Have you ever heard about cork?
Yes, you guessed it, it’s the thing that seals your bottle of wine!
But let me tell you, it can be much more than that. In fact designers and creators have been using this material to create a panoply of other eco friendly objects.
Cork is the inner part of the bark of the cork oak tree and it is harvested every 9 years from trees that are at least 25 years old. The cork oak grows around the Mediterranean Sea and is the only tree that will remain unharmed without its bark and will grow it back over the course of 9 years.
The cork is very versatile thanks to its numerous characteristics amongst which its impermeability, insulating properties and durability. It is also entirely biodegradable and recyclable.
Here are some fun and innovative cork designs
The Comfy Armchair is from Creative-Cork made of cork textile. The same textile has been used as an alternative to create vegan leather. The design company offers a great range of different furniture made of cork like tables, sofas, chairs and storage.
The belgian design firm Twodesigners created Kork, a collection of furniture made of cork and steel. Here is their coffee table made of a metal ring that compresses and holds together two pieces of cork.
Co-RK thread lamp
The portuguese studio Digitalab wanted to find an innovative and digital way to turn the cork into a thread and weaved it around the structure to create a textile lamp. The studio explored an unusual way to use this natural material.
Bisu is the bed designed by OTQ design and it is entirely made of cork. Because there aren’t any metal elements and because of the antistatic properties of the cork this bed protects you from magnetic fields and electrostatic flows during your sleep, how feng shui!
The Corkigami chair is made by spanish designer Carlos Ortega and it is made of one piece of laminated cork folded like origami to create a seat. The flexible properties of the material make the chair durable.
This wash basin by Simple Forms Design is made of agglomerated cork. Their cork collection includes also a shower mat and a soap holder that will make your bathroom look natural and fancy.
a versatile sustainable material
So cork is not just a wine bottle cap. It is incredible how many techniques can transform the bark of a tree into different textures that can be used in endless different ways.
What do you think about cork, is it really sustainable? It sure is renewable but there is not infinite availability at any given moment. We have to be mindful that the bark of the oak takes time to regenerate. Also it is recyclable but I guess putting it in the recycling bin won’t do much.
Nevertheless it is a great natural material that has been underused for a long time. Its thermal and acoustical insulating properties make it a useful building material, I’ll talk about it in another article.
