[Interview] From TV to a Work of Art: Samsung’s Design Innovation at the Red Dot Design Award 2026

Today, design goes beyond refining a product’s appearance — it embraces user preferences and harmonizes with the surrounding space.

Embodying this human-centered design approach, “Expressive Design”, Samsung Electronics achieved a remarkable milestone at the globally renowned Red Dot Design Award 2026, with all 16 of its submitted entries¹ recognized.

Samsung Newsroom sat down with designers from the Visual Display (VD) Business to hear the stories behind their design philosophy and innovation.

OLED TV S95H: A New Direction in TV Design

The OLED TV S95H received the Best of the Best award in the Product Design category, taking the long-standing paradigm of minimalist TV design in a new direction — one defined by presenting only what is necessary and boldly revealing its structure to create a framed, art-like object with a screen that appears to float.

Q. The S95H moves beyond the conventional bezel-less design to emphasize its presence as a design object. What inspired this paradigm shift?

Cho: Bezel-less designs have become the norm in today’s TV market, and it is increasingly difficult for brands to express a distinct identity. Beyond ultra-slim form factors, we believed it was time to rethink what a TV means in living spaces.

As TVs become larger, their presence within a space continues to grow. We believed it was important for the TV to blend naturally into the space, much like furniture or a lifestyle object. By incorporating various colors and materials into the frame, we developed designs that enable users to reflect their personal tastes.

Q. The FloatLayer design — where the front panel appears to float in front of a metal frame — stands out. What kind of experience were you ultimately aiming to deliver through this design?

Cho: Our goal was to add both the atmosphere of the space and viewing immersion. We boldly exposed the metal plate to soften the contrast between the screen and its surroundings so that the product can seamlessly blend into its environment like it’s part of the interior. We also separated the screen and frame into different layers to create a more immersive experience. The screen layer highlights the OLED technology and picture quality of the S95H, while the frame layer helps the product integrate naturally into the living space.

Breaking away from the conventional approach of eliminating the surrounding bezel, the design instead layers two contrasting materials to maximize visual impact. By prioritizing harmony with the surrounding space, the designers were able to create the S95H’s distinctive structure.

The S95H does not stop at a fixed sense of beauty. It allows users to express their personal taste through customizable elements integrated into its exterior.

▲ The OLED TV S95H features magnetic, attachable decorative frames that come in a variety of colors and materials to match diverse preferences and lifestyles.

Q. The customized decorative frames and art pattern on the back of the TV are also impressive. Where did these ideas begin?

Lee: We wanted to reflect users’ diverse interior preferences directly in the product — from wood tones and white tones to colorful styles. To achieve this, we applied an assembly structure that allows users to attach and detach decorative frames magnetically, with additional frame options available separately in various colors and materials to reflect their lifestyle.

For the TV’s rear pattern, we used precision molding technology to arrange small cells in a random pattern, creating a surface with a texture that subtly changes depending on the light and viewing angle. This allows users to experience a new sense of detail every time they use the TV.

Q. Users have a growing preference for zero-gap wall mounting. How have you responded to this?

Lee: No matter how beautifully a TV is designed to resemble a piece of art, it can lose its appeal and sense of immersion if it protrudes from the wall.

Essential elements required for operation — like sound holes and vent holes — were carefully integrated between the display and the frame, allowing them to remain out of the users’ line of sight while fully maintaining their functionality. With this approach, the TV fits closely against the wall, creating a clean, gallery-like composition — as if a framed piece of art were hanging in the space.

Where Design, Sound and Usability Converge

Beyond its elegant design, The S95H delivers three-dimensional, immersive audio through the gap between the screen and the metal plate, creating a deeply immersive listening experience. Moreover, the Wireless One Connect solution minimizes complex cable connections to maintain a clean, refined look while ensuring reliable wireless use even over long distances.

TVs Designed for Any Space

Building on this achievement, TVs should evolve into lifestyle objects that reflect diverse user preferences and blend into any space. While delivering optimal viewing, the goal is to create harmonious aesthetics that allow users to express their personal style through design.

Looking ahead, Samsung will continue to advance its human-centered Expressive Design philosophy to reshape homes and everyday lives.

1. The two products honored with the Best of the Best distinction were the OLED TV S95H and the Bespoke AI Laundry series. Fourteen additional products were named winners: Music Studio 5, The Movingstyle, Bespoke AI Refrigerator Family Hub, Bespoke AI Jet Bot, Bespoke AirDresser, Bespoke AI Ice Water Purifier, Bespoke AI WindFree Pro Air Conditioner, Jet Fit, Bespoke AI WindFree Combo Gallery Pro Air Conditioner, Galaxy Z Fold7, Galaxy XR, 5G Street Radio Solution, Spatial Signage and Portable SSD T7 Resurrected. ↩︎
2. These images are for illustrative purposes only and include elements created using generative AI tools. ↩︎