Magic Boxes Shelving
Cork is such a versatile material that it can be used in a surprising number of applications. The Magic Boxes Shelving from Rui Pereira is a set of wall shelves made of stylish cork that are more than they first appear.
Floating Shelf Design
At first glance, the cork shelves look a bit like stones on the wall. Get a bit closer, however, and the softer, spongy texture of the cork becomes visible. But the seemingly “magic” properties of these floating wall shelves aren’t even the coolest part. Examine each one and you’ll find that each shelf opens to reveal a small storage space inside. The unique material makes the small storage containers look like natural features that belong on a cave wall. In the home, they look like sophisticated pieces of interactive, functional art.
Blackcork magic shelving


“This project was commissioned by Blackcork, a new furniture brand created by Portuguese cork company Sofalca. For their first collection I developed a shelving system which plays with the perception of volume and weight. These seemingly massive shelves produce the illusion of being floating on the wall thus giving the user an extra storing space. The use of natural cork allows the creation of pieces with a strong visual weight but structurally light.
The user is invited to freely compose his wall according to his needs.”
“Blackcork is a Portuguese contemporary furniture brand. The essence of the brand is based on the transformation of a material: expanded black cork. Sofalca, a company from Portugal, manufacturer of black cork expanded agglomerate since 1966, for thermic and acoustic insulation in construction and decoration in architecture, is now design editor: intended to sublimate the subject betting heavily on original and innovative design with the brand Blackcork.The designer and art director Toni Grilo invited the talented new generation of Portuguese designers to develop the first collection of 2014.”