The Best in Design of the Year, From Roche Bobois Cocktail Tables to Flexform Ozzy Chair

In an era when moments feel wildly accelerated—A.I. advancing at a clip, attention spans splintering into microsecond shards—some creatives find themselves reverting to the more natural, slower expressions of age-old craftsmanship. If architecture should speak of its time and place, but yearn for timelessness, as Frank Gehry put it, the more modest gestures of design should, too. In Appenzell, Switzerland, a larch-walled spa is painstakingly built with traditional joinery in lieu of modern solutions such as nails.

Despite some designers’ turning away from Zen-like clean neutrals—in what is now being dubbed Maximalism—even here we see an effort to highlight the calming effect of nature. YSG Studio’s brilliant mix of colour and pattern in a home in New South Wales, Australia, appears to blend seamlessly with the lush landscape just beyond its walls. The result feels serene rather than manic.

Today’s best design is as Instagrammable as ever, but simultaneously demands a less fleeting consideration, often suggesting a more permanent, inextricable link with the environment. It’s about materials and artisanry that will endure the test of time despite today’s push for constant churn, while exuding a spirit of rebellion toward this generation’s obsession with crushing technological speed.

Home: YSG Studio Plantasia

When Australia’s YSG Studio opted to call its renovation of this 6,210-sq-ft vacation home (pictured above) in New South Wales Plantasia, it lived up to the name: a lush, verdant oasis that feels like it sprang from the landscape like the conical red blooms of the banksia shrub. “I like the idea of teasing ‘soft’ shapes from hard surfaces like timber and stone,” says the director of YSG Studio, Yasmine Ghoniem. “In one bathroom, we incorporated beautiful pastel onyx slabs used for open shelving and a counter surface. I exaggerated their thickness and gave them a bullnose edge so their Crayola-like scribbled pattern is really visible on the edges that face you. We made them super thick so they didn’t get engulfed in the green wallpaper.”

The saturated colours in the house are united by their earthy undertones, “like deep terra-cotta red, chestnuts, and cocoa to balance the vibrant greens in the wallpapers”, Ghoniem explains. Some of it takes time to let it sink in. “I’m a fan of a custom chocolate-brown timber credenza in the lounge room,” she says. “It’s a sweet treat that looks like a puddle of melting chocolate with Malteser-like pulls. You don’t spot it immediately in the room, given all its decorative intensity, which makes it all the more appealing when you do.”

Pool: Park Hyatt Kuala Lumpur

A pool at the top of the second-tallest building in the world doesn’t need much of an introduction to make an impression. Located on level 99 of Malaysia’s Merdeka 118, the 30m heated indoor pool in Park Hyatt Kuala Lumpur creates the illusion of disappearing into the skyline at its infinity edge. At the far end of the pool, the hot tub is where the full-height windows really make the most of the view, opening onto the city’s Big Three landmarks: Kuala Lumpur Tower, Petronas Twin Towers, and The Exchange 106. It’s one thing to look out at them and quite another to take them in from an almost aerial perspective. As general manager Herman Kemp puts it: “You sit here, sip a glass of champagne, and enjoy the view.”

Themed Restaurant: Sabato’s

Photo: IHG Hotels & Resorts

On the 25th floor of Kimpton Naluria Kuala Lumpur, the glamour of 1970s New York comes vividly to life at Sabato’s, the hotel’s Italian-American restaurant. Conceived by award-winning practice Hassell, the venue departs from the nature-inspired aesthetic of the lower floors, embracing, instead, the unapologetic confidence of Manhattan’s golden age of nightlife. A glowing neon nameplate greets guests at the entrance before heavy velvet drapes part to reveal a layered interior awash in deep reds, warm golds, and dramatic lighting. A bar framed with Motown-era vinyl records welcomes diners; beyond it, plush banquettes, checkerboard flooring, and bold contemporary artworks evoke the disco era, while brass accents, mirrored surfaces, and curated vintage details add sophisticated depth. At Sabato’s heart sits the iconic Marshall jukebox, spinning classic albums to soundtrack the evening. Beyond the interiors lies the restaurant’s biggest draw. Set amid the bustling Tun Razak Exchange, Sabato’s features expansive windows that command sweeping views of Kuala Lumpur’s skyline, providing a striking backdrop to long lunches and leisurely high teas. As night falls, the city becomes a glittering sea of lights, giving the space the same energy and romance as New York’s disco era.

Spa: Huus Quell

Photo: Julien L. Balmer

Rüssli Architects did something a bit radical when it built Huus Quell, a new 2,200sqm spa and 30-suite hotel in Appenzell, Switzerland. It employed locally sourced larch wood that was harvested during specific lunar cycles, a centuries-old process believed to increase density. “Everything you see—the walls, the ceilings, the proportions—is made from moon wood and assembled using traditional joinery, without nails, glue, or metal,” says Jan Schoch, owner and general manager of Huus Quell. Complementing it are carbon-absorbing lime-plaster walls, insulation made from recycled wood, and textiles developed with St Gallen-based Jakob Schlaepfer. Of the latter, Schoch notes: “They’re subtle, often inspired by the landscape, and bring detail without competing with the architecture.” The resulting property is both immersive and elemental. Even the warm scent of wood is present in the spaces overlooking rolling farmland or the craggy Alpstein mountains.

