Angus and Charlotte Buchanan first visited Original BTC’s glassworks in Oxfordshire for a tour back in 2024, when conversations had begun about the possibility of Buchanan Studio working with the British brand on art direction, but the duo were entranced by the artistry of the glassblowers they witnessed and a product collaboration was born: the five-piece ‘Neotenic’ collection.
‘Both brands are proudly handmade in England, and that shared emphasis on British craft made this collaboration feel like a very natural fit,’ says Charlotte. Plus, points out Angus, ‘we bought an Original BTC “Hector” table light for our very first flat and have probably used something from the brand in every project we’ve done since. Lighting is an integral part of our work, so the opportunity to create our own design was something very special.’
The Buchanan Studio DNA is clear across the wall, floor, pendant, ceiling and table lamps, from the colour palette – hues of ‘Strawberry’ pink (a classic colour for the duo), ‘Chocolate’ brown and neutral ‘Vanilla’ that make up neapolitan ice-cream – to the soft-serve quality of the forms.
‘Our furniture has a sculptural quality that we wanted this lighting collection to share,’ explains Angus, adding that the brass detailing at the top of each shade and the braided-cotton cables also make the pieces feel part of the brand’s aesthetic universe.
Even the bases of several of the lights are reminiscent of the tables from Buchanan Studio’s own ‘Daydream’ collection, launched in 2024. The best collaborations, though, occur when both parties bring elements that are truly their own while each push their abilities. That’s certainly the case here, with Angus and Charlotte’s vision requiring manufacturing innovation from Original BTC.
‘It takes considerable skill not only to blow the glass to the precise form, but to create the swirling colour of the shades, combining opal glass with colour to achieve the different finishes,’ explains Charlie Bowles, director at Original BTC of the challenges of this design. ‘It’s a completely handmade process. Every piece will be slightly different, and that variation is part of the beauty.’
‘Seeing the finished lights illuminated for the first time was such an exciting moment,’ recalls Angus. ‘The way the colours came alive and the shadows they cast exceeded all our expectations. We couldn’t be more thrilled.’ From £489, originalbtc.com; buchanan.studio
