Delicate Details

Original BTC has teamed up with Swedish interior designer Beata Heuman to create its second collaborative collection, Alma, using the brand's signature material, bone china.

Original BTC’s latest collection, Alma, was created in collaboration with interior designer Beata Heuman. Heuman is a Swedish-born designer who established her studio in London in 2013. Her work is best known for being original and playful, which is reflected in this new lighting collection.

Working alongside Charlie Bowles, Director at Original BTC, the pair’s collaboration is the second to happen for Original BTC in 30 years, the first being with Sir Terence Conran.

“I first came across Original BTC when working for Nicky Haslam and have had an affinity with the brand ever since,” explains Heuman. “It is my first collaboration, but I was instantly keen. I like the simplicity, the reassuringly good quality. You know they will stand the test of time.”

Briefed to design a practical collection of “go-anywhere ceramic fittings”, the design process, which took roughly a year for conception to completion, began with Heuman visiting the Original BTC factory in Stoke-On-Trent, UK. “I was inspired by the brand itself, both in terms of manufacturing processes and materials,” says Heuman.

“Before my visit, I didn't appreciate how each shade was worked on by hand, lovingly passed from person to person before it goes into the kiln.” This was the moment of inspiration Heuman needed for Alma’s shade design. “It possesses an almost ethereal quality, especially when you see it worked on from clay to kiln,” she says.

Manufacturing Processes

Original BTC is known for using bone china for the majority of its lighting collections. This involves a heavily man-made approach to work with the delicate material. The end result is a stunning, textured porcelain finish with a high attention to detail.

Original BTC is known for working with bone china as one of its predominant materials. Bowles explains that this is partly due to its versatility. “It was [also] the translucency that Peter [Bowles, Original BTC Founder] saw in the bone china that drew him to it. He thought it would lend itself well to be used as a material for lighting, and rightly so – bone china gives a warm, soft, ambient glow that creates a lovely inviting atmosphere. His first design for a bone china light – our classic Hector – was a great success and it went from there.”

The Alma collection, named after Heuman’s daughter, presents a “sense of play and the easy nature of Original BTC”. Taking further inspiration from Mid-Century Scandinavian design, Heuman introduced a stripe of colour to the shades. “I was buying a lot [of pieces] at auction for my house in Sweden so [these lights] are a bit of an ode to those functional 40s and 50s Scandi designs in pop colours,” she explains.

“I love the combination of materials: the bone china, the brass, and the colours - especially when they are on, and the light is reflected in all these different elements. It really sings!”

Walking us through the manufacturing process, Bowles explains how their team of craftspeople forge the pieces via traditional slip-casting. “Every step is done by hand - we don’t machine produce any of the bone china.

“Once the mould has been designed, we pour slip into the mould and trim any excess about ten minutes after casting, while the slip is still quite soft. The mould is dropped out of the shade, and the hole is cut in the top. Next, the 41 holes are made, then the shades dry on a rack overnight. Once dry, we ‘fettle’ (or take off the mould lines with a knife), before sponging the shade to further smooth it. Now it’s ready for its first firing in the kiln (‘biscuit firing’), at 1260˚C. Any remaining rough edges are smoothed in the ‘wobbly machine’ using small pieces of wood and ceramic. After a quality check, the shade is dipped into a pink glaze (it’s pink so we see that the entire shade has been covered) and left to dry before its second firing. Finally, it’s hand-painted and fired a third and final time.”

Speaking of their working relationship, Bowles comments: “It was great working together - it was a very easy working relationship, we were both very much on the same wavelength. There wasn’t a huge amount of back-and-forth - it was all very much about delivering the product, which went swimmingly.”

When asked whether Heuman approached the design process differently, coming from an interiors background as opposed to product design, Bowles reveals she didn’t. “She approached it very much how we ourselves approach any design. We invited her to our bone china factory so she could see the capabilities and the skilled workforce we have there, and get a real feel for the place and the material itself. In terms of the actual product design, from there she spent time sketching and came up with the idea for the Alma table light. The finished product as you see it is essentially identical to her initial vision.

“The design didn’t change much at all - just a few tweaks, and in fact, once we’d seen Beata’s table light design, we made the decision to expand the range out to a floor light, pendant light, and three different versions of wall light.

“The biggest challenge was for the bone china factory to get the coral colour correct,” he continues. “Red can be a problematic colour in ceramics. It might look like an exact match on the glazed shade but can change significantly in its final firing. It took us over 40 attempts to get the colour mix perfect.

“We’ve not used a huge amount of colour within our collections, so it was great to have Beata’s input from an interior designer’s point of view.

“The full flavours of both our brands are so clear to see, and it’s a truly beautiful product. Just as I’d hoped - but better. She often specifies our lights, using them in unique and inspiring ways, so the prospect of her interpreting our aesthetic and values was very exciting. [The pieces] are a more luxe interpretation of our utilitarian aesthetic.

