Emma Werkhoven

Category: Furniture

Competitions: Home Competition 2026

Working with leather inevitably comes with ethical and emotional complexities. That’s why, as a leather designer, I decided to take matters into my own hands. Guided by a Swedish hunter and local tannery, I chose to take responsibility for the life behind the material. Taking care of every step in the process, from hunting and skinning a wild boar to leather tanning and design. I spent a month in Sweden living and working the full process including the dirty work to get a stronger understanding of the material. The following design translates the story of the material. The hardware, inspired by the bullets, is engraved with a unique serial number. This connects to a leather passport. Documenting every detail of the process and providing transparency about the material. Encouraging the user to form a mindful connection with the story of the material. The shape of the pattern is inspired by the shapes in the tanning process. In the Netherlands, wild boar is often hunted for population control. Though the meat mostly gets used, the skins are rarely used. I am hoping to reintroduce the veg-tanning process in the Netherlands on a small scale, starting with discarded skins from hunters and farmers. I am hoping to bring more awareness to sustainable tanning methods and a mindful approach to using leather. Because a big part of this project is rooted in sharing information and education, I wrote the book “The Weight of the Hide” and host lectures on the topic.

Category: Interior

Competitions: Home Competition 2026

“Leather in a new light” is a way of showing leather's full potential, using wet-forming techniques to create a shape language no other material can provide, to make sculptural wall lights. This technique stretches the material and molds it into an elegant predetermined circular shape. The shape was determined through sampling in an effort to push the limit of the material. Because of the strength and tension of the material, the shape is strong enough to hold the round glass light all by itself. The pattern consists of a circle with on cut down the middle, meaning no material is wasted inside the pattern. The ball of light being suspended in the middle of the otherwise flat material creates a focused light at the front, with a soft ambient glow on the wall around the leather. The design shows how even small, discarded leather can become a beautifully strong and finished product. These lights bring softness, warmth and tactility to a space, and reveal new aesthetic possibilities for leather in design.