Tag Archives: cork

Modular cork stool concept offers sustainable seating by turning into a bench

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Sitting is an important part of our daily lives, so it’s not unusual to see different kinds of seating furniture around places where people stay or pass through. Unfortunately, it’s hard to predict when you’d need a single chair or a multi-person bench, so spaces tend to either put multiple chairs together or have a few benches and force people to sit together. That strategy does work, at least until the situation changes and you need to change seats, which often means buying new seats and discarding the old ones. This minimalist stool concept tries to offer a more sustainable solution that helps reduce waste by turning two stools into a single bench and back again, depending on the need.

Designers: Erika Avery, Stu Cole

The requirements for a stool, chair, or bench are pretty simple. At the very least, it needs to be stable enough to support the weight of a human person sitting on it without toppling over or collapsing. Comfort is, of course, ideal, but some designs seem to forego that in exchange for other capabilities. It’s arguable that the “unknown” stool concept is one of these designs, though its modular nature leaves that open to interpretation and implementation.

The core element of this concept is the sturdy column made of cork, a sustainable and easily acquired material. It’s a single cylinder that makes up the center of the stool, but its secret lies in a smaller circle that connects to a removable seat with a hole in its center. It’s a simple system that requires no screws, extra parts, or complex mechanisms, which means maintenance, repair, and replacement will be just as simple as well.

That seat can, in theory, be anything, though the simple shapes of a square and a circle immediately come to mind. However, that doesn’t limit it to a single symmetrical shape either, since you can have a long rectangular seat with holes on each end, forming a bench when set on top of two cork columns. In fact, the design of the actual furniture is determined by the shape of that removable seat, and it can be as simple or as complex as needed.

The concept doesn’t exactly define what the seat has to be made of, so it can use wood, metal, plastic, or any other material. It can be bare or it can have some cushioning or upholstery to add a bit of comfort. More importantly, the seats can be changed, repaired, or replaced without throwing away the cork core, or vice versa. It’s a simple yet effective design that limits the waste of fixed chairs and stools while leaving the door open for combinations that deliver what’s needed at any given time.

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Hand-carved cork furniture collection evokes the raw beauty of black volcanic stone

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More often than not, furniture design is meant to feelings of warmth, comfort, or even joy, emotions that you’d want to experience inside a home, office, or even waiting area. After all, you will be using these pieces of furniture, including sitting on some of them, so it’s only natural to expect them to be more welcoming, at least visually. There are some more artistic designs that have provoking aesthetics, meant more to be seen rather than used. This furniture collection stands somewhere in the middle, projecting an image of dark and unpolished volcanic rocks that turn out to be comfortable, stable, and even charming in its own rough way.

Designer: ( ae ) offices

A volcano is full of ironies. It is both magnificent and terrifying, and its eruptions are equally destructive and mesmerizing. While the ash, lava, and rocks that volcanoes throw out inflict damage, they can also be used as materials to build and create things that have their own unique beauty despite their horrifying source. That’s the kind of juxtaposition that the DOL furniture delivers, providing a unique visual and tactile experience for every chair or table.

DOL takes its inspiration from the black volcanic stones found on Jeju Island in South Korea. These stones are being used as the foundations for different structures on the volcanic island, reusing what Mother Nature has thrown at them to build stronger architecture. The stones themselves have a raw and uneven appearance born of natural elements that give each piece a unique character. That’s the imagery that’s replicated in this low chair and low table, but using a material that’s the complete opposite of hardened volcanic rock.

The furniture uses the outer bark of the cork oak tree, a material that’s best known for being lightweight, impact-absorbing, and insulating. Each “stone” in this composition is crafted by hand, resulting in an equally unique look for each piece. Of course, cork isn’t the most rigid material for furniture, so it’s supplemented by wooden profiles that give it more structure. Layers of wood oil and waxes add the finishing touch that gives the cork a texture and character that will confuse the mind because of its dark roughness yet soft mass.

The use of cork also adds an element of sustainability, as cork bark undergoes a renewal process every nine years and is completely recyclable. It’s a fitting tribute to a stone that starts its life from the destructive explosion of a volcano before finding its way into people’s homes, buildings, and lives before returning to the earth once again to repeat the cycle.

