Cork interior furniture: fun and functional mushroom stool for kids

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Cork is a super cool material, but it's a bit undervalued in residential spaces, say Yvonne Lukowski and her husband Mike Lukowski, founders of B.C.-based Pose Company. Both are trained interior designers, and the Pause Company specializes in high-end, functional furniture made from cork.

As interior designers, they've been exposed to a lot of products, but when they had kids, Yvonne says they struggled to find child-friendly furniture they wanted in their home. The couple wanted a color that was the opposite of the bright, primary-colored plastics often used in children's furniture.

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They wanted high-performance furniture that would fit comfortably into their fashionable homes. (Design-focused) Items you don't need to hide if you have guests over.

“We wanted to find elegant pieces that were timeless, quirky, and didn't look like too much of a children's product. That's what led us to found Pause Company. ” says Yvonne.

Step into the mushroom stool…

Yvonne says the first item they designed for Pose Company was the Cork Mushroom Stool. And although it was made with kids in mind, adults love it as well.

It has a unique, organic shape that kids love to sit on and lean on. But Yvonne says you can also turn it upside down and use it as a side table.

“My kids really like it.”

cork is sustainable

Yvonne says cork is technically a tree and is still alive.

Pause Company sources its wood from cork oak trees in Portugal.

“We strip the bark off the cork tree, but amazingly, the cork tree doesn't die. We reharvest the cork every nine years, and the cork continues to grow,” she says.

champagne cork

According to Yvonne, the Mushroom Stool is made from high-quality cork. The Mushroom Stool's $650 pricing likely reflects this.

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The corks used are the same type as champagne corks. The bark of the cork is harvested and left outside to dry naturally, and then a champagne stopper is punched out of the cork. What remains, Yvonne said, is “a huge piece of bark with thousands of holes”.

This bark is then ground into granules and heat pressed into giant blocks. The sap in cork bark acts as a natural glue. Next, we work with Portuguese artisans to hand-carve a mushroom stool from a cork block.

“It's very natural. It doesn't contain any chemicals. Cork is impermeable to liquids and gases, so it's very difficult to even dye it, but it's non-toxic and very durable. It's a great material to have around the kids. If it gets dirty, a quick sanding will make it look like new again,” says Yvonne.

I'm glad you're by my side

Yvonne says cork is a great material to have in your home because it's soft to the touch, has a leather-like texture, and is comfortable to stand, lean against and sit on.

You can easily change the look of your cork by simply sanding it a little coarser or finer.

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“Also, because it's wood chips, it's 100 percent biodegradable. It's a great natural material.”

Expanding our offerings

Yvonne said she receives requests through her design connections at Pose Company in Greater Vancouver to create custom cork items such as tables, accessories such as vases and large bowls, and shelves.

“These stools were so well received that we are moving into the market to create even more high-end residential products.”

According to Yvonne, they wanted to expand their offer of furniture and products for children, and that's where it all started.

Rethinking cork flooring

According to Yvonne, cork has been used as flooring material for hundreds of years. However, the current cork flooring trend in North America that they are focusing on is cork flooring that mimics the look of wood. Therefore, you may not realize that it is cork.

“I believe there are now 100% waterproof cork floorings that look and feel like wood but have the properties of cork. It is commonly placed under laminate.

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