Lost Hide at Melbourne Design Week repurposes leather offcuts into design objects

Curated by Emma Elizabeth and presented by Local Design as part of Melbourne Design Week, the Lost Hide exhibition at Abbotsford Convent in Melbourne features bespoke works by 13 Australian designers using 70 leftover leather hides supplied by Sydney-based furniture maker Swiss Design. Highlights include Adam Goodrum's Soft Spot armchairs for Nau, upholstered with contrasting grain and underside leather; his XO Lighting collection with electroplated hand-blown glass and bronze frames; ADesignStudio's Jagged Edge lamps made from stacked tinted glass; Leah Martin's Kiro Floor Lamp with leather and parchment shades on a brass framework; Ben McCarthy's Field Objects collection (sling chair, firewood bag, tyre swing, stone axe); and Richards Stanisich's chair covered in hand-stitched leather scraps. The exhibition runs from 14 to 24 May 2026.