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WiFi router concept uses cork as material and design aesthetic

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A wifi router is one of those devices that every house needs but we don’t really think about how it’s designed, what materials are used to make it, and other factors that come into it. As long as it does what it’s supposed to do, which is get you connected to the internet, then we’re almost always fine with it. However, most routers have a lifespan of 2-3 years and so it contributes to the million tons of e-waste that is generated annually by people who constantly change their gadgets and devices.

Designer: Connor Rusnak

A concept for a sustainable wifi router tries to solve that issue and at the same time give us a well-designed one that you will proudly display in your home office. The Pella uses cork in the design so you get an eco-friendly material that can also look good on your device. In theory, using this material should not interfere with the functionality of the device which is of course important since the only reason you’ll get a router is to be able to connect all your devices to the WiFi.

The cork is not just a building material but an integral part of the design. The router looks more like a smart speaker with its spherical shape which is also reminds me of a top but with a stable base. The basic controls, which are mainly the on/off button and what seems to be a reset button, are located on the base. There’s no need for any other controls or buttons so you get a pretty minimalist design, as all routers should probably have.

More often than not, these routers are hidden away in our home not just because it needs to be near a wall socket but because there isn’t any decorative aspect to it. But something like the Pella, which was designed with the brand Logitech in mind, can be something you put on your desk especially if you have an earthy or cork-like aesthetic.

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Bicycle seat made from cork brings a more sustainable and comfortable bike ride

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I still do not know how to ride a bike and I probably will not learn to ride one anytime soon. But I do know that it’s one of the more sustainable modes of transportation available out there and so I salute those who choose to be mobile this way. It’s also a bonus when bike manufacturers try to come up with more sustainable products or at least part of the actual bike. Not only are they saving the planet from traffic and pollution but they’re also bringing us more sustainable solutions for parts and accessories.

Designer: Frame Cycle

This Scottish brand is one such company that wants to bring more sustainable solutions for the bikes and bike parts that they manufacture. Their first product is called FR-1 Bike Saddle and it is made from cork. At first you would think this is not a sturdy and comfortable material for something that you will be sitting on probably for a long period. But cork is actually pretty durable and lightweight so it should be something that can last a long time and not hurt your tushy that much. It is also water-resistant and can offer better cushioning compared to other materials.

For the substructure of the seat, they used stamped titanium shell and grade five titanium rails. This material is actually stronger but also more lightweight compared to the more common steel that a lot of bike seats use. The cork pieces are actually molded in Portugal and so they’re supporting both sustainable and historic local cork farming. The lacquer applied to it is water-based and so you get even better weather resistance.

Price-wise, it’s probably a bit more expensive at $120 than bicycle seats that are usually made from plastic with a steel frame. One of the problems about sustainable products is that they are still not on the same price level as the ones using more non-sustainable materials. Hopefully, someday, we’ll see the sustainable products almost at par with other materials. If you think about it though, that’s still a small price to pay for helping our planet be more sustainable.

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This beautiful family home is in the Czech countryside is clad in cork

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Atelier SAD and interior designer Iveta Zachariášová designed a family home in Rašovka, Czech Republic. It is located at the foot of the Ještěd Ridge, which overlooks the Bohemian Paradise Protected Landscape Area. The rural home is clad in cork – a material chosen for its weather-resistant and thermal properties.

Designer: Atelier SAD and Iveta Zachariášová

“The landscape is open, dominated by flowering, unfenced meadows. The view and the integration of the interior spaces into the landscape was one of the main motifs driving the house design process,” said the architects.

The home is located on a beautiful grassy embankment and is surrounded by a group of vernacular granite pink stones. The picturesque home look’s straight out of a movie! “The slender mass of the house cuts diagonally into the steep slope of the road, and the ridge seems to slope down into the garden,” continued the designers.

It features a gabled roof that is crafted from sheets of pitched aluminum. The roof extends and takes on a projected form, creating a covered terrace. A triangular partition separates the terrace from the interiors of the home. Most of the facade is clad in Portuguese expanded cork – which is placed in vertical strips across the structure. The strips are of varying widths, and the designers say this is the first time cork has been used in this manner in the Czech Republic.

