DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT
The independent plant pot designers we’re loving
Jenny Espirito Santo, MIND THE CORK
Now more than ever, we’re all too aware of the environmental impact of what we eat, wear and put in our homes. Being mindful is the motivation at the heart of Jenny Espirito Santo’s business, mind the cork, which sells planters and other homeware made out of cork – an eco-friendly material that also look incredibly cool. We spoke to her to hear more.
QCan you describe your business? It’s a design-led eco-friendly homeware company.
QWhat led you to start mind the cork? I landed a job in interior design out of university. It was all about high-end residential interiors, focused on the look and curation, not the environmental impact. I’m half Portuguese, and cork is everywhere there – it’s an amazing material and I wanted to do something new and exciting with it. I started it as a hobby, learning along the way. Last year I took the leap to working on it full time.
QWhat do you love about what you do? It’s very personal to me. I had a passion – there was no financial goal behind it. We need to consider the environment when we’re designing and styling for our homes, but they have to be beautiful too. Cork is gorgeous and tactile, and I wanted to let the material speak for itself, so my designs are pared down.
QCan you pick a favourite piece? My hanging planter. The design’s simple but it took a long time to work out the size, and the position of the holes. It’s one of our best sellers. So many of us live in small houses or flats, and it handily doesn’t occupy floor or surface space.
QWhat else should we know? The past year’s been hard for small businesses, but in the middle of that, I feel liberated running my own and doing something I love. Working in high-end interior design as a young Black person, at times I felt I didn’t belong or things felt far removed from my reality, so I made my own space in the industry in a way that made sense to me. To anyone with a creative vein, give it a go – you don’t have to know everything!
Follow Jenny @mindthecork and shop the pieces at mindthecork.co.uk