This striking marine-grade cork coffee table was designed in collaboration with Winch Design and crafted by Silverlining for Winch Design’s London studio. It combines Portuguese cork with FSC-certified English olive ash – grown and sourced locally — and FSC-certified American black walnut. Both woods are finished with natural, plant-based oil, enhancing their natural aesthetic.
“Cork, though often overlooked, is a high-performance natural material with exceptional durability, capable of withstanding the demanding conditions of a yacht,” explains Mark Boddington, founder and chairman at Silverlining Furniture. “Its inherent qualities – water resistance, hypoallergenic, and antimicrobial properties – make it an invaluable resource for marine design.”
The piece was inspired by a pebble, placed on the desk of Michael Noah, Associate, Architecture and Yachts at Winch Design. “A simple pebble Andrew Winch placed on my desk at the start of my journey here at Winch Design was more than a keepsake; it was a spark of inspiration,” he explains. “I’ve always dreamed of creating something meaningful from it. As we moved into our new studio, the time felt right to bring this vision to life.”
The cork oak – from which the material originates – is native to the western Mediterranean, primarily in the Iberian Peninsula, and offers profound ecological benefits. Each harvest is said to stimulate the tree’s regeneration, enabling it to absorb three to five times more CO2 than unharvested trees. In Portugal alone, cork oak forests are reported to have offset an estimated 10 million tons of carbon annually.
The table’s cork base is precision-milled using CNC technology, assembled into layered segments that graduate in texture and density and hand-sanded for a refined finish.
The tabletop, crafted from quarter-cut solid olive ash, features a subtle oiled finish that highlights its natural grain. Accents of quarter-cut solid American black walnut provide gentle contrasts, adding depth and sophistication to the design.