The home features an open-plan kitchen, living room, and dining area all centered around a suspended fireplace. While the bedrooms, bathrooms, and storage spaces are placed on a straight corridor, facing the front door.

“The interior design of the house with the internal layout of the rooms may have been created earlier than the house itself,” said Zachariášová. “Many of the functional aspects were clear from the outset, and we basically only dealt with their alignment.”

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Burnt Cork highlights resiliency in eclectic furniture collection

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When you think of cork, you probably automatically think of wine or champagne. It has also been associated with accessories like bags, wallets, coasters, etc. But you don’t really think of furniture made from this material. That doesn’t mean it can’t be done right? A new furniture collection is showing off how this material, specifically Portuguese cork, is not just aesthetically beautiful but can also be a symbol of resilience.

Designer: Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance

The material used for the Burnt Cork furniture collection was created in the designer’s Portugal-based studio. While driving through the country and seeing the forest fires last 2017, the experience stuck with him and when thinking about using cork, he also wanted it to become a tribute to the resilience not just of the material but of the process and the people of Portugal as well. The “sombeiro” or cork oak tree is pretty resilient and so that goes perfectly well with what he was planning. What we get are pieces of furniture that have unique textures and curving forms.

What he did was use the blackened bark tissue from burnt forest trees and then transforms them into blocks with gradient colors and textures. They are then carved into minimalist chairs and tables that aren’t just functional as for usual furniture but they also look like pieces of sculpture that you’d love to display in your living room and dining room. The bottom part of these pieces have charcoal-laden cork materials while you get finer tan granules as you go up the furniture.

The Burnt Cork collection is made up of three tables, two chairs, a stool, and the very first piece, a chaise lounge. The base starts off rigid and strong and they gradually morph into curved shapes that turn them, specifically the chairs, into comfortable pieces of furniture. The stool for one, looks like a museum piece with its three legs and eclectic shape, although I’m not sure if I can actually sit on it for a long time. I wouldn’t mind displaying them at home though.

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Cork-based home goods strike the perfect balance between practicality and sustainability

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Mind the Cork is a line of cork-based home goods, ranging from hanging planters to cylindrical storage vessels.

Cork is one of the planet’s most sustainable materials. Every decade, the heavy bark can be stripped off from the cork oak tree through a skilled trade that’s passed down over generations. Once the cork is harvested, the biodegradable material can be used for an array of different purposes.

Designer: Mind the Cork

London-based studio Mind the Cork found one purpose in using cork to produce home goods. The designers behind Mind the Cork produce cork pieces like planters, dishware, and storage containers to create a line of practical home goods rooted in sustainability.

Mind the Cork founder Jenny Espirito Santo initially produced the line of cork goods as her passion project, but its eco-concious and minimalist appeal soon took off. Weaving together the environmental aspect with the current home trend toward green spaces, Santo produced a collection of different planters of varying sizes and shapes.

From hanging to stationery planters, Mind the Cork carries small to medium-sized planters and even features maintenance and care instructions so the cork lasts. Besides planters, Santo works closely with craftspeople and small factories in the UK and Portugal to create cardholders, cork bowls, and cylindrical storage containers with 11 lid options.

Providing safe nesting grounds and a healthy ecosystem, cork oak tree plots are never damaged during the process of cork harvesting. Primarily taking place in Portugal, Santo harvests the cork by peeling the excess bark from cork oak trees, which in turn prompts each tree to begin a regenerative process to grow more bark. With an average lifespan between 170 to 250 years, cork oak trees are first harvested after they reach 25 years. From there, the cork can be stripped from the tree’s bark every ten years.

In addition to desk planters, Mind the Cork carries hanging planters that are lightweight and sustainable.

Cork dishes and bowls provide a soft landing spot for jewelry and other delicate items.

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Cork-based products designed to prove that this sustainable + trending material is here to stay!

