Pinky’s Atelier

Production Locations

• Netherlands (Arnhem)

Everything is made by Inge herself, in her atelier.

Working Conditions & Living Wages

Pinky’s Atelier is a solo, artisanal operation, so all the work is handmade by one person. 
The studio sits inside a social enterprise in Arnhem.

As a studio based in the Netherlands, it operates under Dutch labour law. 

Materials

• Second-hand, vintage and mid-century furniture
• Deadstock and remnants, occasionally new fabrics
• Recycled wool and wool from the Hollands Wol Collectief
• PU foam
• Trimmings (new or second-hand): fringes, decorative braids and upholstery nails
• Staples
• Glue

Deadstock upholstery fabric is sourced mainly through Dutch remnant suppliers.

Packaging

Pieces are mostly delivered in person rather than shipped. This means little to no packaging is required. 

Water Usage & Chemicals

Botanical printing can be gentler than conventional textile printing: the colour and pattern come from real leaves pressed onto the fabric, using natural mordants such as alum and soy and locally foraged leaves from her surroundings. The leaves are foraged locally and include sweetgum, chestnut, bramble, raspberry, strawberry, walnut, eucalyptus and sumac, and the bundles are steamed in a large preserving pan, a simple, low-energy method. To create different colour effects Pinky’s Atelier also works with natural dyes and pigments such as iron, logwood, weld, indigo and madder. This means she relies on natural dyes and pigments rather than the synthetic dyes and pigment pastes used in industrial printing, and every piece is a one-of-a-kind result. 

Circular Product Design

The pieces are dismountable, so they can be taken apart for future repair and reupholstery. 

Inge works with reclaimed frames and leftover deadstock fabrics. 

Circular Business Models

The heart of the model is reuse over new. Inge rescues discarded furniture that would otherwise head to landfill and gives it a second life. 

Distance & Complexity of the Supply Chain

• Arnhem, Netherlands

The supply chain is very short and simple, because it involves just one maker in one atelier and frames are sourced locally and nationally through a second-hand platform.

Transportation

• Inge takes a local-first approach and says she prefers buyers to collect in Arnhem so they can see and feel a piece first. 
• For sales she works with Brenger for delivery. 
• Sourcing and selling are largely local.

• Wool

Inge works with wool, including wool from Hollands Wol Collectief, and a good share of her fabric is deadstock or reclaimed, so much of it already exists rather than being newly made. 

Hollands Wol Collectief wool comes from Dutch sheep that are not kept for wool production. The sheep are already part of the Dutch landscape as grazers that support biodiversity and provide milk and meat, so the wool is a by-product. According to the collective, the wool is 100% natural with no artificial or harmful additives.

Product Design

Pinky’s Atelier makes handmade, one-of-a-kind chairs with bold colours and patterns, built on restored mid-century and classic frames. Each piece is unique.

Slow Fashion Processes

Production is small-scale and entirely handmade. Inge works one piece at a time, following a made-to-order rhythm.

Transparency on Product

With production carried out entirely by a single maker in one atelier, the composition of each piece remains fully traceable. Customers may request detailed material information from Inge directly.

Transparency on Processes

As a one-woman studio, every piece passes through Inge’s own hands from start to finish, with no external production. Inge is very open about her personal story and honest about the current limitations. Customers can visit the studio in person, ask questions and see the work being made on site.