printparty's rubber cork houseware collection by inbal hoffman

pair of baskets in neon pink

printparty’s rubber cork houseware collection 2012

i am a graphic designer and illustrator with some experience in pattern making and sawing. i am relentlessly looking for things to print on, and came across the rubberized cork which i consider as a wonder. by itself cork is amazing, it is natural, light, water resistant, flexible, it has great dimensional stability and is a thermal insulator. remarkably when combined with rubber we get strength and flexibility of the polymer plus the property of cork. this unique combination has a never-ending potential of applications. rubberized cork sheets (usually being used for automotive applications as oil gaskets) have a deformity of less than 0.1% and the physical stability of the products is excellent. they do not swell, have high tensile strengths and are resistance to the temperature as high as 110 degree celsius, so it is the perfect material to be made into kitchen and table ware, and as we found out can be cut into patterns and sawn into three dimensional objects. the material is pleasant to the touch, and comes in a combination of light brown (the cork) and black (the rubber). it is hand printed in a variety of designs and colors. hand pull screen-print is being used to apply water base colors on to the surface. the result is a perfect combination of modern clean graphic design and product design, with the natural and eco-friendly look that is so in demand these days.

the series keeps growing as we add new products and designs every season, it composed of placemats, coasters, small and medium baskets, small and medium square containers, tissue box covers, and envelopes. all in 5 initial designs a variety of colors. medium basket is 27cmx27cm (10inx10in) wide and 20cm (8in) high and can carry weight up to 3.5 kilos. small basket is 23cmx23cm (9inx9in) wide and 16cm (6in) high and can carry weight up to 2 kilos. the rectangular placemat is 29.5×40.5 cm (11.6"x16") the coasters come as a pack of 6 different random designs (3.5in x 3.5in each). medium box: 12.5×12.5 cm (5"x5") hight:13cm (5.2") small box: 10.5×10.5 cm (4"x4") hight:11cm (4.5") tissue cover is 24cmx12.5cm (9.5inx5in) and 8cm (3.1in) high, to fit standard tissue box, bottom side is open

all products can be easily cleaned by wiping it with a moist cloth, the baskets can be folded and stored flat. it does not occupy storage space when it is not in use!! the baskets will regain their original shape within 30 minutes after being unfold.

all graphic images are made especially for this house wares collection, and are all designed and hand printed by us. the lines are clean and the colors are fresh and bright. cutting mold is being used to cut the patterns of the various products out of the rubber cork sheets. all products are designed, cut, printed, sawed, and packed in small additions in my studio in tel-aviv the line is currently being sold in design and museum shops in israel, australia, canada and the united states , or at printparty on etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop/printparty

sets of coasters