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Ilse Crawford vs Ikea + cork

In case you hadn't heard this deeply exciting design news: Ilse Crawford is launching a collection of rather beautiful looking nature-inspired furniture at Ikea this August.

In line with the slow-burn 1970s revival that's been bubbling under for a few years, cork features heavily as a material.

The range has been called Sinnerlig and will feature more than 30 pieces, which look as if they've been beautifully designed with a heavy Crawford stamp on the details. (The Ikea press info alludes, intriguingly, to the "challenging" creative journey Ikea and Crawford have been on together, as two different approaches to the design process have slowly had to find a way to come together.)





Cork, I am reminded by the Ikea blurb about this newsflash, is "renewable, durable, an acoustic softener, waterproof and easy to clean". And terribly cool. But how to choose just one piece from this collection? I foresee a cork overload coming to my gaff this summer...

Loosely connected fact: Crawford's design company, Studioilse, was one of the trio of creative collaborators with Air BnB during last year's London Design Festival to produce an installation in London's Trafalgar Square. The Studioilse construction was an empty shed, inside which the words "what does home mean to you?" were painted on the floor. The many answers – from cups of tea to messy shelves – were flashed up on the walls in giant tweets and in photographic form, and I spent a strangely comforting few minutes gazing through the windows. You can read more about that and more Air BnB niceness here.

6 comments :

  1. I love cork, glad it's going to be a bit easier to get hold of. The cork flooring in our bathroom certainly divides opinion!

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    1. Ooh I love a cork floor. Do you have a photo? And is it tiles or sheet cork? I bet it's lovely and warm to walk on with bare feet...

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    2. If the sun ever comes out again I'll take a photo. We used tiles, our bathroom is very small so tiles were easier and less expensive. It is nice and warm to walk on - no nasty shocks at this time of year. The suite and tiles are original to the house (1968) so they're a bit forlorn but the floor warms it up.

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  2. It looks like old times are back in our lives with a new soul to shape them in a modern style. Lovely pieces of furniture.

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  3. Never thought of using cork as material for a stool, how is it to sit on?

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  4. Your house design looks great! I like the furniture.

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