We’ve seen homes across India go more green and ‘back to the earth’ in a big way with canvas bags, reusable straws of bamboo or steel, more minimalist in their aesthetics and using technology which aims to be minimal with their emissions. Now make some room for cork, Jhunjhun Jain says.
Using an in-house technique — a secret kept under lock and key —Jhunjhun oversees the creation of some cork coasters at Outlin’d Studio in Delhi. Strictly no use of printing, she affirms, as her careful illustrations of her Amer Jaali coasters are digitally burned into a piece of cork sheet. The warm smell of burnished cork fills the room. The designs are burned into the cork for longevity, authenticity and sharper finishes, she says.
26 year-old Jhunjhun Jain of Outlin’d Studio
The 26 year-old designer doesn’t compromise when it comes to the right cork; she sources the material from Spain as well as Portugal, the epicentre of this industry. Presently, the total value of the cork market, according to Cork Quality Council, is at €644 million. “We use pure cork. The designs done on the material are actually burned into it.”
So how do you know if you’ve invested in cork which hasn’t been tainted with chemicals? Jhunjhun responds, “One can’t really tell until you decompose the product. Obviously if there’s a printing or painting done, there’s an unmissable outer layer.”
Jhunjhun’s love affair with cork began years ago; she’d done her Masters in Product Design from Loughborough University. “At college in Singapore, I did carpentry and we would do a lot of research and development with different materials. I stumbled across cork and my interest in it progressed. I eventually made my first product; six coasters inspired by Jharokas, an ornate style of balconies used in Rajasthani architecture. I was just 20 when I publicly exhibited them at Singapore’s Red Dot Museum.”
Now Outlin’d Studio has a whole range of cork home decor inspired by heritage sites around India, including a baudi-inspired bookstand, an Aiyanakaari wine glass stand reminiscent of Sheesh Mahal and a range of Charminar-esque coasters. Buyers from Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai and Mumbai found themselves drawn to the quirky yet elegant pieces.
Charminar bookmark
Having travelled to many places, she isn’t closed off to designing heritage products from the United Kingdom and Singapore, but she does explain, “I would love to capture and translate international architectures as I’m very fascinated by them. But I don’t know how much time it will take for me to cover this realm of architecture in India alone. It just differs structurally from state to state and even city to city, so I’d want to dedicate my designs to those first.”
“The theme is ancient architecture above anything,” Jhunjhun adds, “I didn’t want to go too in-depth with what said architecture was all about — but rather trying to outline our heritage, the motifs and patterns. Having a part of that in our homes is special. Photo shoots and walk-bys feel very transient so translating what I observed and keeping that at home elevates that.”
High on cork
The primary pull of cork is that it’s zero-waste as it’s ground to grain before being compacted into a sheet. On a cellular level, cork has a honeycomb structure, each cell a 14-sided polyhedron. The bark itself is 89% air making for low-density so when the substance is compressed, air is not squeezed out due to the strong and flexible cell membranes.
Essentially cork is the way forward, being a durable insulator which is light, flexible and hypo-allergenic.
She adds that cork is especially attractive in terms of sustainability rather than wood since it is sourced from the renewable, outer-bark of the tree and does not require as much environmental interference. “It’s like picking a fruit and where can you go wrong with that?” Jhunjhun chuckles, “As I played around with the material, I realised that cork was also quite versatile; like when I burnt it, the colour, and the smell, was very enticing to me. It took me a good two to three months to develop this technique of burning cork. It took a lot of trial and error.”
Baudi bookstand
It takes roughly 25 years for a cork tree to start to produce cork. From this point, it can then be harvested every nine years and these tall trees can surpass 150 years of age, so most trees are usually harvested at least 15 times.
Generational impact
Jhunjhun joins a generation that is furthering the betterment of our world through design and sustainability — breathing fresh life of minimalist design into the homes of her customers.
“So far I haven’t received negative feedback,” she responds, “especially when it’s regarding the practicality of the product; people are discovering a different use to cork and it’s propelled a great conversation. People these days are not hoarders, wanting just ‘two’ instead of ‘two hundred’ around their space. They also want things which have a story behind them. Plus tons of Indians move a lot so the wine glass stands, tea trays and even bookshelves have that easy portability and durability to them.”This ethos had been mapped out before Outlin’d Studio’s conception, proving there’s nothing more effective than a plan. Not painting the cork and leaving the granular appearance to come through is extremely important to Jhunjhun — just as one would leave and preserve heritage.
Jhunjhun’s designs can be found atoutlind.studio.
