SOFT TOUCH: The Feel of Home
Course overview
This opening conversation spotlights the designers and tastemakers shaping a new wave of softer interiors, where comfort, tactility, atmosphere and emotional expression are central to contemporary living. Featuring some of the country’s leading new interior design voices, the session highlights how this shift is moving design away from harder minimalism toward warmer, more intuitive and more deeply lived-in spaces.
Certification included
Validated by SAIAT as a Category 1 CPD talk. Attendees will earn 0.1 credits.
Meet the SPEAKERs
Bathandwa Ngwendu
THE HOST
Bathandwa Ngwendu aka Gorgeous Bushman is inspired by the textures of the world around him. From his home in Kraaifontein, Cape Town, to his new home in the urban heart of Joburg. He is on a quest to see, do, make, and experience. A journey full of the thrill of curiosity and the joy of discovery.
A natural storyteller, versed in multiple mediums, from filmmaking, to creative direction, to podcasting, and image-making. He is on the hunt to explore the points of view of others and deliver empathetic narratives that remind us not just of what makes us unique, but of the things that bind us together... Read more
Marlon James Leggat
Founder, Marlon James Studio
Marlon Leggat is the Founder and Architectural Designer of Marlon James Studio, a Cape Town-based architectural, interior & creative practice known for creating spaces that blend international influence with a distinctly local sensibility. Founded in 2023, the studio works across residential, hospitality and retail environments, with each project grounded in authenticity, craftsmanship and thoughtful design.
Shaped more by experiences and travel than by trends, Marlon’s work reflects a balance of restraint, materiality and emotion, creating spaces that feel both timeless and deeply considered. His growing body of work has gained local and international recognition, including features in Architectural Digest and on the cover of Elle Decoration UK. In 2025, Marlon was also recognised with the SCAPE Emerging Firm of the Year award, further establishing him as one of South Africa’s exciting new design voices.
Sarah Langa
Interior Design, Business & Editorial Publications
Sarah Nomalanga Heaton, known widely as Sarah Langa, is one of South Africa’s leading luxury voices — a digital tastemaker, entrepreneur, fashion connoisseur and emerging interior design
creative whose work defines modern African sophistication. For more than a decade, Sarah has shaped cultural conversations across fashion, design, lifestyle and business, positioning herself
as a multifaceted figure who lives, works, collects and creates at the highest standard of contemporary luxury.
Sarah began her journey in 2013 with the launch of her influential blog, HeatOnTheLine, while completing her BA in Psychology and Marketing at the University of the Witwatersrand. She has since expanded her academic foundation by pursuing her MBA, equipping her with deeper strategic insight into consumer behaviour, branding and the evolving intersection between creativity and commerce... Read more
Adri Clery
Founder and Creative Director, Atelier Interiors
Adri Clery is the founder and Creative Director of Atelier Interiors, a boutique Cape Town-based interior design studio. With a highly curated approach to residential design, Adri is known for creating homes that are both refined and deeply personal.
Working across a small number of carefully selected projects each year, she collaborates closely with clients, architects and craftsmen to deliver interiors that are timeless, functional and emotionally resonant. Her work reflects a love of natural materials, collected objects and spaces that tell a story, resulting in homes that feel effortlessly layered and uniquely connected to their setting.
Meet the SPEAKERs
Bathandwa Ngwendu
THE HOST
Bathandwa Ngwendu aka Gorgeous Bushman is inspired by the textures of the world around him. From his home in Kraaifontein, Cape Town, to his new home in the urban heart of Joburg. He is on a quest to see, do, make, and experience. A journey full of the thrill of curiosity and the joy of discovery.
A natural storyteller, versed in multiple mediums, from filmmaking, to creative direction, to podcasting, and image-making. He is on the hunt to explore the points of view of others and deliver empathetic narratives that remind us not just of what makes us unique, but of the things that bind us together... Read more
Marlon James Leggat
Founder, Marlon James Studio
Marlon Leggat is the Founder and Architectural Designer of Marlon James Studio, a Cape Town-based architectural, interior & creative practice known for creating spaces that blend international influence with a distinctly local sensibility. Founded in 2023, the studio works across residential, hospitality and retail environments, with each project grounded in authenticity, craftsmanship and thoughtful design.
Shaped more by experiences and travel than by trends, Marlon’s work reflects a balance of restraint, materiality and emotion, creating spaces that feel both timeless and deeply considered. His growing body of work has gained local and international recognition, including features in Architectural Digest and on the cover of Elle Decoration UK. In 2025, Marlon was also recognised with the SCAPE Emerging Firm of the Year award, further establishing him as one of South Africa’s exciting new design voices.
Sarah Langa
Interior Design, Business & Editorial Publications
Sarah Nomalanga Heaton, known widely as Sarah Langa, is one of South Africa’s leading luxury voices — a digital tastemaker, entrepreneur, fashion connoisseur and emerging interior design
creative whose work defines modern African sophistication. For more than a decade, Sarah has shaped cultural conversations across fashion, design, lifestyle and business, positioning herself
as a multifaceted figure who lives, works, collects and creates at the highest standard of contemporary luxury.
Sarah began her journey in 2013 with the launch of her influential blog, HeatOnTheLine, while completing her BA in Psychology and Marketing at the University of the Witwatersrand. She has since expanded her academic foundation by pursuing her MBA, equipping her with deeper strategic insight into consumer behaviour, branding and the evolving intersection between creativity and commerce... Read more
Adri Clery
Founder and Creative Director, Atelier Interiors
Adri Clery is the founder and Creative Director of Atelier Interiors, a boutique Cape Town-based interior design studio. With a highly curated approach to residential design, Adri is known for creating homes that are both refined and deeply personal.
Working across a small number of carefully selected projects each year, she collaborates closely with clients, architects and craftsmen to deliver interiors that are timeless, functional and emotionally resonant. Her work reflects a love of natural materials, collected objects and spaces that tell a story, resulting in homes that feel effortlessly layered and uniquely connected to their setting.
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