Who is Emmely Elgersma on Interior Design Masters 2026?
Emmely Elgersma Biography – Emmely Elgersma Wiki
Emmely Elgersma is a Dutch designer, sculptor, ceramicist, artist and football coach based in London, England. Originally from the Netherlands, Emmely grew up in rural Nottinghamshire before moving to London to study Textile Design and Fine Art. She is a contestant on the BBC’s Interior Design Masters 2026.
Her fascination with discarded materials began with one of her first jobs, working in a shop in Bloomsbury for the daughter of the founder of Bagpuss and Clangers, where she learned how to transform ‘rubbish’ into window displays. That early hands-on experience with glue, scraps, and imagination laid the groundwork for her approach to sculpture.
Emmely was previously an artist-in-residence at the Sarabande Foundation, established by Lee Alexander McQueen, where she was awarded a studio connected to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. She has exhibited at Christie’s, Saatchi Gallery, Selfridges and London Design Festival, with collaborations including IKEA, TikTok, End of the Road Festival, Paynter Jacket, Johnnie Walker and Sandqvist.
In Spring 2025, she has been invited to participate in an artist residency in South Korea as part of Korea’s International Craft Festival, further developing her research into sustainability and design innovation. She’s currently waiting to see if she has made it into the Guinness World Records for creating the biggest ever papier-mâché sculpture.
Emmely received her FA Level 1 coaching qualification in 2020, which led to her working as a coach for Spurs and Juventus and managing The Tate Workers football team. She earned her MFA from Chelsea College of Arts in 2017 and a BA (Hons) in Textile Design from Central Saint Martins in 2012.
Interior Design Masters 2026
Emmely Elgersma is a contestant on Series 7 of Interior Design Masters on BBC One, presented by comedian Alan Carr, with interiors expert Michelle Ogundehin as head judge. The show follows 10 designers as they reimagine eight incredible spaces from beach huts to castle hotels. Emmely describes her design style as creative, uplifting and playful.
Emmely applied to be on Interior Design Masters to “push myself creatively and learn more about interior design.” She told the BBC: “I’m a sculptor and designer, so I’ve always been interested in spatial design. When you make sculpture you naturally think in a very three-dimensional way prioritising mood, emotion and how people experience a space.
“I also create a lot of furniture pieces and love finding beauty in everyday objects. Interior Design Masters felt like the perfect way to push myself creatively and learn more about interior design, without having to go back to university and spend a ridiculous amount of money.”
Speaking about what viewers can expect, Emmely said: “I think this year is a real mix of designers from very different and unique backgrounds. Our styles are completely varied, which makes it really exciting to watch, I would walk around the spaces and be like wow so many varied approaches to the same space we all had been given, so I think viewers will definitely have their favourites.”
Emmely Elgersma’s Instagram handle is @emmely.
