Written by Anastatia Nkhuna
For years, The Soft Life has lived in our cultural vocabulary as an aspiration: a life defined by ease, pleasure, beauty and the freedom to enjoy it all. But what happens when softness moves beyond a lifestyle and becomes a design principle?
This year, Decorex Joburg 2026 explores exactly that.
Returning to the Sandton Convention Centre from 30 July to 2 August, Decorex brings together designers, makers, artists, brands and creative thinkers to explore how the spaces and objects around us can shape better ways of living.
At the centre of this year’s conversation is The Soft Life, an exploration of comfort, wellbeing and intentional living through interiors, architecture, craft, materials, lighting and technology.
And the timing feels right.
We are a generation increasingly conscious of the environments we occupy. We save interiors before we own homes, discover independent designers through Instagram, collect objects with stories and build spaces that become extensions of our identities. Our relationship with design is becoming more personal, considered and expressive. The aspiration is no longer simply to own more. It is to live better.
Across Decorex Joburg and 100% Design Africa, that idea comes alive through installations, collectible design, emerging and established talent, material innovation and conversations about where African design is going next.
On our Radar:
There is plenty to discover this year.
Wolkberg Casting Studios is back again to bring material innovation into focus through its locally developed Limesite™ surfaces, furniture, lighting and bespoke objects , demonstrating what can happen when manufacturing, sustainability and contemporary South African design meet.
Then there is TshepoMas, a Johannesburg-based art and design studio translating township life, African memory and everyday rituals into illustration, furniture, masks and collectible objects. It is the kind of practice that reminds us that the objects we live with can carry stories, too.
We’re also looking forward to seeing Soft Art by @_____imaginethat, alongside the wider mix of designers and makers transforming Decorex into something worth experiencing beyond the showroom floor.
One of the most exciting developments this year extends far beyond Johannesburg.
Decorex Africa has announced a new partnership with Maison&Objet Paris, one of the world’s leading international design fairs creating another bridge between African design and the global industry.
More importantly, the partnership points towards something bigger than a single international moment. It signals the growing opportunity for African designers, studios and makers to participate in sustained global exchange while continuing to build from the continent.
And for those interested in the ideas behind the objects, Future Talks Africa brings together voices across interiors, architecture, craft, materials, business, technology and African design exchange over four days. Come for the furniture, stay for the conversations.
Because behind every chair, textile, artwork and beautifully considered interior is a creative economy of people imagining new ways for us to live.
Perhaps that is where The Soft Life becomes most compelling.
Luxury does not have to mean excess. It can exist in a beautifully made object, a room designed around gathering, materials chosen with intention or a home that simply makes everyday life feel better.
The Soft Life may be an aspiration, but at Decorex Joburg 2026, it becomes something we can design.
Decorex Joburg 2026
30 July – 2 August 2026
Sandton Convention Centre
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