CUSTOM-MADE RUGS FOR YOUR HOME
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The label
of clarissakork.

Video_Portrait_Clarissa_Steurer_Clarissakork

YOUR FAVOURITE
NEW ITEM

CLARISSAKORK ist ein unkonventionelles Label für Teppiche und Wohnaccessoires aus Kork – inspiriert von grafischen Mustern, klaren Linien und zurückhaltenden Farben. Ganz Pur und schlicht, hochwertig bestickt oder liebevoll bedruckt für unsere Kleinsten.

Alle Produkte werden mit viel Liebe zum Detail von Hand in unserer Manufaktur im Bregenzerwald gefertigt. Für die Langlebigkeit unserer Produkte setzen wir auf die allerhöchste Qualität unserer Materialien – frei von giftigen Chemikalien und Schadstoffen.

15 QUESTIONS ABOUT CLARISSAKORK

1
WHAT DOES YOUR PRODUCTION PROCESS LOOK LIKE?

For our products we use only the highest quality premium cork leather from Portugal. Our products are vegan and free from harmful substances and plasticisers. But even all this is not enough for us. We produce our products in our own manufactory, in the middle of the Bregenzerwald region. We focus on class instead of mass, out of respect for the environment and because we believe there is such a thing as sustainable consumption. Our products should accompany you for a long time with a clear conscience. They’re created out of pure passion for beautiful design and a love of craftsmanship.

2
HOW DO YOU COME UP WITH YOUR PRODUCTS?

Function follows design, that's my approach. A beautiful product alone is not enough. New products must always have a function or simply make life easier in all manner of ways. Like our placemats, for example, which can be left on the table even after a meal and serve as a decorative element. Most product ideas arise from everyday life, from a personal need. The idea starts rattling around in my head and then pretty quickly my team and I start putting the first prototypes together. Social media channels also play a role in this - I often show prototypes on Instagram and Facebook and ask the community for their opinion.

3
ARE ALL PRODUCTS UNIQUE SPECIMENS?

In a way, yes. Cork is a natural material, so the grain is different on each piece. The colours are natural too and may vary from batch to batch. The embroidery makes the rugs truly unique - there are no other embroidered cork rugs in the world! And thanks to our Configurator, every customer can play the role of designer anyway, with 768 possibilities to order your own rug in the desired size.

4
WHAT ADVANTAGES DOES CORK LEATHER HAVE OVER ANIMAL LEATHER?

Cork is warm because it absorbs and stores heat from the air, and cork leather is water-resistant while leather absorbs water. This special property also ensures that cork leather is much easier to clean - all products can simply be wiped clean.

5
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO PRODUCE A RUG OUT OF CORK?

There’s quite an elaborate process behind it all: it’s a long way from the cork oak to this supple finished material. It starts with the harvesting of the bark - done exclusively by hand - and ends in the manufactory with the exact cutting and sewing of the pieces. Each rug is cut and manufactured only when ordered; we have no rugs (with the exception of children's rugs) in stock. For large rugs, often 3-4 people are needed just for sewing.

6
WHAT IS THE NICEST COMPLIMENT YOU’VE EVER RECEIVED FOR YOUR CORK?

We regularly get amazing feedback and compliments -it's pretty hard to pick out just one! I had to smile when a customer wrote that her husband now voluntarily empties the dishwasher because he loves standing on the rug there. Another customer wrote to me in thick letters: I’LL NEVER USE ANOTHER BATHROOM MAT THAN THIS. But I also find it touching when mothers tell me about their changing mats. So many write me that when their baby is cranky, they put them on the changing mat and the little one calms down immediately.

7
WHY DOES DELIVERY TAKE 4-6 WEEKS?

The majority of our products, not only our customer-configured mats, are manufactured only after receiving an order. Embroidered rugs need the longest delivery time - up to 40 working days. Each embroidered motif is actually customised to the exact desired size of the customer. First the cutting is done by us, then the rugs go to our embroiderer. The cork leather pieces then come back to us and are made into the rug in our manufactory.

8
WHAT SHOULD I CONSIDER WITH THE RUGS AND HOW CAN THEY BE CLEANED?

Less is more, basically: you can wipe the products with a damp cloth and can also sometimes use an ecological cleaner or a mild soap – it’s only important that no aggressive agents are used.
You should also take care that the rugs are not bent, or rolled with the underside out. This makes the tension too great and the underside can break.

