Casa Cork
Event
Casa Cork by David Rockwell is an immersive, living laboratory and atelier, conceived to celebrate the innovative qualities and versatility of cork.
Spearheaded by Rockwell Group and the sustainability nonprofit Cork Collective, with the leading cork producer Corticeira Amorim, Casa Cork made its debut during Milan Design Week with a robust talks program, education workshops, culinary-focused gatherings, and student work from Parsons School of Design and Politecnico di Milano.
- Client
- Cork Collective
- Project Category
- Select Awards
- Fuorisalone Award: Sustainability Special Mention
- Select Press
Located in Milan’s Brera district, Casa Cork reinvigorated the conversation around cork on the international design stage. Dramatically centered around a sculptural cork tree, the space encompassed interiors and furnishings made almost entirely of cork while also showcasing work from a roster of design talent and product manufacturers including the Campana Brothers, Tom Dixon, Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance, Grain, Vitra, USM, Maya Romanoff, Chilewich and De Castelli amongst others.
From cork textiles and products to collectible furniture pieces that push the material’s limits, the breadth of pieces on display celebrated cork’s inherent beauty and malleability.
The experience, which started with an illuminated entry gallery, featuring sconces and pendants designed by Rockwell Group and manufactured by Thomas Cooper Studio, a Lusive company, culminated in the lounge— an inviting salon oriented around a custom-designed bar and chandelier by Rockwell Group for Artemest, with cork fabrics, tiles, and wallcoverings from 4Spaces.
“Our hope is that Casa Cork and the events and demonstrations that took place will inspire architects and designers to not only experiment with cork, but also find ways to regenerate and reuse materials in their own practices and initiatives.”
To inspire creative exchange and a future generation of designers to work with cork, the Cork Collective established a Student Design Competition with participants from Parsons School of Design in New York and Politecnico di Milano. Student prototypes from the inaugural edition were displayed on customized USM shelving fitted with cork paneling.
Casa Cork also hosted a two-part series of talks, curated and organized by Untapped Journal. Focused on ideas both specific and adjacent to cork, the conversations were moderated by Untapped’s editor-in-chief Tiffany Jow and featured speakers including architects David Rockwell and Suchi Reddy, designers Tom Dixon and Yves Béhar.
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“Testing new twists on unexpected materials at Milan Design Week.”
The New York Times 
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“Casa Cork offers new contexts for nature's magical material.”
Elle Decor 
