The Mount Nelson has always had a gift for reinvention. The grande dame of Cape Town hospitality, with her famous pink façade and palm-lined driveway, now prepares to welcome a new chapter in her storied history.
This December, the hotel will unveil the Thebe Magugu Suite, a collaboration with the award-winning South African fashion designer whose name has become synonymous with intellect, storytelling, and contemporary African elegance.
The timing is no coincidence. The suite launches as Magugu celebrates the 10-year anniversary of his brand, and it arrives during this year’s Confections X Collections festival, the annual celebration of pan-African fashion hosted at the Mount Nelson.
Rather than simply marking the milestone with a collection, Magugu has chosen to shape a permanent space, an environment that carries the same blend of intellect, storytelling and cultural preservation that his clothes are known for.
Magugu’s foray into interiors is as thoughtful as his work on the runway. Designed with StudioLandt, the suite is imagined as an “Afro-English” conversation between British heritage and South African design. The result is elegant without being austere, playful without being frivolous.
The hand-sketched wallpaper, for example, doesn’t show an English countryside, but a sweeping Southern African landscape that carries the eye from the Midlands to the Cape. Floors in deep peat and green terrazzo ground the design in the earth, while furniture is carved with the weight and presence of ceremony.
The suite unfolds over two levels, with a welcoming lobby that leads into a lounge and dining room made for small gatherings and celebrations. Guests can open the cocktail cabinet and toast to the mountains outside or sit upstairs on the terrace and watch the sun drop behind Lion’s Head.
Each room has its own quiet narrative. In the dining area, a pendant light inspired by the Basotho Mokorotlo hat glows warmly, while pleated textiles nod to Magugu’s grandmother and her meticulous church garments. Upstairs, the bedroom is serene and layered, with hand-carved bedposts, a textured rug, and rust-red accents that echo the land. Even the bathroom tells its own story, the free-standing tub cocooned in earthy tones that feel like stepping into a cave.
Art is at the heart of the project. In partnership with Southern Guild, the suite will feature a rotating collection of contemporary works. Paintings by Mmangaliso Nzuza will be the first to welcome guests, followed by pieces from artists including Lulama Wolf, Zandile Tshabalala, Banele Khoza, Lorenzo Plaatjies and Trevor Stuurman. In Magugu’s hands, the suite becomes a gallery as much as a retreat, inviting guests to live with art rather than simply look at it.
Next door, Magugu House Cape Town will open in November. Like its Joburg counterpart, it will function as part showroom and part cultural space, hosting exhibitions, talks and gatherings. The first displays will feature artists Zizipho Poswa and Zanele Muholi, alongside Magugu’s own collections. It is a natural extension of the suite, another space where African creativity is given both stage and context.
Magugu himself describes his approach simply: “My work is rooted in preservation. I created this suite with the intention of offering guests the experience of living within a space that encapsulates our culture through art, craft and history.”
Belmond has a history of these artistic collaborations, with Wes Anderson redesigning a British Pullman carriage and JR bringing his vision to the Orient Express. Magugu’s project feels particularly rooted in its location. It reflects not only the Mount Nelson’s heritage, but also Cape Town’s role as a crossroads of African creativity.
For those who know Magugu’s fashion, the suite will feel familiar, even intimate. For those who do not, it is an introduction to his way of seeing the world: layered, curious and always looking for connection between past and present.
The Mount Nelson has always been a landmark but with Thebe Magugu, she becomes a storyteller.
