Rolha - Break Open the Bubbly - it’s a Stool!
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 07. 5.05
Bleach Design have a Flash heavy style website to showcase work from European designers. Amongst the intriguing goodies on offer we discovered this. A product that serves its function while paying homage to the original inspiration, for which the material is so well known. A cork stool that imitates a cork champagne stopper. Called the Rolha, this stool was created by designer Jorge Luis. Bleach showcase it because it uses a material indigenous to Portugal, where the product was conceived.Cork is only found in Mediterranean climes, as bark of the tree, Quercus suber, It can be harvested every nine years from the same tree, Look here for the other cork products we’ve mentioned. ::Bleach Design




















Warren,
Give it to me straight, what's the deal with cork - is it good or bad?
I've heard mixed reviews about its sustainability based on the means by which it's harvested and the increasing global demand.
Sommaliers (sic?) are starting to publicly come out in favour of (recycled) plastic corks, as they guarantee wines won't spoil and it seems as though the folks down with cork flooring back in the day are now into bamboo.
I'm making total sweeping generalizations I realize, but I'd love to hear the facts on cork.
it doesn't seem like luis has added altogether that much on what jasper morrison already did a few years ago with cork tables/stools.
The deal with cork is good.
http://www.panda.org/news_facts/newsroom/other_news/news.cfm?uNewsID=22370 Look at this text at WWF.