Lost Hide exhibition at Melbourne Design Week finds new uses for leather offcuts

From a pair of armchairs made from contrasting hides to a tyre swing wrapped in reclaimed leather and a shaded floor lamp, the Lost Hide exhibition explores creative uses for leftover leather.

Located at the historical Abbotsford Convent in Melbourne, Lost Hide features bespoke works by 13 Australian designers made using 70 hides supplied by Swiss Design, a custom furniture maker based in Sydney.

Curated by designer Emma Elizabeth and presented by online creative hub Local Design as part of Melbourne Design Week, the exhibition spotlights Australian designers through their conceptual work that focuses on material...

This dress is made from the remains of a 17th-century shipwreck

Researchers at Finland's Aalto University have salvaged 300-year-old wood from the wreckage of a cargo ship in Oulu, which was transformed into yarn and knitted into a zero-waste dress.

The dress is made from pieces of timber extracted from the Hahtiperä shipwreck, discovered in 2019 under a parking lot in Oulu, central Finland.

A team of experts in textile design, chemistry and forestry worked on the project under the guidance of Aalto University advisor Pirjo Kääriäinen.

Scientist Inge Schlapp-Hackl was tasked with creating a textile out of the cargo vessel's wooden remains, which date...

WORKBENCH

Six exhibitions spotlighting designer-makers at Melbourne Design Week

Playful champagne buckets, algae-made marble and over 100 chairs designed and made in Australia, feature in this year's Melbourne Design Week.

As the largest design week in Australia, Melbourne Design Week presented over 400 exhibitions, talks and workshops at various venues across the city.

"Melbourne Design Week is not just about showcasing Australian design: it is about building an ecosystem that allows ideas to be developed, produced, presented, commissioned and sustained," Melbourne Design Week curator Timothy Moore told Dezeen.

According to Moore, the designer-maker scene is making...

"When you give people the right tools, the office becomes somewhere they want to be," says Framery

Promotion: according to soundproof booth manufacturer Framery, its pods and offices have "cracked the code" on enhancing office appeal, resulting in 400 employees freely returning to the office.

While not having a set workplace attendance policy in place, Framery explained that the majority of its staff are happy to travel to its headquarters in Tampere, Finland, which it says is due to having "the right tools" to support staff's work and wellbeing.

"We don't tell people when to come in, but the data shows they're choosing the office anyway," said the CEO of Framery, Samu Hällfors.

As part...

Essence

Hubtown

FWA of the day 21 May 2026:

Hubtown

Project Link

Hubtown is one of India's leading real estate developers. Shaping the city of Mumbai for over 40 years.

#FOTD #thefwa

La Revoltosa

I've been in Spanish bars for 70+ years. About time I had a website that did me justice. This is my story, my flavours, my spirit. I am La Revoltosa. Sparkling drinks, Spanish soul.

Illustration for Purple Brain 2020-2025

Vitra's Reset system embodies "beta mindset" to enhance building adaptability

Promotion: Swiss furniture brand Vitra has applied its flexible "beta mindset" to its Reset stepped floor structures designed by Swiss architect and designer Stephan Hürlemann.

Reset is designed to transform unused areas into productive environments. Vitra explained that it can "reset" established structures, transforming any space into a place of added value.

Hürlemann crafted the collection out of square platforms measuring 75 centimetres by 28 centimetres, constructed from an intentionally simple combination of a panel and two base elements.

The platforms can be assembled, remodelled, dismantled and stowed away "as easily as building blocks". It also features cushions for extra comfort.