Winner of the Bronze A’ Design Award at the 2015 A’ Design Award & Competition, Ayers Cork is an all-natural set of furniture by the Portuguese designer Albertina Oliveira. The project includes a luminaire, a table, and chairs. Suspended from thin wires, the lighting design is domed and looks as though it would fit right over the table like a cap. The round table is carved in a modern lounge shape, and the chairs fit underneath the tabletop. Nested altogether, the curved furnishings resemble a tree stump.
Light and strong, the chairs are CNC-machined from a single block of cork. The comfortable seating offers back support and grooves on either side, so that the design is easy to pick up and move as well. Likewise, the table base is also cut from solid cork. The tabletop and luminaire, however, are crafted from corkbalt, a composite of cork and basalt fiber that is strong yet lightweight. Altogether, Ayers Cork is an eco-friendly collection, as the materials are organic and the lamp makes use of LEDs. Bravo.