“Beata was also keen for the product to age, hence our use of unlacquered polished brass, which over time will patina and build its own character. From the dimmer and arm to the effect of the perforated shade, these unexpected details very much reflect Beata’s input and show her development of our signature details' look.” www.originalbtc.com www.beataheuman.com

The four-piece collection evolved from Beata’s first design, the go-anywhere table light, with its flexibility to change angle, slightly oversized shade, brass arm, and retro-style dimmer.

The resulting shade is one of the most labour-intensive to date for the brand, featuring 41 handmade holes, which when lit “look like little glowing stars at night”, according to Heuman. Nodding to Mid-Century Scandinavian designs in pop colours, the hand-painted shade and base are presented in three colourways. “Seaweed is masculine and moody, natural is just that, while coral is the dot above the “i” in an interiors scheme,” says Bowles.

“Something

Outdoor lighting is a critical area to consider when planning an exterior space, and can really bring a design together. There are so many different types of outdoor lighting designs available now, from LED portable wall lights, table lamps, ground/deck lights, coastal, paper hanging lanterns, twist lights, fairy lights, starburst lights, robe lights, stake lights, neon lights, LED candles and festoon lights. The type you specify for your design scheme all depends on the design look and feel you wish to create. I generally design for a more timeless aesthetic, so your outdoor space doesn’t look dated after a few years, which can be a risk if you follow a more ‘trendy’ design route. A smart technique to use is to go for a contemporary/classic look. This can be as simple as the finishes or materials you choose, for example choose aluminium or galvanised steel in a matte black/graphite, chrome or dark bronze finish. You can choose from the excellent selection at Andrew Martin, for a more high-end option or try Pooky for a more cost effective solution; they both have great ranges Once you develop and agree on the design concept, you will have a clear idea of the overall design vision - from the finishes, the flooring material, walls, furniture and decorative outdoor sculptures etc. This will help you to decide the style of light to specify for the space.

Lighter Days Ahead

Interior designer Stephanie Dias explores how to make an impact with portable and outdoor decorative lighting.

Dias is a member of the British Institute of Interior Design (BIID) and Creative Director and Founder of design studio Sdias London.

Spring design trends call for seasonal impact - use contemporary LED lanterns and LED wall lights to light up your blooming flowers and plants, which are starting to blossom. This will create a real focal point and look smart and sophisticated. Less is more, so follow a simple minimalist design and let nature do the talking. This will really help to elevate the mood created within your outdoor space.

As our world is developing and changing, our work-life patterns have evolved, leading to more people working from home since the Covid pandemic. As a population, we look at our home environments differently; as we spend more time in the home, we want to create more of a balanced work/home atmosphere. From my experience, I have had clients whose outdoor space was one of the main areas to redesign, as we are now tending to use our outdoor spaces more than usual. If you are located in busy London, no matter how big or small your outdoor space is, people are choosing to invest in these areas. Portable and outdoor decorative lighting can be used to improve all aspects of your outdoor area as well as to add functionality. Energy and sustainability in outdoor lighting are becoming critical factors to incorporate into the outdoor design. There are many designs for energy-saving options, which still have elements that can work within your concept. Design-led portable, rechargeable and solar LED outdoor lighting is perfect for all outdoor spaces. You can even control your lighting scheme from your phone, and charge them via a USB. If going for a battery-powered light source, it is important to consider battery life and see how many hours you can use it. As the weather gets brighter and warmer going into spring and summer, your solar lighting options would also be a good choice as they will charge from the sun during the day and turn on automatically at night. Wireless lighting is a great option if you love to entertain in the garden, or patio during the evening. You can place wireless table lamps on your outdoor dining table or side tables to boost the lighting in the space. The great benefit of wireless lighting is that you can use them to transition from indoors to outdoors, making use of them in both environments. There is a wide style of options offering truly multifunctional usage.

Smart LED lights that are controlled by a timer can really make an energy difference and set the mood for a couple of hours and your outdoor lights will turn off automatically after the timer has been completed. Some have a ‘dawn to dusk’ feature, which switches on automatically, offering low-level lighting throughout the evening, and switching off automatically in the morning. Another feature to look out for is a waterproof range. Most outdoor lighting is waterproof, however, it is good to choose one that has a more durable finish, such as again a galvanised steel in a matte black, graphite or steel finish. Check out the range of outdoor lights from Italian Lighting Centre for some great options www.sdiaslondon.com

There are also good safety and security outdoor lighting features with motion sensors that are triggered by movement, which offer a good way to protect your home. They tend to be used on your entrance porch or rear side and garden. Choose a design that reflects the overall exterior architecture of the property, from a traditional look or a more contemporary finish.

In summary, external lighting plays an integral role in setting the ambience for your outdoor space. There are now so many fantastic designs available for portable and decorative exterior lighting, enabling you to choose options to suit every project.