Corker No. 1 Marble Stool

The silhouette of a champagne cork served as inspiration for Herzog & de Meuron’s design of the Corker furniture, which can be used as a stool or side table. The extension of the popular product family with a new version made of marble emphasises the monolithic character of the design even more: the object made of coloured natural stone looks like a sculpture in the room. Jacques Herzog says: “You could almost see the Corker as a Pop Art object because it emerged directly and without any significant reshaping from enlarging an object that exists in our everyday culture.” This furniture made of polished or matt marble is attractive not only as an aesthetic highlight but also a haptic one: the tactile qualities of natural stone invite you to touch the material - the cool, smooth surface forms a contrast to the warm, velvety cork of the original designs.

Corker originated at the London Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2012. The design of the temporary summer pavilion was a joint project by the architectural office Herzog & de Meuron and Chinese artist, designer and architect Ai Weiwei. The cork design object was part of the overall concept.