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Cork has been gaining some real momentum and recognition in the design world (though it is being used since more than 5000 years), and it deserves every bit of it. It is biodegradable, sustainable and and not to mention super versatile. It’s an amazing sustainable alternative that drastically reduces plastic consumption. You can create almost anything from cork – whether furniture or headphones! And, in an attempt to celebrate the wonderful material, we’ve curated a whole collection of product designs that’ll blow your mind away with their creativity and functionality. From a chic indoor cork planter to a credit card holder made from cork – these innovative designs will surely convert you into Team Cork all the way! Enjoy.

This intriguing concept for a vacuum cleaner is not only multipurpose in design, it is also sustainable in construction. The storage section of the vac is made from cork, which is biodegradable and has a warm ambiance to it. The vacuum pipes and other parts are designed in a manner to be stored within the cork shell that then neatly covers using a lid. The possibility of concealing the entire appliance from sight saves valuable space at home and leaves the vacuum to still be used in the open with a different purpose.

Created by design-graduate Zachary Leong, the Corki Planter comes with a simple design that highlights cork as its material. Made from sustainably sourced cork, Zach is quick to mention that unlike clay, concrete, plastic, or even wood itself, cork is an incredibly renewable resource. The material comes from the bark of a cork-tree, which can simply be harvested without chopping the tree down, and is incredibly easy to work with and even recycle. It’s even good for the tree itself since it allows the tree-trunk to absorb more CO2 from the atmosphere.

Element 0’s sneakers sport a unisex design built from both naturally-sourced as well as recycled materials (the company is even transparent about where and how they source their materials). The shoes rest on an outsole that’s made from rubber as well as recycled cork, quite literally putting a spring in your step; while an insole crafted from a combination of wool, corn-fiber, wood, and natural latex gives your foot a comfortable surface to rest on that’s also water-absorbent and anti-odor.

The Grovemade Cork Apple Watch Dock is a refreshing take on the usual Apple Watch charging docks we come across. The dock has been created from premium materials, including the ever-sustainable cork! The Apple Watch dock is quite compact and flat, so it can easily fit into any space, including your bedside table or your work desk. The base was made using stainless steel, which features a sturdy anchor, that prevents your watch from sliding or falling off. The upper section was crafted from cork and has been equipped with a little divot in the center to cradle and support your watch. Not to mention, this dock design is quite stylish, sleek, and sustainable!

Fanoos consists of a planter that rests at the bottom of the device’s three-legged frame and a detachable lantern that sits just above it. The three wooden legs that comprise Fanoos’s frame seem to be cut from natural pinewood, while the planter and lamplight mimic the texture of cork for a soft and lightweight feel. Included with Fanoos is an emergency button located on the top of the lamplight, which can be pressed whenever medical attention is necessary. Through integrated technology, Fanoos tracks the health status of elderly citizens, from sleeping habits to their emotional wellbeing. In fact, Fanoos adapts according to the user’s mood and emotional state.

ERA Architects is an innovative studio in Barcelona championing sustainable tourism with its Pinea Mobile Ecological RV! Pinea’s exterior fabric can be unzipped to let in the fresh air and sunlight or rolled up for privacy. The fabric is made in Catalonia using a water-saving dying process and is breathable water-repellent material. Now for the most concerning part about camping – mosquitos – the Pinea RV comes with a built-in mosquito net to keep you safe at all times. The RV comes with a large bed, a table, chairs, and some storage furniture crafted from certified wood (same as the one used to make the walls) and sustainable cork material. Another unique thing about this RV is its cork flooring! The designers also chose to use cork stoppers instead of isolation gravel on the green roof. The team’s aim was to design a self-sufficient eco-suite on wheels and they absolutely came through with the Pinea Mobile Ecological RV!

Created from Portuguese cork, the 15:21 Cork Credit Card Holder is a sustainable alternative to your usual leather wallets! The cork card holder feels as soft as suede, and is super durable as well. Its compact size ensures that it fits into your pockets with ease, and its water-resistant nature makes sure you never have to worry about your wallet getting ruined by some water! This aesthetic and eco-friendly wallet could be the future of accessories!

