There is an ongoing fling between the arts and the hotel design scene. And judging by South African fashion designer Thebe Magugu's latest contributions to the Cape Town-cool retreat Mount Nelson, this flirtation isn't going anywhere in 2026. But hotel stays centered on creativity aren't the only things set to be huge this year — so is genre-defying design in interiors.
A kaleidoscope of color, texture, and pattern, the Thebe Magugu Suite and the Thebe Magugu House Cape Town embrace spaces that translate the multifacetedness of South Africa into eclectic, layered design. Since founding his namesake label in 2016, Kimberly-born Magugu, who won the 2019 LVMH Young Fashion Designer Prize, has emerged within culture's peakiest realm by combining South African heritage and a global outlook in his work, including in acclaimed collaborations with the likes of Pierpaolo Piccioli's Valentino, Adidas, and Dior.
