Recently, our representative from Lee Industries, Liz, visited the showroom and told us about cork leather. Lee cork is from Portugal, home of some of the best cork in the world and is warm to the touch, natural, eco-friend and vegan, lightweight and nontoxic. Cork is inherently fire resistant, recyclable, biodegradable and water-proof. Lee cork leathers can be used in residential, hospitality, commercial wall covering and even acoustical applications. 

The Cork Oak Tree is found in the Mediterranean (Spain and Portugal.) A tree must grow for 25-34 years before the first harvest. This is done in a special way to make sure the tree can continue to grow and produce more cork. So, why does the cork oak have a thicker layer of cork bark
than other trees? The tree evolved to protect itself from the fires, droughts and temperature fluctuations of the Mediterranean forests. Cork is actually made of water-resistant cells that separate the outer bark from the delicate interior bark. It has a unique set of properties not found in any other naturally existing material. 

The above image is cork wallcovering we carry from Innvironments. It is in the Cubism pattern.

The above designs are handmade wall coverings from Weitzner. The are made from, bark, pulp and salago fiber. 

The above wallcovering is from Pacific Designs and in environmentally friendly cork. 

“Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.” – Frank Lloyd Wright

Another one of our brands, Lee, has made efforts to be a leader in environmentally friendly manufacturing practices since 1969. In the early 1980’s, LEE chose to use products that eliminated chlorofluorocarbons (CFC’s) in foam cushions before it was mandated. Soy-based cushions were introduced in 2006 as well as fibers made from recycled plastic, and springs made from 80% recycled metal.

Home Trends & Design is another company we work with who helping the environment. They created the Mango Foundation which plants a tree for every dining table sold since 2015. Their goal is to prevent further deforestation starting with India, Indonesia, Vietnam and Texas. Learn more here: https://www.mangofoundation.org/#story