earth — the stand translates the spirit of The Soft Life into a sensory journey shaped by atmosphere, materiality and calm.

In a world where attention is increasingly fragmented, the experience focuses not on excess, but on clarity and emotional resonance. Through tactile layering, cohesive palettes and thoughtful styling, Woolworths presents a vision of attainable elevation — showing how beautifully considered spaces can shape the way we live and feel every day.

Adding another layer to the experience, Hutch has been commissioned to create a bespoke wooden wall artwork that will come to life live at the show — an evolving installation that invites visitors to witness craftsmanship, process and creativity unfold in real time. The final design remains under wraps, making the reveal part of the experience itself.

More than a showcase of products, this conceptual stand experience reflects what Woolworths stands for: quality, curation and a home brand that understands how to create spaces — and memories — that last.

A celebration of South African design as soft power, 100% Local 2026 showcases the country’s leading product and furniture talent in Cape Town and Joburg. Evolving from a single curated installation into a constellation of designer-led displays, the pavilion features a series of curved plinths, each uniquely interpreted by a different designer. Together, they create a cohesive yet diverse narrative of contemporary living, creativity and craftsmanship - reflecting Soft Life values through authenticity, material intelligence, and design made to support daily life rather than spectacle.

A platform for emerging designers exploring new material narratives and evolving craft languages. The feature frames innovation as thoughtful progression - where experimentation supports meaning, tactility and future-facing relevance aligned to softer modes of living.

Celebrating LRNCE as Designer of the Year, this feature recognises a practice defined by sustained contribution, cultural influence and design integrity. Known for their thoughtful, human-centred interiors and commitment to material honesty, LRNCE embodies Soft Life principles - where success is measured through longevity, purposeful evolution, and the creation of spaces that support daily life, rather than excess or fleeting trends.

Ten x Ten is both a showcase and the seed of a growing Design Library - an evolving archive of materials, craft and cultural connections across Africa and beyond. The installation traces trips, encounters and inspirations from Morocco, Egypt, Milan, Lagos and South Africa, revealing how materials, makers and stories interweave across continents. At its heart, it celebrates the everyday objects shaping design, presenting global influences through deeply local narratives - inviting visitors to touch, see and reflect on the creativity and care that define our design landscape.

FloodLight brings light into focus at Decorex 2026 — a new feature celebrating the best in local lighting design through the lens of this year’s theme, The Soft Life. More than illumination, FloodLight explores light as soft power: shaping atmosphere, emotion and wellbeing within a deeply immersive experience.

Developed in collaboration with spatial lighting designer Martin Döller, the feature transforms the exhibition space through mood, depth and theatre, revealing how light can completely change the way a room is felt. Showcasing leading South African lighting talent including Mash.T, TheUrbanative, MOS Lighting, Joe Paine, Mema and LDA Lighting, FloodLight reflects the strength, creativity and innovation shaping South African lighting design today.

A kitchen environment centred on nourishment, presence and everyday ritual, the installation celebrates Soft Life principles through curved layouts, flowing forms and tactile surfaces. Ergonomic planning, material warmth and thoughtfully layered textures shift the focus from performance to lived experience, presenting the kitchen as a supportive, inviting backdrop for daily life where movement, touch and ritual are elevated.

The Soft Life Pods are a designer-led showcase bringing Decorex Africa 2026’s annual theme to life. Each micro interior offers the opportunity to interpret, design and display a vision of wellness-driven living, demonstrating how layout, tactility, lighting and furniture choices shape environments that prioritise comfort, adaptability and human experience.

Theme Focus: Atmospheres of Joy

Decorex Africa reimagines the bedroom as part of The Soft Life theme, transforming it into a retreat designed to slow down, soothe the senses, and celebrate moments of joy. Through acoustic softness, layered materials, playful textures, colour and thoughtful details, designers create spaces that blend everyday luxury with restorative comfort. In collaboration with a leading mattress brand, each installation demonstrates how the perfect sleep experience enhances wellbeing, positioning the bedroom as both an architectural refuge and a sanctuary of sensory delight for residential and hospitality living.

At the heart of every home lies the kitchen - where design, ritual, and connection converge. For Decorex Africa 2026, the collaborative Kitchen Project showcases two distinct kitchen installations interpreting The Soft Life. Created in partnership with premium sponsors, including Cosentino, these immersive spaces highlight how surfaces, durability, and thoughtful detailing shape daily interaction, demonstrating how material choice and design thinking enhance ease of use, longevity, sensory comfort, and the overall Soft Life experience.

Future Talks, Decorex Africa’s live platform, explores how The Soft Life shapes contemporary design. Across interiors, architecture, hospitality, craft, wellness, food, materials, retail and technology, leading voices from Africa and beyond share insights on comfort, tactility, beauty, care, sustainability and ritual. Blending inspiration with industry perspective, the programme shows how softness influences spaces, objects, brands and ways of living - designed for trade, creatives, media, students, buyers and culturally curious audiences seeking thoughtful, future-facing design dialogue.

The @home Cooking Studio returns to Decorex 2026, bringing the products you cook with into the spotlight through a live culinary experience that blends food, design and everyday ritual.

More than a demonstration kitchen, the studio is a fully functioning space where chefs cook in real time using cookware, utensils, tableware and surfaces sourced entirely from @home. Visitors can experience how the products perform, discover the details that elevate daily cooking, and see how thoughtful design transforms the kitchen into a place of comfort, creativity and connection.

The kitchen itself is a considered design collaboration, built by Sprung Outdoor Living and featuring premium kitchen solutions from Franke alongside surfaces by Caesarstone and Infinity Surfaces. The space is further equipped with Samsung appliances, including a fridge, oven, hob and microwave, creating a contemporary kitchen environment where innovation, functionality and design come together seamlessly.

Aligned with this year’s Soft Life theme, the Cooking Studio explores food as a design ritual — where nourishing routines, shared meals and domestic comfort become moments of intention and wellbeing. It’s a space that celebrates the beauty of everyday living, showing how functional design can enrich the way we gather, cook and live.

If you’ve ever wondered what to buy, how to use it, or how to bring a kitchen together with confidence, this is where it becomes clear.

Watch it. Learn it. Shop it. Take it home.

An interactive build-and-learn space combining practical DIY demos with expert advice from Discovery Homeloans on accessing and activating your home bond. Visitors can explore paint, surfaces, tiles, flooring, glazing, outdoor living, lighting, smart home upgrades and more, learning hands-on tips to transform their spaces. Framed through The Soft Life, the studio empowers people to create homes that support wellbeing, comfort, and everyday ritual.

A hands-on making environment brought to life by Clayheart Ceramics, specialists in handmade functional and decorative pottery. Visitors can engage with clay through hand-building techniques and ceramic painting on bisque pieces, creating their own unique objects. Through material exploration and process-led learning, the studio highlights craft as a form of design understanding, reinforcing Soft Life values of tactility, patience, and meaningful connection to objects. 

A live, on-site podcast studio capturing Decorex 2026 in real time. Shaped by The Soft Life — a design movement prioritising wellbeing, comfort, tactility and restoration — the studio creates a dynamic content layer for the show. It features visitor and designer vox pops, select highlights from Future Talks panels, and a branded studio set that doubles as a destination and hospitality moment. Episodes are recorded live and later shared as edited podcasts and short-form content, extending the exhibition experience beyond the floor.