Current Inspiration #21
April marks Earth month, which felt appropriate for creating a special edition for Current Inspiration #21.
While we typically take the time to share the latest brands, practices, cultural happenings, etc that are inspiring us, we thought we would dedicate this edition to a specific subject that is inspiring us in a multitude of ways - Cork. Yes, cork, the bark from the cork oak tree. This incredibly resilient and versatile material is regenerative, recyclable, biodegradable, bio-sourced…basically, it's natural and it's a really great material alternative for many applications in the built environment. Offering nearly endless possibilities for products and use cases, we are diving into the fascinating world of this magical material!
Cork, Beyond the Wine
As one of the most regenerative materials in our current world, cork is a material with so many positive attributes. To begin, cork comes from the bark of the cork oak tree. Almost everyone is familiar with this material as the wine industry drives the production of bottle stoppers, which is the most common use of cork. But it really has so much more to offer, especially for the built environment where we continue to explore innovative applications of the material.
Some of its most compelling benefits for buildings are its thermal and acoustic insulation properties, its durability and its overall eco-friendliness. This material is not only biodegradable and recyclable, but it's a very resilient material that is known for its high performance ability and resistance capabilities. Bonus is that it is extremely simple to clean and maintain.
Most commonly found in Mediterranean countries, the harvesting process is fascinating since it is done without cutting down, damaging or doing any harm to the tree, completed in 9 year cycles. And the best part is that nothing is wasted with cork; what isn't used as bottle stoppers and left as waste is actually repurposed into materials for the built environment and beyond.
An Acoustic Dream
And one of the byproducts of cork “waste” is material for cork floors. As we built the vision for #LoireDesignLab, one of the first materials we knew we had to use was cork. Working closely with a local French vendor, we were introduced to Wicanders Wise, which is a cork floor company from Portugal. They are leaders in the cork flooring and wall coverings space, offering a variety of innovative solutions for these types of applications. We've been so eager to experiment with the material, and while we originally started with the idea of just doing floors in one room, we ultimately opted for these floors in the office and two bedrooms, and even plan to test out a wall-covering application in the office. We've been impressed with the floating floor application, the softness when you walk on it, and the undeniable acoustic difference in the spaces. We'll report back more findings with progress on our living showroom.
Bioclimatic Expertise in Barcelona
We would be remiss not to mention an excellent resource to expand your understanding of cork in the built environment: our podcast! Last season, we had the great pleasure of speaking with founder and architect, Elisabetta Quarta Colosso of El Fil Verd based in Barcelona. Her extensive work as a bioclimatic architecture means that she has significant experience working with cork, particularly in building construction. We won't give too much away, but it's definitely an episode to tune into. And if you want to dive deeper into her work with cork, one of her incredible Passive House projects in Barcelona where she used cork as a building facade was featured on one of our favorite Youtube channels.
The Future at Home Featuring Cork
By this point, our own enthusiasm for cork should be apparent. We are fans of the material and know that it will serve as an important alternative material moving into the future as we all find new ways to combat climate change and explore building resiliency. So we were excited to see that at this year's Milan Design Week, there was an inspiring installation from Cork Collective, whose founders include Rockwell Group, Amorim (umbrella company of Wicanders Wise from above), Bluewell & Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits. This collective came together to explore the opportunity of repurposing cork into innovative products and how it can help fuel the circular economy (cork can be recycled and reused many times over). Their installation was called Casa Cork, which was “a living laboratory showcasing design innovation of one of the world’s most sustainable materials.” Though we didn't get the chance to see it in person as planned, we've heard rumors that the installation will be moved around different cities!
Project Highlight
We're excited to launch a new little section in our Current Inspiration Editions where we'll give a quick glimpse into a specific element from a project that speaks to certain challenges or decisions that added to the impact of the transformation.
In the spirit of the topic of this newsletter, a quick note on the cork floors in our current French renovation project, Loire Design Lab. It was one of the first material decisions we made from the inception of the project, before we had any of the plans completed. Early on, we knew we had to use it, and though not local to France, coming from Portugal meant it didn't have to travel too far to get to us.
The most impactful decisions around this material were whether or not it would marry well with the original slate thresholds (it does) and whether we could do a floating installation to avoid unnecessary adhesives (we could and we did). The installation was fairly simple with a click system, but did require more gentleness than other floors. The warmness it brings to a space along with the acoustic absorption is something that can only be experienced, not explained.
They talk about us
Here's where we’ve been featured since our last edition:
36 Eclectic Kitchen Ideas (The Spruce)
The 12 Best Kitchen Cabinet Paint Colors (Apartment Therapy)
16 Green Kitchen Cabinet Ideas for a Timeless and Stylish Space (Martha Stewart)
Some more publications coming soon, so stay tuned!
Podcast Reminder
Episode 14 - The Positive Impact of Healthier Materials with Alison Mears
Episode 15 - The Timeless Art of Rug Weaving with Mallory Solomon
You can listen to all of the episodes wherever you stream your podcasts, and don't forget to sign up so you never miss a future episode!