There is a moment in the work of our artisans when material ceases to be just material and becomes something more: a gesture, a vision, a value taking shape. There is a silent beauty in cork, a gentle, resilient material, naturally suited to protect and endure. There is poetry in its transformation into Corkcrete, an innovative finish born from the union with natural, water-based resins, capable of translating the idea of sustainable design into reality. “The Corkcrete”, the sixth chapter in our visual journey, stems from here. Far from a mere technical narration, it is an invitation to rethink material as an expression of value — an homage to the earth, to design intelligence and to human craft. Corkcrete is the result of an ambitious challenge: to create a finish – suitable for furniture – that could combine beauty, durability and environmental responsibility. A unique material, built on resolved contrasts: raw yet velvety, strong yet light, technological yet natural. A compound that whispers tales of metamorphosis, turning every surface it touches into a theatre of sensations. Its soul is cork, a natural and renewable resource with remarkable intrinsic properties: naturally water-resistant thanks to its closed-cell structure, inherently fire-retardant owing to the presence of wax and suberin, light and elastic yet resistant to wear and ageing, and offering excellent thermal regulation due to the air trapped within its microscopic cavities. This eco-friendly composite withstands adverse conditions — humidity, temperature swings, rain or snow — while preserving its integrity both indoors and outdoors. A finish that plays with the senses: visually raw, yet surprisingly soft to the touch. Its texture reveals itself under the fingertips as an unexpected caress, while its materiality retains the expressive strength typical of contemporary architectural languages.
This is where every new episode of "The shape of values" begins.
The camera lingers on the gestures: hands mixing, spreading, refining. The paste gains body. The surface transforms. Cork becomes skin, protection, aesthetics. Every step is a ritual; every imperfection, a mark of identity.
Corkcrete not only interprets our values, it makes them tangible: to be seen, touched and lived.
Step by step, the Hercle table by Lapo Ciatti takes on its character; through the same cadenced, repeated yet never identical movements, other icons of the brand are reinterpreted: ILtavolo 2.0 table, LAlampada pendant lamp, ILletto bed, the Oodh mirror — all by Lapo Ciatti —, and the Mammamia chair by Marcello Ziliani. Completing this line-up is Axis, the indoor–outdoor kitchen system presented at Salone del Mobile 2025 — a contemporary reinterpretation of a project from the Eighties.
Objects that do not merely wear a finish, but embody a choice, a direction. Ambassadors of a new conscious aesthetic, where material is a declaration of intent, and form the reflection of a value: responsibility towards others, towards diversity, and towards the planet we live on.
"The shape of values" is more than a documentary: it is an invitation to observe design up close, in its gestures, its silences, and its reasons why.
The journey continues.
To revisit the magic of every episode, explore the full series HERE.