Outdoor Table: Minotti Andrée Dining Outdoor

Milan-based architect and designer Hannes Peer may have honed his skills with Rem Koolhaas at OMA in Rotterdam, but he has deep South Tyrolean roots. Enter: his Andrée Dining Outdoor for Minotti, inspired by the 1970s and entirely sheathed in glazed ceramic tile. Whether you choose a monochrome colour of putty, black, green, corten, sand, or aquamarine, the table evokes something you might covet at an alpine picnic in the Alta Pusteria valley and looks phenomenal accessorised with prosciutto di San Daniele and a hefty wedge of Fontina. However, we’d wager it makes just as strong a statement indoors.

Chaise: Poliform Ernest Chaise Longue

Some seating intended for lounging can have a bad reputation. But in the rare instances when done properly, it can be exquisite. Take Poliform’s Ernest Chaise Longue by Jean-Marie Massaud, which has all the laid-back appeal but is infused with modern style in equal measure. “Ernest was designed approaching the concept of comfort in a radical way,” Massaud says. “The result of this design method—where modularity becomes a core strength—is a collection defined by soft, deconstructed volumes inspired by a feather cushion, offering a natural sense of cosiness. By combining different elements, it is possible to create multiple compositions without ever losing the expressive power of the design.” Notably, the leather option is a fitted cover that can be easily removed, either for maintenance or simply a change of scenery on the colour.

Shelving: Poltrona Frau DomusCove

Dante Bonuccelli was an architect before he became a designer, taking space, rather
than an isolated object, into consideration. The creation of the DomusCove Day System feels more like an architectural piece than a mere storage unit. With its double-sided configuration and floor-to- ceiling uprights and beams, it becomes a freestanding installation that can partition a room while preserving openness and continuity—or even function as a bar. But the devil is in the details. Adjustable shelving and integrated lighting aren’t exactly new ideas, but, here, they’re so cleverly built in that they almost feel like an afterthought, until you need them.

Armchair: Flexform Ozzy

The Ozzy armchair carries everything Flexform is known for. It’s that seemingly simple look that is ironically difficult to achieve, but is exactly what makes it so timeless. It carries a nomadic quality that easily complements its surrounding pieces, yet it manages to make a statement—not through bold colours or unusual silhouettes, but through a single fold. That fold is designer Patrick Norguet’s nod to the collars of 17th-century attire. It was his way of expressing elegance as they were once a symbol of nobility and required expensive handwork and care. While collars of the time were made from fine linen, silk, or lace, Ozzy proposes one made from cowhide leather, maintaining that same sense of prestige.

Lighting: iDogi Sirio Chandelier

At Salone del Mobile in Milan—the World Cup of design—it takes a lot for a chandelier to wow. (The Italian peninsula is, after all, the birthplace of Murano glass.) And yet the 152cm span of Sirio by Venice-based firm iDogi was nothing less than transfixing. Diamond patterns within the handblown glass emit light-refracting textures, while its ovoid shapes hang in a cluster that feels both organic and celestial. “Designing a chandelier always starts with a simple question: what will the light be?” says owner and designer Domenico Caminiti. “With Sirio, the challenge was to come closer to the stars—to hold, even for an instant, a fragment of infinity.” Although that may sound like hyperbole, the effect of this illuminating sculptural pendant is nothing short of otherworldly.

Cocktail Table: Roche Bobois Iron Tree

Roche Bobois’ Iron Tree cocktail tables are made by hand, but not in the way you might think. An artisan wraps continuous lengths of stainless-steel wire around a hidden frame, building up the form from hundreds of metres of unbroken material, strand by strand. The process can’t be replicated by machine—a true differentiator in this day and age—which is what gives every example its slight irregularity. “This process, impossible to mechanise, gives each piece a singular vibration, a presence that is both raw and delicate,” according to Gregory Dias, head of trends at Roche Bobois in Paris. The surface has a gentle movement to it—subtle rises and dips that catch the light—so the tables feel structured enough to hold a French 75 but appear visually fluid.

Home Theatre: Sony Bravia 9 II

Forget leaving the house for the next blockbuster, only to sit beside a mumbling stranger rustling through snacks. Instead, transform your home into a private cinema with the Sony BRAVIA 9 II, designed for an immersive movie-watching experience in the comfort and privacy of your own space. Its largest model measures a whopping 115 inches diagonally—longer even than the length of a king-sized bed. And it plays content like a champ, sustaining brightness without degradation across its massive screen with what Sony calls “our most authentic colour ever”. This is thanks to the independently controlled three-colour RGB LEDs that deliver exceptional colour saturation, even with the darkest scenes—meaning you won’t have to squint through the Spider-Man movie series in a sunlit room. Meanwhile, its X-Wide Angle Pro provides a true cinema view to everyone in the room, no matter how off-axis they are seated. The BRAVIA 9 II also offers optimised integration with Sony Pictures Core, connecting your home to the studio where the stories are created, with access to blockbuster entertainment and IMAX Enhanced content. For a truly cinematic audio-visual set-up, pair it with the BRAVIA Theatre Trio, the brand’s three-unit home theatre system, fine-tuned in collaboration with sound creators at Sony Pictures Entertainment.

This article was originally published in the September 2026 issue of Robb Report Malaysia. Get the digital copy here.

Photography: Anson Smart and Julien L Balmer