Issue 04

There are a few great things about running a magazine.  First,  you get to meet a lot of interesting, creative, passionate people from around the world who share terrific stories about business, entertaining and making ‘stuff”.  Second, you receive loads of valuable tips and learn about new things.  One such tip was from Yaeri Song (seoulistmag.com) who contributed her valuable entertaining resource suggestions in Seoul (Take Stock: Seoul Issue 04).  Yaeri introduced us to Corkers made by the Tel Aviv based design studio, Reddish. The world is truly a small place!

{RECAP from Issue 04} We asked Yaeri what is often be found on her table when she entertains? 
YS: I like to offer an assortment of jams for guests to eat with bread and crackers. Last season, my friend made delicious plum jam that sustained me through the winter. I’m also a big fan of the earl grey jam from Napoleon Bakery, and so are most guests. Aside from food, I found that little cork toys (like Corkers) keep people entertained and their hands busy while conversing around the table. Napoleon Bakery flagship store (나폴레옹과자점 본점): 35-5, Seongbukdong 1(il)-ga, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, South Korea. (Tel: 02 742-7421)

What’s a Corker you ask?  We wondered the same thing ourselves.  We tracked down the cork toys from Yaeri’s entertaining suggestions and quickly discovered why her guests are so busy playing with these little guys on the table.  They are adorable.

INTERVIEW: Naama Steinbock, Co-owner/Designer, Reddish Design Studio

01 What is a Corker?
The Corkers are a series of creatures made from reused wine corks. The fun bit is that you buy them as a bunch of different body parts, and bring the wine cork (after drinking a few glasses it’s even better) to life by pinning on body parts.

02 What was the design inspiration behind creating these little critters?
Oded Friedland from Monkey Business came to us one day and offered us to do something with cork stoppers. We agreed, as it turned out that all of us have been playing with leftover corks over the dinner table. We would never say no to a project that lets us play and call it work.

03 How did you envision their use?
From the start we wanted a very open design to enable the users to be creative. We wanted people not just to copy the creature from the package but also make new creatures by mixing them and even use other materials to pin on. We recently found out that kids LOVE them although we aimed for grown-ups. We were very happy – it was a great compliment.

04 How and why did you become a designer?
We (Idan Friedman- Co-Owner of Reddish Design Studio) both came to be designers for different reasons, but we share the love of objects since our early childhood.

05 How often do you release products?
We release products when we feel they are ready to step into the world. We can’t really put it on a timetable.

06 Where are the corkers available?
You can buy them directly from www.monkeybusiness.co.il – the company that manufactures them as well as in many design shops around the world.

Photo Source: Reddish Design Studio

07 What is next for you and your design studio?
A new corker will be available shortly along with a few new projects. We are taking part in a couple of exhibitions now and planning to travel for a while during the summer.

08 Do you use your corkers at home when you entertain friends and family?
Yes. We gave a lot of them as gifts to our friends.