9
WHAT PROBLEMS DO YOU WANT TO SOLVE WITH YOUR PRODUCTS?

Quite a few! 😊 Until now, people with dust mite allergies usually do without mats or rugs – which is a pity as they can serve to divide rooms, create accents, are pleasant underfoot, and are quite often a key design piece. Cork rugs provide a perfect solution, because they are anti-allergenic and therefore suitable for allergy sufferers.

For the elderly, kitchen runners or rugs often pose tripping hazards. A cork rug is non-slip and stays flat on the floor. The kitchen floor is protected and at the same time they’re super comfortable to stand on.

In the bathroom it takes away a lot of work. The tasks of constant straightening, untangling rugs and shaking them, are obsolete. Hair and dust can’t get into cork mats; they can be simply vacuumed or wiped. And wetness is no problem - moisture dries on the surface, and without annoying water marks or limescale stains.

For children, our rugs are the perfect playground. An overturned juice glass or a piece of melted chocolate are shrugged off by parents, as everything can simply be wiped. The rugs don’t slide, don’t fluff, and are warm. Meanwhile, the kids will be happy when their Lego tower or wooden-brick castle finally stays standing.

10
IS THERE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CORK AND CORK LEATHER? AND IF SO, WHAT IS THERE TO KNOW?

Cork is basically the starting material. The corks found in bottles are made from the granulate residues, as well as other types of seals, pin boards, insulation panels and much more. The latter products are known to be brittle and crumbly. This is different from cork leather, because this can only be obtained from the middle layer of the cork bark. This layer is particularly elastic and supple. The cork leather is laminated onto a cotton backing, which makes it flexible.

11
HOW HAS YOUR COMPANY CHANGED SINCE THE SUCCESS OF THE "2 MINUTEN 2 MILLIONEN" TV SHOW?

Participating in the show was definitely an important step for us. Before the show, most of the orders came from Germany - we had a low profile in Austria. Now this is almost balanced between the two. It was also important for our self-confidence; we were often labelled as hobbyists here and not taken seriously. In the show, three investors wanted to invest in us, and we received positive feedback from all five of them.

12
YOU CAN CUSTOMISE THINGS LIKE RUGS AND SEAT COVERS - HOW DOES THAT WORK?

We have a configurator in our shop, which means you can order products that fit exactly by simply selecting colours and then entering the exact measurements. It immediately shows you the price and you can put the product directly into the shopping basket. We even have our own app for the rugs, so you can virtually bring our rugs into your home using your own mobile phone camera and see which colour fits best. You can find it under "Clarissakork" in the Play Store and the App Store.

13
WHERE IS CORK USED?

Cork is used in an incredible number of settings. You can find cork in everything from indoor baseball fields to musical instruments and even in space rockets. Cork has wonderful properties: it is antibacterial, flame retardant, lightweight, insulating and much more, so it can be used in many different ways. We only use cork leather for our products. Our heads are buzzing with the many possibilities - we still have thousands of ideas up our sleeves 

14
WHY CHOOSE ONE GOOD THING INSTEAD OF 20 HALF THINGS?

Nowadays, we’re bombarded with so much information each day, important and unimportant, positive and negative. Our days are full of appointments, calls, WhatsApp and social media. To recover from this overstimulation, I find it pleasant when there aren't 100 things lying around at home that subconsciously keep me on edge.

And then, personally, I'd much rather have one thing that works really well instead of lots of cheap things that break quickly or need to be thrown away or replaced. In the end, buying cheap is often expensive – both in terms of money and, worse, in terms of time.

On top of these personal bugbears, there are mountains of rubbish which grow and grow, and as long as politicians do little about it, everyone is responsible for what they can do for a better environment. To completely give up plastic is challenging, but it’s already a valuable contribution if we have a conscious approach to packaging and consumption.

We should not forget the fact that we’re all role models: if we constantly get our children new flashing plastic stuff, it is unconsciously suggested that the things have no value and you can just throw everything away and buy new ones.

15
HOW DID THE IDEA OF CLARISSAKORK COME ABOUT?

By chance, in fact. I wanted to start my own business and originally had another idea, also to do with interiors. Then I saw a TV report about vegan leather and started researching what vegan leather could possibly be and was immediately excited about the properties, look, and feel. I knew that these properties held the potential for a completely new type of rug.