I had this idea of a luxury lounge chair made with sustainable materials.
I got my inspiration for arko during a hiking trip in early 2020 - about 300 KM on the „caminho histórico“ along the portuguesean western algarve. I came again in touch with cork and could discover there the starting point of this material. The bark is really carefully cutted from the trees. The surface beneath the bark is silk-matt and deep red. In the small villages near the coast, I have also discovered old cork- workshops. The size of some of these bark cuts were impressive even so the whole process.
Contemporary design should not be limited to shaping. It should also communicate an awareness of the material issue. In addition, it was important to me to pay the same level of attention to the area of color design.
I was inspired by the 63 colors of the „Polychromie Architecturale“ a colorsystem made by Le Corbusier in 1931 and 1959. I was driven by the idea to combine colors from the past with materials from tomorrow. The result is a lounge chair which fits perfectly into any atmosphere.
From now on materials are pretty sure one of the most important topic of future generations.
Thats why the seat of arko is covered with animal-free, perforated rhurab leather for the purpose of breathing activity. The backrest surrounds you and is made out of cork. The color is a byproduct from the production of the rhurab leather.
