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?
Corn, rubber, eucalyptus, and cork. These are the unlikely materials that come together to make the Kengos Lace-Up – a chic, clean, modern-looking sneaker that’s designed to safely biodegrade after you’re done with it.
The Lace-Up makes a very ambitious claim of being 98% natural and plant-based, making it environment-friendly and vegan-friendly too. Its aesthetic is guided by the materials used in it, resulting in a sneaker that looks distinctly unique. On top, you’ve got an upper made from Amaize, a corn-based fabric that’s hardy-yet-breathable. The upper body is lined on the inside with eucalyptus fabric, allowing the sneakers to regulate temperature, absorb sweat, and cool you down in the heat. The Lace-Up’s midsole comes made out of cork, which molds to the shape of one’s foot almost like a foam insert… and the outsole comes crafted from Kengos’ patent-pending Pure-Flex rubber, which is durable as a work-boot, but biodegrades nearly 35-times as fast.
Kengos is currently beta-testing their shoes, allowing a small group of people to purchase them and wear them for a period of 30 days. After a month, Kengos takes your feedback using a questionnaire and a small interview with its founders, and sends you a second pair of shoes for free when the Lace-Up line officially launches in November. When you buy a pair of shoes, not only do you become a part of Kengos’ effort to truly build something driven by real customer feedback, you also support a company with a goal of making products that are sustainable, environmentally friendly, and least impact the earth.
Cork is one of the most versatile materials when it comes to sustainable design – we have a whole list of product designs that have used cork to create sustainable alternatives and reduce plastic consumption! These cork headphones are another great addition to that list and show us that gadgets can also go green – you would be surprised to know how much plastic goes in making a simple pair of headphones.
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.
Woodturner Jean Yves Lerate crafted the first model in his beautiful workshop located in Auray, France. The cork was supplied by Corticeira Amorim and Pauline made a fully working prototype during a five days workshop at Domaine de Boisbuchet which was led by designer duo Pedrita.
Cork is a wonderful material that we usually associate with wine stoppers, but these designers have revised the way we see cork completely! Did you know why cork is a truly sustainable material? This is because cork is made from the bark of the Quercus suber, or the cork oak. These gentle giant trees usually live for 300 years from which the bark of the tree is extracted, leaving the tree unharmed! With the wave of sustainable designs taking steam, more and more designers are looking at cork to create flooring, walls, furniture, tableware, clothing, even NASA uses it for the isolation of their space shuttles. The industry is coming to realize that cork is a very resistant waterproof material and of course eco-friendly since its extraction doesn’t harm trees as the barks just grow back. Our curation today brings to forefront this humble material and its genius applications!
The main body of the stove is composed of steel with cork profiles placed and fixed to its structure. These profiles are separated from the steel structure to prevent the cork from darkening over time. The cork material also does double-duty as a security layer, allowing users to safely touch and feel the woodstove by INNGAGE.
At the base of the Jasper Wool Eco Chukka shoe by Brian Linton is the sleek and supportive midsole that is ReCork Recycled Cork; the naturally cushioning and lightweight material lends itself to this application and is quite possibly the most sustainable material for the job! This has been accompanied by an array of environmentally conscious materials; from the Natural Rice Rubber that’s used for the tread, through to the Foam insole that is made using Algae!
OAK OAK is a children’s chair with storage space for toys and books etc. The chair consists of two parts, an oak frame, and a cork seat. When you remove the lid from the seat you get access to the storage compartment. The box consists of smaller parts that are assembled like a puzzle and held in place by the frame and is designed by Morten Husum Nielsen.
It’s the aesthetics of these power tools by Lukas Salley that really make them stand out from their competitors; the high contrasting colors that make up the body are then softened by the natural, untouched finish of the cork, which has been used on the handles to offer comfort.
Classy and space-conscious, Volto is a dual-container spicer designed by Mireia Rius that takes inspiration from an hourglass. The containers come with their own cork-stops with an angular cut along the base that allows you to ‘open or close’ the containers. Just rotate the cork to expose or cover the shaker’s holes and you’re good to go!
Bouchon Stools by Domitalia is a lovable piece that marries the dynamic duo of cork and steel in a timeless fashion. Charming and versatile, Bouchon’s natural cork seat sits atop an industrial steel base that is offered in Bar and Counter heights as well as a selection of finishes.
Students at Industrial Design of Konstfack Sofia Almqvist and Carl Cyrén have developed a bicycle saddle made of natural cork material. Such a beautiful ode to nature draws us to ride more often, and so we are connecting with the environment by integrating Eco-friendly elements in everyday details.
Message in a bottle USB Drive by Saburo Sakata lets you capture a lot of memories in this tiny little bottle or just keep your pen drive’s safe when not in use!
KORK, created by Twodesigners proposes to start from the simple and usual cork and realize a family of objects based on the connection between different elements. Every combination has its own identity as well on a visual level as on a functional level. Every piece is composed of a metal hooping in which two elements enter and combine.
Inspired by basic shapes and the interaction among them, Tarro by Studio Diario tries to revalue the beauty of simplicity. It is a family of containers where the shape and material of each part are strictly defined by its function. Each product is unique, pottery and cork-wood pieces are hand-made using the technique of lathe. The cork lid provides sealing, and the handle is made out of wood for more pleasant contact.
