Salvaged cork turns into a beautiful home furniture collection

Made from waste cork, the limited edition pieces emphasise the beauty of the natural material

Spotted: Portuguese designer Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance has created the limited edition Burnt Cork furniture collection in homage to the resilience and beauty that can arise from the destruction of forest fires. Made from waste cork, each piece of furniture transitions from a rough-hewn finish at the bottom to a smooth, fine-grained finish at the top. The look is reminiscent of the trunks of trees. 

There are seven pieces in the curvy collection, including a dining room table, chairs and chaise lounge. Duchaufour-Lawrance worked with two family-run businesses to achieve the final look. The cork used in the collection is upcycled waste remnants, cork itself being an eco-friendly material with which to work.  

Cork’s utility arises from its exceptional thermal and acoustic qualities, water-resistance and hypoallergenic and antimicrobial properties. Because it can be harvested from living trees, it is an especially replenishing, naturally occurring material. It is also particularly drought and fire-resistant, which in today’s climate of ever-increasing weather extremes, makes it an exceptionally useful crop.  

As well as in furniture and construction, Springwise has spotted cork popping up in a number of unexpected places, from trainers to art pavilions.

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