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Natural inspired furniture by CORO TEXT: CATHY VAN KLAVEREN | PHOTOS: CORO FURNITURE COLLECTION

Catherine Op de Beeck has a pact with nature: she uses materials given to her by Mother Nature and she turns it into functional furniture that complements every home. The CORO Furniture Collection is a business that runs on one thing: driftwood. As the name suggests, it is wood that drifts along rivers and eventually washes ashore. “It’s true, I cannot just order my materials online. I go and look for it myself,” says Op de Beeck. Around six years ago, she had a photoshoot in the south of France when she saw driftwood lying across the shore. “Instantly I was inspired by this gift of nature.” The concept of using driftwood is not new, she says, but producing functional furniture this way intrigued her. “People are coming back from mass production. Clients want something that is special.” 28 | Issue 28 | April 2016

CORO does offer a vast collection with items that are handmade all year round, but the used driftwood is naturally different every time. “After a couple of years I have developed a nose for where I can find driftwood, and especially when. I have some places I visit every so often. I look for the driftwood myself or sometimes with my friends, partner or my parents.” For the first two years, Op de Beeck made everything herself. After that, she needed to delegate as her company grew more successful. She found a way to express her creative side, as well as her commercial one. “But I never sit myself down just to design. The ideas come quite spontaneously. I try to keep up with the style nowadays by visiting interior fairs.” She is independent, yet listens to ideas from customers when working on an

interior project together. In fact, the BOHO poufs are a result of clients’ demands. Now it is one of the most successful items in the CORO collection, she tells. Op de Beeck maybe relies on nature, but she has never let her clients down. Orders are custom made, and delivered, within four to six weeks. Her business stands for something stylish, right from the shore of the sea into your living room with a particular touch of creativity.

Discover www.corodriftwood.com for the driftwood furniture collection - www.bohonaturalliving.com for the BOHO poufs and www.maslaboheme.com for the showroom and atelier in Provence.