Shop the trend: cork

The 70s favourite is back in fashion

Lisa Fazzani's avatar
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Much-loved in the seventies - think floor tiles, place mats and platform wedges - cork is making a comeback. Designers have recognized the versatility of this tactile, durable material and are combining it beautifully with ceramics, glass and wood. Add to that it's eco-friendly credentials - it's extracted from the bark of the cork oak tree, which reforms after nine years - and it's easy to see why cork is the material of the moment.

Ikea has collaborated with designer Ilse Crawford on a range of cork-based furniture and accessories which has just hit stores. The SINNERLIG collection includes more than 30 pieces, including tables, seating, glassware and tableware in simple designs that look great and feel wonderfully tactile too.

dining room with table and stool

(Image credit: Ikea)

SINNERLIG dining table, £250; bench, £100; stools, £50 each; all Ikea

bench with white background

(Image credit: Ikea)

SINNERLIG bench,
£100, Ikea

glass bottle with cork and glass jar

(Image credit: Ikea)

SINNERLIG glassware, from £4.50 for a bottle, Ikea

glass jar with white background

(Image credit: Ikea)

SINNERLIG jar with lid, £8.50, Ikea

Aside from its good looks and tactile qualities, cork is an easy-to-work-with material that designers are using in innovative and unexpected ways – contrasting it with smooth ceramics and glasswares, shaping it into 3D forms and surface printing with weird and wonderful designs.

coffee cup with whistler teapot

(Image credit: TBC)

Whistler teapot,
£19.95; coffee cup set, £18; E-Side

cork stool with white background

(Image credit: Heal's)

Vitra Cork stools by Jasper Morrison, £324 each, Heal’s

chair with cork seat

(Image credit: Discipline)

Drifted chair with cork seat, £209, Discipline

giant champagne cork stool and side table

(Image credit: The Chelsea Gardener)

Giant champagne cork stool/side table, £170, The Chelsea Gardener

Soft, durable, waterproof and easy to clean, cork is also a natural when it comes to tableware – from mats, coasters and table runners, to shapely candlesticks, drinking vessels and serveware.

dining table with glasses and plates

(Image credit: Amara)

Bloomingville cork placemats with white triangles, £11 each, Amara

cork placemat with black print

(Image credit: Amara)

Bloomingville cork placemat with black print, £15 each, Amara

dye coaster with white background

(Image credit: DaWanda)

Dip dye coasters, 14.95 euros, DaWanda

Warm underfoot and soft to the touch, we're used to seeing cork used as flooring but its sound-proofing qualities mean that it's also being used as a wallcovering too in the form of cork tiles and panels.

chair and table with clock on wall

(Image credit: Earthborn)

Cork floor tiles (used on the wall), £9.99 per 0.84 sq m pack, Homebase; painted in Wood Smoke eggshell paint, £28 for 2.5ltr, Earthborn

hat and Moustache personalized cork pinboard

(Image credit: Notonthehighstreet.com)

Hat and Moustache personalized cork pinboard, £29.95, Seashorse at
Notonthehighstreet.com

Lisa Fazzani
Lisa Fazzani
Freelance content editor

Lisa is a freelance journalist who has written about interiors for more than 25 years. Previously editor of Style at Home magazine, she has worked on all the major homes titles, including Ideal Home, Country Homes & Interiors, 25 Beautiful Homes and Homes & Gardens. She has covered pretty much every area of the home, from shopping and decorating, crafts and DIY to real homes and makeovers and now regularly writes gardening stories for Ideal Home.

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