Get Cozy in a Cork Oak Cottage!

Cork never ceases to amaze us. It is made into wine stoppers, floors, lamps, furniture, wall coverings…even purses! Well, you will never believe what new green design our parent company, Amorim, has come up with now: Cork Cottages!

Cork Eco-Cottage

The Eco-Cottages are made out of recycled and recyclable materials, and have superior thermal qualities. They are ideal for placement in natural parks and protected areas, and are a hit in Japan, Italy and in the Middle East. These green buildings are made from cork waste, the same thing our Wicanders Cork Oak Flooring is made from. Recycled cork, from the Cork Oak Tree, preserves biodiversity, sustainability, and lasts longer than other insulating material.

Cork is a diverse material. We are so happy to be a part of an innovative time with an innovative green product! Remember to check out the Cork Oak Flooring that Wicanders offers. You can see our seven different collections of flooring here.

Whether its Cork under your feet, on your walls or maybe even in a natural park near you, we hope you love it as much as we do. Until next time,

Team Wicanders

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A Portuguese Treasure Hunt

A Portuguese Gold Coin

A 16th century Portuguese trading ship was found off the coast of Namibia recently. It is “the most exciting archaeological discovery on the African continent in the past 100 years” according to Webber Ndoro, the project manager of the excavation. The excavation has lead to the discovery of priceless artifacts like gold and silver coins, elephant tusks, and cannon balls from Portugal. You can read more here.

Portugal has had an exciting month. Not only have 16th century Portuguese treasures been discovered, but the countries’ capital, Lisbon, is home to a modern day treasure! Cork, from the Cork Oak Tree, is one of Portugal’s very own natural treasures, and is being displayed at the Berardo Museum in Lisbon.

“Design Cork for Future, Innovation, and Sustainability” is the exhibition that displays 37 original Cork designs. But our “treasure” has been re-vamped! This exhibition is home to new and creative ways to use cork. Products like lamps, furniture and even handbags are on display!

Cork is an incredibly sustainable material. It can be used for so many things, and as we can see in the exhibition, we are just starting to use Cork to its full potential. The designers who have created the products on display are like the archaeologists who discovered the Portuguese shipwreck. They are pulling one great design after another out of their own ocean of creativity. And although the sunken treasure cannot be reused, cork can!

Innovative Cork Products

That is why we are so proud of Amorim for partnering with government and other organizations like APCOR, and INETI to develop and support this project. And as always, we love our Wicanders Cork Oak Floors. Cork flooring is just one of the great uses for Cork. Wicanders offers a healthy, sustainable, environmentally friendly option for green home design. Let us know what your next cork discovery is… we are ready to dive in!

Until the next treasure hunt…Team Wicanders.

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Artistic Skill & the Love that Inspires It

When we go to great lengths to nurture, shape, fashion and protect what Nature so purely gives to us, just the sight of it can evoke an emotional response.

Yesterday one of our team members was fortunate enough to visit Ladew Topiary Gardens in Monkton, Maryland. Established by award-winning topiary artist Harvey Ladew in the late 1930s, Ladew is said to be one of the greatest gardens in the world, and certainly the finest topiary garden in America. Defined, “topiary is the art of clipping trees or shrubs into ornamental shapes.” The mystique of this art form, however, goes well beyond this definition.

The Hunt at Ladew Topiary Gardens

Ladew’s most acclaimed topiary is a hunt scene with horses, riders, dogs, and of course the scared, furry fox. The Hunt is the most famous single piece of classical topiary in North America. The artistic skill and love of the art that is evident in this piece is awe-inspiring and truly moves people.

Montado Cork Forest at Sundown

You’ll see this same artistic skill and the love that inspires it in the faces of the cork harvesters set for work in the pristine Montados of the Mediterranean, as they have done for generations. You’ll see this too in the technical skill and dedication of the R&D teams at Amorim, crafting and shaping Wicanders Cork Oak Floors with ultimate precision, to ensure the conscientious use of natural resources as the basis for Sustainable Development. Each innovation, like the one before it, adds value to what Nature has provided. Nature and Man working together in perfect harmony. To us, that’s inspirational.

Team Wicanders

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