A collaboration between Original BTC Director Charlie Bowles and Swedish interior designer Beata Heuman, has gone underway under the name Alma. The collaboration combines the pendants light designer manufacturer’s best-of-British approach and culture with Heuman’s unique eye for design and detail. “Alma is our second collaboration in 30 years,” explains Charlie. “Our first, with Sir Terence Conran, features on the cover of Beata’s recent book. 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.” Adds Beata, “I first came across Original BTC when working for Nicky Haslam and have had an affinity with the brand ever since. 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 process began with a trip to Original BTC’s Stoke-on-Trent factory. “I was inspired by the brand itself, both in terms of manufacturing processes and materials,” explains Beata. “Before my visit I didn’t appreciate how each shade is worked on by hand, lovingly passed from person to person before it goes into the kiln.” Bone china’s natural properties, and its expert handling, sowed the seeds for the Alma’s shade: “It possesses an almost ethereal quality, especially when you see it worked on from clay to kiln. “Typically pure white, Beata was keen to introduce stripes of colour: “I was buying a lot at auction for my house in Sweden so they are a bit of an ode to those functional 40s/50s Scandi designs in pop colours.”
Says Beata on the final collection, named after her daughter Alma: “The sense of play is a bit more me and the easy nature is more Original BTC. Ilove 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!” Agrees Charlie: “It’s a clear meeting of Original BTC x Beata Heuman. The full flavours of both brands are so clear to see, and it’s a truly beautiful product. Just as I’d hoped–but better!”
