Burnt Cork: furniture with sinuous forms

Fuelled by a rich creative background and a narrative deeply rooted in nature, French designer Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance crafts ‘Burnt Cork’. An extraordinary collection of furniture featuring sinuous forms and a gradient of textures.

“While moving to Portugal, I drove through the dramatic forest fires of summer 2017. And this visceral experience resonated with me deeply.

As a tribute to Portuguese cork, an ode to the resilience of people, material and process. These objects are something of an anomaly, symbolic of the phoenix rising from the ashes” says Duchaufour-Lawrance.

Innovatively fabricated through his Portugal-based studio, Made in Situ from calcined bark to fine grain, from rawness to fluid curves – it brilliantly plays with dichotomies.

An industrial waste product – the discarded burnt cork is seamlessly transformed into custom gradient blocks, then skillfully carved to reveal a tactile sculptural creation featuring minimalistic one-of-a-kind chairs and tables.

The first piece that he designed was the Chaise Longue. Opening up the path for the rest of the collection, evolving first into the lounge chair and then the chair.

The tangible rigidity of the base of each of these three fascinating objects effortlessly morphs into curved shapes to welcome the body.

Architecturally juxtaposing the vertical and horizontal. The three tables are further a play on positioning, calling for visual interaction with the rough blocks that structurally hold the soft fluidity of the uppermost surface.

Additionally, perched on three legs, the eclectic stool morphs gradually from visible burnt cork into an organic top.