This limited-edition set includes a dining table, two low tables, a lounge chair, a dining chair, a chaise longue, and a stool. Each piece has a base with a bark-like texture that then transforms into a fine grain surface at the top. The chairs showcase ergonomic silhouettes that promise comfort while the tables feature architectural elements. Cork is an underrated sustainable material that finally got a chance to shine through design in the Burnt Cork furniture set.

Weighing only 64 grams (0.14 lbs) these headphones are super light! Cork is a versatile material that is being explored to design sustainable products. It is non-allergic, resilient, sound insulating, moisture-proof, and soft to touch. If you are an everyday headphone user, you know that there is a lot of wear and tear that happens and instead of repairing, we usually just upgrade which increases our plastic consumption. Cork headphones are easy to repair and dismiss thanks to an assembly based on the compressibility of the material. There is no glue, no upholstery, no screws involved – just cork, simple electric parts, steel, and foam.

Architect, designer, and creative director – José Manuel Carvalho Araújo who Graduated in architecture from the architecture schools of Oporto and Lisbon, Carvalho Araújo, has a keen eye for product design, making him a well-renowned name in his spheres. His simple yet highly useful chair design christened Tumble is the perfect example of intuitive product design which is well-tailored for ultra-modern interiors. It is essentially a platform that serves as a chair, side table, bench seat, storage unit, bookshelf, center table, or a lounger. Depending on the nature of use and the available interior space, Tumble can be put to good use with a bit of creative thinking. The furniture piece is crafted out of natural agglomerated cork and natural oak, making it good for the environment too. The use of these biodegradable materials should not let you into believing that the modular platform lacks in structural strength. It can take the weight of an above-average weighing adult and the only thing you need to cautious of is to keep water away from it.

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This sustainable furniture collection is made from burnt cork!

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Have you ever made a bulletin board from wine bottle corks? I thought that was the most creative use of corks instead of throwing them away but obviously I am no  Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance! The French designer created a whole furniture set using burnt cork as the material and therefore the range is aptly called Burnt Cork. He uses discarded cork for the range, choosing different gradients and cork grain patterns to create a play between textures.

Sustainable designs often draw inspiration from nature and this furniture series is no exception. It is produced through the designer’s own Portugal-based studio Made in Situ and it celebrates the beauty of Portuguese landscapes which are abundant with cork forests. Cork is one of the most resilient natural materials. While the designer was driving through the Pedrógão Grande mountain region during the forest fires of 2017, he was thinking of the destruction, and during that he had the “Aha!” moment of using burnt cork as a material. A year later, he visited a traditional cork manufacturing company where he discovered various cork processing techniques which included the waste material from the fires – literal burnt cork!

Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance spent two years on research and development before giving second life to the waste cork. The furniture set is an homage to the resilience and beauty of this sustainable material. Burnt Cork is crafted using a blend of traditional and modern techniques resulting in organic forms with curved lines that give it a unique sculptural aesthetic. Every design highlights the dichotomy of the rough and fine cork textures.

The limited-edition set includes a dining table, two low tables, a lounge chair, a dining chair, a chaise longue, and a stool. Each piece has a base with a bark-like texture that then transforms into a fine grain surface at the top. The chairs showcase ergonomic silhouettes that promise comfort while the tables feature architectural elements. Cork is an underrated sustainable material that finally got a chance to shine through design in the Burnt Cork furniture set.

Cork Rocket Desk Organizer: This Is Ground Control to Major Tom

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Because who doesn’t already spend the majority of their workday daydreaming about outer space, SUCK UK has just made the visualization even easier thanks to this Cork Rocket Desk Organizer. The sustainably sourced rocket is perfect for storing pens and pencils, plus you can pin notes or photos of your loved ones back on earth to the outside.

The rocket stands about 11″ tall and, just like all my desk drawers, I’m going to fill it with candy instead of office supplies. I’m sort of known as the candy guy around the office, and I’m fairly certain my seemingly endless supply of sweets is the only reason I still haven’t been fired. I can’t even remember the last time I actually did some work around here.

Am I slowly going to replace everything in my cubicle with the space memorabilia I’ve collected over the years until the whole thing is entirely space-themed? Absolutely. I mean how many other people do you know who can say they have a rejection letter from Space Camp hanging above their desk?

[via Dude I Want That]