Lighter than they look: Magic Boxes Shelving by Rui Pereira for Blackcork appear as heavy as stone yet seem to be floating, a trick of the shaping and the material from which they’re made, solid cork.

Detail: Appearing at Maison&Objet, Paris, January 24 to 28, 2014, as part of new brand Blackcork by Sofalca.

Designer: Portuguese industrial designer Rui Pereira lives and works in Milan, and believes that the designer’s role is to “educate the taste and create a collective environmental awareness.”