COKI.
COKI BARBIERI
Sustainability: the first step is to be honest.
Sustainability is not a label but a practice, a way of thinking, working, and living. Every action, from how we create to how we eat or move, reflects a single idea: that human making should exist in quiet dialogue with nature, not against it.
COKI was founded in 2017 to create objects made only from natural raw materials. This approach demands time, study, and restraint, minimizing the use of non-renewable resources and eliminating toxic substances throughout the life of each piece.
Our methods are slow, but they allow us to stay close to what matters: the natural world that inspires our work every day.
Our signature natural composite stone is developed by hand from mineral aggregates, biocompatible mineral binders, volcanic and sedimentary earth pigments, renewable botanical pigments, and reclaimed fired clays.
It is produced without cement or synthetic binders, through controlled physical processes and natural curing cycles.
The approach is informed by ancient Mediterranean mineral traditions, from Roman lime-based mineral traditions to early artificial marble practices, where stability emerged through mineral binding and slow curing rather than synthetic chemistry.
Each piece is made to order in our atelier in the hills of Rimini, surrounded by trees and silence. We use the energy of air, water, and sunlight wherever possible, and reuse fragments from our own process to create new material.
Our use of borosilicate glass is a choice for durability. Although its creation requires thermal energy, its extraordinary resistance to thermal shock and chemical agents ensures long-term durability. We combine 100% Italian glassmaking with our mineral processes, which do not involve kilns or firings, relying exclusively on solar heat and natural evaporation.
The glass element is intentionally limited in proportion and serves a precise functional role: it ensures impermeability for water containment, allowing the mineral body to remain free from synthetic sealants or industrial waterproofing compounds. Rather than acting as decoration, the glass forms the structural core of the object. Its geometry is designed in relation to the mineral mass, becoming essential to the final balance and form.
Our packaging is made just a few kilometers away, from recycled and recyclable paper, hand-assembled with a minimalist design. We ship through partners certified GoGreen Plus, Carbon Reduced, using sustainable aviation fuel to lower CO₂ emissions by 30%.
Sustainability extends beyond the studio and into everyday practices. Living and working within the same place allows resources to be shared, reduced, and respected, shaping a way of making that is continuous rather than compartmentalised.
Energy use, food choices, and care practices follow the same principle that guides the work itself: to act with restraint, to use little, and to avoid harm wherever possible. These decisions are not treated as separate from the creative process, but as part of a broader sensitivity to balance, coexistence, and responsibility.
In this sense, sustainability is not an external framework applied to the work, but a condition that emerges naturally from how materials are chosen, how time is respected, and how daily life is organised around awareness rather than excess.
We believe a company can exist without taking more than it gives. Our goal is to create positive or reversible reactions between human needs and the natural environment, so that building a home or creating an object does not require the displacement of even an earthworm.
Sensitivity. Honesty. Kindness.
HANDCRAFTED IN ITALY
Green Product Award Winner
P.IVA IT04373700402
REGISTERED EXPORTER
Via Consolare, 148 - 47924 RIMINI - ITALY
COPYRIGHT COKI BARBIERI 2018-2026
The following notes outline the material logic behind the work.
They are not formulas, but structural foundations: Cement-free mineral composite developed through Roman-era building principles, Flame-worked borosilicate glass without molds, Dry structural interlocking.
A proprietary natural composite stone, cement-free and resin-free, developed through independent material research inspired by pre-industrial Roman building principles.
The material is formed through mineral aggregation and mineral-based binding processes, without synthetic binders or industrial fillers.
Its structural behaviour differs from cast concrete and polymer-based composites: it is compacted by hand, cured slowly, and remains mineral at its core.
Each glass element is flame-shaped without molds, following a direct understanding of material tension and thermal movement.
Borosilicate is selected for its structural clarity, thermal resistance, and long-term stability. The glass is not decorative; it acts as a structural counterweight and light-bearing element.
Stone and glass are assembled without adhesives, synthetic glues, or permanent mechanical fixings. The balance is achieved through calibrated weight distribution and friction, conceived during the design phase as a structural condition, not as a post-production solution. If the form holds, it holds by proportion and mass, not by chemical bonding. This dry structural logic allows full material separation, absence of volatile compounds, and long-term maintenance transparency.
4. NATURAL FINISHING PROCESS
Surface protection is achieved through layered natural oil treatments, manually applied and allowed to cure slowly over time.
No synthetic sealants or industrial coatings are used.
The finishing process requires patience, controlled drying, and repeated polishing, enhancing mineral density rather than sealing it with artificial films.
The mineral matrix is designed for structural stability over time.
Pigments are mineral- and earth-based, selected for chromatic durability. The work is conceived to age without internal degradation or synthetic decay.
Cement-free
Resin-free
No petrochemical binders
No industrial casting
No synthetic surface treatments
Small-batch atelier production
This material logic informs the Cochlea Collection, the Catharsis Collection, and Rocklumìna, where structural balance, mineral density, and flame-worked glass converge in different forms.