São Paio de Oleiros, Portugal
Cork, is one of the most remarkable and sustainable raw materials, and Amorim and designer Ana Teixeira of Vicara Design Studio, introduce an original collection of floor and wall coverings.
Their Origem and Burel Cork Wall, from Capsule Collection, is an imaginative way of applying this natural material to interior design adding vivid colors and mesmerizing patterns.
Amorim Wise Origem and Burel Cork Wall Capsule Collection have both been awarded a Prize Design for Modern Furniture + Lighting 2023 by Global Design News and The Chicago Athenaeum Museum for Architecture and Design.
The Montado cork oak forest is one of the world’s 36 biodiversity hotspots, perfectly adapted to the warm climate and arid soil, protecting against erosion and desertification.
The Cork Oak Forest also provides an essential contribution to the air quality, by absorbing carbon dioxide. Cork’s ability to retain CO₂ is truly remarkable – it is estimated that for each ton of cork produced, the cork oak forest can retain up to 73 tons of CO₂, a vital contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the main cause of climate change.
With Origem, a floor and wall covering collection, Ana Teixeira captures the essence of the colors from the Montado, the fragile and important ecosystem where cork has its origins.
The greens and oranges are the background tones of this landscape, that slowly changes its hues each harvesting season. The collection transports different color elements of this landscape to our everyday lives, adding a touch of nature to our homes and offices.
Comprising eight colors for flooring and two colors for wall coverings, Origem takes its orange and green tones from nature, adding bright yellow and grey as contrasting elements.
Likewise, the Burel Cork Wall, a wall-covering collection, combines two of the most traditional Portuguese materials: cork and burel. Mixing cork with colored wool, Burel Cork Wall presents a unique collection, that preserves the century-old traditions of Portuguese manufacturing.
Born from a collaborative system of circular production, the waste from both industries is used to create an innovative product, a wall-covering solution that will transform any space into a welcoming environment.
Burel Cork Wall offers five visuals with warm tones such as red and orange for a more intimate atmosphere and lighter tones such as blue, grey, and green for a fresh and contemporary look.
Cork is the outer bark of the Cork Oak tree (Quercus suber L), a slow-growing tree from the Mediterranean basin, with a lifespan of around 200 years. Cork is a completely natural raw material, with unique properties that give it an unrivaled character.
It is completely biodegradable, renewable, and recyclable. The harvesting of this unique raw material is done without ever cutting or damaging the tree and has a positive impact on the environment, as the cork oak tree plays a central role in the development of the Mediterranean region.
Projects: Amorim Wise Origem Capsule Collection & Amorim Wise Burel Cork Wall Capsule Collection
Designers: Vicara Design Studio
Lead Designer: Ana Teixeira
Manufacturer: Amorim Cork Flooring
