For all you wine enthusiasts out there, what do you do with all of your left over corks? Throw them away or keep them as sweet reminders? How about use them for surprisingly comfortable furniture? The company Life After Corkage have dedicated themselves to coming up with innovative ways to reuse corks. One of their most popular products is their cork bar stool. This stool takes 2,500 used corks, places them in a breathable, mesh container, and then puts that container into a bar stool frame. Though it may seem fragile, due to the resiliency of cork and the high volume of it in a small space, these bar stools are actually quite comfortable and durable as well! These are the perfect pieces to use for a bar or wine cellar. Not only do they serve a practical purpose, but they are statement pieces as well.
These pieces of furniture are also easily adaptable to ottomans as well. It is as simple as removing the mesh container from the bar stool frame and WALLAH! we have an ottoman!
Up-cycled furniture and fixtures have really become the shining star of the sustainability movement, particularly in residential applications. Though most of the up-cycled furniture is not always cost effective, something as versatile as the cork bar stool and ottoman could prove to be a worth-while purchase. It is like getting two for the price of one! Another plus for up-cycled items is that they were able to last through their "previous life" so now that they have been re-purposed, they will last longer than most of today's "made in China" easy-assembly furniture. Though it may be a larger initial investment, always remember that quality trumps quantity. In a changing world, it is more justifiable to spend money on pieces that will last for 50 years than to spend a smaller amount of money on something that you will have to replace multiple times in a 50 year span. Let's continue to reduce our impact on the Earth by consuming less and up-cycling more!
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