So impressed were we with our cork tour of Portugal that Kemey and I wanted to bring back home with us a more substantial than usual souvenir as a keepsake. Before we knew it we were making plans to clad an entire wall of our house with cork tiles. Having now lived with the tiles in place for several months, our choice seems more and more sensible and aesthetically sound as the days go by.
The tiles came by way of Wicanders, a brand of Portugal’s top cork producer Amorim, and were imported to the UK by Siesta Cork Tiles. Wicanders’ main business is flooring, but its line of Dekwall applies the same knowhow and use of sustainable material for tough, flexible wall tiles.
The tiles consist of two layers: a thick layer of agglomerated cork for backing, noise reduction and insulation, and a thin layer serving as a decorative veneer. We went with a style called Bamboo Toscana. At once modern and woody, linear and earthy – the look sets a calm tone and brings cohesion to our house as a whole.
Guests have complimented us on the tiles and enquired about them with interest.
We installed the tiles (with the help of our builder friend Richard Gravett) along our interior wall where the stairway leads to the first floor. Since installing them back at the end of last summer, we haven’t had to rely on our heater nearly as much as we feel we might have done otherwise during the winter. We’ve heard a lot less noise from our neighbours too. As summer rolls around it will be interesting to see if the cork keeps the heat out.
That’s about it for my series of posts about one of my favourite destinations– and its most fascinating product. I’ll cork it all up soon in an outro post. Cheers!
