Samsung partners with Moomin as TVs display — and become — works of art

With the interior design trend focusing on personal expression, Samsung Electronics has announced a new global collaboration with “Moomin,” with 60 digital works from the characters’ universe by Tove Jansson available on the Samsung Art Store.

Beloved by all generations for its whimsical storyline and philosophical message, Moomins are a deep source of inspiration in literature, animation and even modern design. Through this collaboration, the Samsung Art Store adds a creative collection to its lineup of classical and modern art.

The collection consists of a broad range of works, from black and white illustrations from the 1940s to watercolor book covers, bringing the wonderful world of Moomins and Moominvalley into millions of homes across the globe via Samsung Art TVs.

“At the heart of the ‘Moomin’ stories is a sense of kindness, curiosity and emotional honesty that has resonated across generations around the world. In a fast-paced, hyperoptimized world, ‘Moomin’ stories offer an alternative way of living for people hungry for meaning,” James Zambra, creative director of Moomin Characters, said. “Tove Jansson developed a fascinating visual language of considerable sophistication. We’re excited to partner with Samsung Art Store to introduce this enchanting world of the Moomins in a format that feels contemporary and naturally part of the home.”

Samsung recently expanded its Art Store services to 2026 organic light-emitting diode (OLED) models, bringing a broad range of art spanning diverse genres and generations to the latest screens, which depict the bright watercolors of Moomin works vividly and delicately on Art TVs.

“The world of the Moomins has always reminded people of the importance of optimism, togetherness and finding beauty in everyday moments,” said Ahn Hee-yeong, vice president of the Visual Display division at Samsung Electronics. “Through the Samsung Art Store, we’re excited to bring that feeling into the home through a collection that is as immersive as it is inspiring.”

The works are available in 117 countries through a subscription to the Samsung Art Store, exclusively for Samsung Art TVs, with around 5,000 pieces by over 800 artists and new additions added monthly, from classical to modern and fan-favorite characters.

The images on the screen aren’t the only work of art — Samsung’s display has been acknowledged for its elegant design.

The company won 16 prizes at the Red Dot Design Award for 2026, including two “Best of the Best” nods.

The awards, a renowned international prize organized by Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen, Germany, assess “expressive design,” which considers human-centered design.

The OLED TV S95H received the Best of the Best award in the Product Design category. For the past few years, product design has been focused on minimalism, hiding everything besides the screen. The S95H, on the other hand, features a frame, taking the long-standing paradigm of minimalist TV design in a new direction.

Cho Chul-yong, the head of the design team at the Visual Display Business at Samsung, explained the paradigm shift from conventional bezel-less design to emphasizing the casing of a TV as a design object.

“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 ultraslim form factors, we believed it was time to rethink what a TV means in living spaces,” Cho said.

“As TVs become larger, their presence within a space continues to grow. We believed it was important for TV to blend naturally into 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.”

Cho provided a deep dive into what kind of experience the FloatLayer design is aiming to deliver.

“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,” he said. “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.

Senior designer Lee Jae-neung explained the beginning of the idea of customized decorative frames and art patterns on the rear of the TV.

“We wanted to reflect users’ diverse interior preferences directly in the product — from wood tones and white tones to colorful styles,” Lee said. “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,” he added.

Lee also illustrated how the team responded to a growing preference for zero-gap wall mounting.

“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,” he said. “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 space.

The S95H maximizes the audio experience by delivering three-dimensional, immersive sound through the gap between the screen and the metal plate. The Wireless One Connect solution minimizes complex connections to maintain a clean, refined look.

The Samsung Art TV, at the center of the experience, seamlessly displays artwork in the modern home. The Samsung Art Store’s growing collection spans genres and eras, redefining how art is discovered and experienced. With the pair, Samsung Electronics aims to reshape homes and everyday lives.

BY LEE DAHYUN [lee.dahyun3@joongang.co.kr]