Design & Architecture (materials)

As a natural material that can be renewably harvested from the bark of trees, cork ranks high on the TH list of eco-friendly materials. Commonly used on boats, where its anti-mildew properties are much appreciated, cork can also be an excellent choice in the home for kitchen and bathroom floors, and even walls. But since it usually comes in large tiles, it can look awkward or be diffcult to install in smaller spaces. Habitus fixes that snafu by offering attractive cork mosaic tiles, an intersting take on traditional ceramic. They come on 12-by-24-inch sheets for easy laying. The drawback: Unlike larger tiles which can be fitted into place (or sometimes feature tongue-and-groove click-ins), these must be glued to floor. The good news is that they can be stained or simply finished with a water-based polyurethane. $12/square foot. As seen in The New York Times ::Habitus (Web site under sontruction) [by MO]