Casa Cork Reimagines Sustainable Living at Milan Design Week 2025

Casa Cork, an innovative and immersive experience at Milan Design Week 2025, showcased the versatility of the sustainable material.

WORDS Gina Dionisio PHOTOS Ed Reeve

Cork is truly one of nature’s wonder materials – the flexible yet durable bark is not only sustainable, but offers excellent thermal insulation, and is naturally hydrophobic and fire-resistant, too.

This multifaceted materiality inspired David Rockwell and the Rockwell Group to create “Casa Cork” for Milan Design Week 2025 – an immersive, layered space that invited the global design community to envision a regenerative future. The pop-up was a collaboration between the Rockwell Group, the sustainability-focused non-profit Cork Collective, and Corticeira Amorim – the world’s largest cork producer – which invited the global design community to imagine a regenerative future.

At the heart of Casa Cork was a dramatic centrepiece – a lifelike, six-metre-tall 3D-printed replica of a monumental tree, clad in virgin cork reclaimed from trees that have fallen due to disease or lightning strikes.

Beyond the tree, the space showcased the versatility and sustainability of cork through various design applications. The interior and furnishings were crafted almost entirely from, you guessed it, cork, and featured innovative cork furniture and products by both emerging and established international designers and manufacturers. Highlights included a bespoke chandelier and bar custom designed by Rockwell Group by Artemest; a custom illuminated wall feature, with sconces designed by Rockwell Group and manufactured by Thomas Cooper Studio, a Lusive company; and fabrics, tiles, and wallcoverings from 4Spaces.

Framing the entrance to the bar and tasting lounge inside Casa Cork, was a display that showcases the applications of cork in collectable design. The objects in these vignettes further emphasised the material’s versatility and beauty, crafted by luminaries from the design industry worldwide, including the Campana Brothers, Tom Dixon, Made in Situ by Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance, Grain, Toni Grilo (Blackcork), Maddalena Casadei (designer), Falegnameria Pisu (artisan) for Pretziada, and Susana Godinho (Sugo Cork Rugs).

The pop-up also played host to a student design competition and a series of talks aimed to educate visitors about cork and sustainable design practices. Featuring prominent figures in architecture and design – including David Rockwell, Yves Béhar, Deyan Sudjic, Suchi Reddy, and Tom Dixon – the talks explored themes related to cork, such as craftsmanship, timelessness, manufacturing, and the circular economy. | rockwellgroup.com

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