Cork pieces by Gisela Simas
The Dora coffee table and the Congonhas lamp are the first cork furniture pieces to be created by the Brazilian designer Gisela Simas. The pieces arose from a partnership between the Original Practical Design Limited (OPD) studio, founded and managed by the designer, and Corticeira Amorim, who has supported Gisela Simas in the research and development process of new cork objects.
“Sustainable materials are the future. Cork, in addition to having this characteristic, has a wonderful colour and a natural touch. My pieces reflect my design perspective, which must be of great quality and use materials that are eco-friendly, while using the most recent production technologies.”
Inspired by the shape of the wings of a Boeing 737-800, the pieces intend to create a feeling of continuous movement. With contemporary lines and a glass top, made from cork and wood, the Dora coffee table has an innovative, practical and very original construction, conveying great softness. In turn, the grand but elegant Congonhas lamp is made in cork by hand, and it is available in three different sizes.
Both pieces are produced in Portugal by the furniture company Época, which has, among others, Álvaro Siza Vieira and Philippe Starck in its customer portfolio.
For Gisela Simas, who, in the last years, has been working mainly with wood, the possibility of exploring a raw material like cork in the design of furniture, lighting and design pieces was an old dream, and it is especially important to Gisela as the designer enjoys working with natural and sustainable materials.
The presentation of the most recent pieces by Gisela Simas at the Milan Design Week took place in the scope of the Rio+Design exhibition, promoted by the Government of the State of Rio de Janeiro, and was part of the Be Brasil event, organized by the Brazilian Agency for the Promotion of Exports and Investments (Apex-Brasil). The exhibition included works from more than 60 artists to tell the story of Brazilian design, from modernism to the present day.
Gisela Simas belongs to a new generation of Brazilian designers. She lives in London, where she studied Industrial and Product Design at Central Saint Martins and founded the Original Practical Design Limited (OPD) studio. Her work is characterised by timeless aesthetics, functionality and purity of lines, not conceiving the thought of large-scale production.
Congonhas lamp and Dora coffee table mark the beginning of a partnership between the studio Original Practical Design Limited (OPD) and Corticeira Amorim, which supported the designer in development of these new cork-based items.