This isn't the first time we've talked about Corque on Core77, and since the Portugese design brand keeps coming up with one good idea after another, it won't be the last either. Corque was born in 2009 after its founding partners finished a three-year research and development program that explored the sustainability of using cork as a material for more than just wine bottles. What they learned in a nutshell? Cork is a renewable resource; It grows on trees, or rather, it is trees. But because it regrows only every nine years, harvesting it is a delicate process, one that requires highly skilled workers. [Ed Note: For more on cork harvesting and manufacturing, check out Daniel Michalik's series on the material!] Most of the world's cork comes from Portugal, 52.5%, to be exact, making it an ideal material for a Portugese design team like Corque to utilize. And it doesn't hurt that it makes for furniture so beautiful furniture it crosses the line between art and object.