Originating from the Mediterranean basin and dating back to almost 66 million years ago, Cork is one of the most versatile materials, not to mention it is sustainable and recyclable, allowing it to be transformed into a number of new products. Winemakers have been turning to cork as the perfect raw material for bottle stoppers for centuries, and it seems like the sneaker industry has jumped into the madness as well- or more specifically Nike.
A trend that sparked off with the Nike LeBron X, Nike has finally dedicated its latest edition of Nike SB (Skateboarding) entirely to cork! The Nike SB Dunk High Cork features a light tan colored cork-based upper, which is contrasted beautifully by black suede panels on the mudguard and the eye stay. The black suede also extends to the iconic Nike Swoosh. The sneaker finally finishes up with a full-length EVA midsole in white, accompanied by a grey outsole.
Picked for its elasticity, impermeability, insulting properties and low density, cork is an exceptional choice for sports footwear- especially for Skateboarding. Leather, on the other hand, tends to be a bit heavy, whereas synthetic foams aren’t durable at all. Hence with its ability to be lightweight and durable Cork seems to be the optimal option. And of course, the SB Dunk High Corks promise to look super cool while you’re drifting along on your skateboard!
Apple fired more than 300 contractors in Cork, Ireland, The Guardian reports. The contractors were hired as part of a "grading" program that reviewed audio recorded by Siri. News broke last month that those contractors often heard sensitive informati...
Nominated as a finalist for the prestigious James Dyson Award, the Montados are a set of lid/coaster hybrids made from recycled cork. Its unusual grooved design (with differently spaced grooves on the front as well as back) serves a pretty neat purpose. Not only do the grooves act as a collecting rim for any liquid that spills on it, making the Montados a great set of coasters, but when placed on the top of any cylindrical container, the Montados can securely fasten around the rim with a nice, air-tight seal.
The key to this unique, useful interaction is the spacing of the ridges on the cork surface. The ridges on either side of the lids are contrary to each other, so if the lid doesn’t fit on side A, just flip the lid over, and the ridge on side B should fit just fine.
The cleverness of the Montados is also in its choice of material. These lids could easily be made out of a thermoplastic polymer or silicone, but Marlene Bruch’s choice of cork is ideal, given its flexibility, eco-friendly nature, has the ability to withstand moisture, and most importantly, is an insulator, making it perfect for hot vessels. The Montados also offers an alternative to single use plastic foil and aluminum wraps, giving it the advantage of being reusable, recyclable, and green. And oh, the lids can nest within each other too, making them lock together for convenient storage and easy shipping!
It’s not the question of carrying money and cards; its how we carry it. A well-designed wallet is all that we ask for, one that is minimalistic, sexy and above all – functional. The silver lining to the SLIDE Wallet is the materials used, which is cork fabric & classic denim. Who would have thought that something as simple and sustainable as cork can be used to design a great wallet!
We caught up with the designer Calvin Kwok, and asked him what led him to create the SLIDE Wallet.
Calvin – The SLIDE Wallet was created after an inquiry from a friend who was looking to replace a traditional bi-fold (read FAT) wallet. I have always carried a front pocket wallet but I was definitely not in love with what I was using at the time. The following weeks were spent critiquing what was already on the market and sketching out a few ideas. Function was a driving factor in the design of the SLIDE Wallet. The natural materials of cork and denim sets the SLIDE Wallet apart from the sea of black and brown that makes up the men’s accessory market.
On a more personal note, Calvin says, “I am a project driven person with an eye for clever solutions to everyday problems. Previously, I spent a bit of time in furniture design but abandoned that medium after being confined to a small den in a condo. I ended up borrowing a 1921 Singer and picked up sewing as my new creative outlet. I started designing textile solutions to everyday problems for my own personal use.
STITCH & LOCKE came to fruition with the help of friends who were excited about my early wallet prototypes. They put together an early business plan to urge me to launch the SLIDE wallet Kickstarter campaign. Navigating the design and manufacturing world has been an exciting and rewarding experience.”
Calvin’s story goes on to re-enforce our belief that if you dream … you dream big and be big.
- Yanko Design Timeless Designs - Explore wonderful concepts from around the world! Shop CKIE - We are more than just concepts. See what's hot at the CKIE store by Yanko Design! (Simply Slide! was originally posted on Yanko Design)
The Cork Stopper Table merges a unique joinery idea with high-end looks. Its construction consists of a glass top, 4 plywood clip legs, and a giant cork stopper to keep things snug. No glue, screws or hardware needed! It’s a beautiful showcase of a clever construction method and easy to put together in less than a minute.
Designer: Hyeonil Jeong
- Yanko Design Timeless Designs - Explore wonderful concepts from around the world! Shop CKIE - We are more than just concepts. See what's hot at the CKIE store by Yanko Design! (Put a cork in it! was originally posted on Yanko Design)
Where in the world have you been? Worldly travelers will enjoy having this cork globe around. As the name implies, it’s a globe made out of cork. There are many ways you can use it, one being as a travel journal of sorts where you can tack on pins on the states and countries that you’ve been or on the oceans that you’ve sailed or cruised on.
It measures 10 inches in diameter and comes with a set of red pins.
It doesn’t come cheap though, as it retails from Suck UK for $200.
Apple fired more than 300 contractors in Cork, Ireland, The Guardian reports. The contractors were hired as part of a "grading" program that reviewed audio recorded by Siri. News broke last month that those contractors often heard sensitive informati...
