The Bettina Ceramica Founder Shares Her Interiors Little Black Book
If I could only buy homeware from one place, it would be eBay – I would say I’ve bought 90% of our pieces from eBay – and over the years I’ve had multiple saved searches that have pulled through. If you know what you want and you are happy to be patient, you can get some seriously good deals. I managed to get some Fritz Hansen dining chairs and my favourite Conran coffee table after months of waiting.
The most interesting interiors shop is Spazio Leone – I always admire the curation of one-off pieces and Italian design classics. Often, the pieces have a sculptural feel; I love a piece of furniture that also feels like a piece of art. I also always like to check what The Peanut Vendor and McIntosh & Light have in stock.
The best department stores in the world for homeware are here in London. My go-tos are Aram Store, twentytwentyone and Skandium. My parents always loved Skandium and checking out all the contemporary Scandinavian designers.
The coolest independent interiors brand is Buchanan Studio – right now, I am coveting a pair of circular ‘daydream’ stainless-steel side tables for either side of my sofa. Its new collaboration with USM is the coolest.
The best destination for independent designers and makers is The Oblist – it has such a great selection from sellers from all over the world, spanning both new and one-off vintage pieces. It’s a great place to find new designers, artists, makers and sellers.
The under-the-radar brand I’ve recently discovered is Studio & Store – a dealer and maker based in Oldham. I always want everything she has in stock but it goes quickly. I love all the 90s-style posts and references that she shares. She has a great eye.
My perfect shopping day would include a Friday morning browse of all the shops and sellers on Golborne Road. I love going to Golborne 44 to see what it has in stock. I’d end up at my favourite – The Cloth Shop on Portobello Road. All the fabrics in my home, from curtains to blinds, café curtains, kids’ upholstery, are all from there. It is family run and has a wonderful atmosphere. As someone who loves linen, I think it has the best selection around. Then I’d go for lunch at Canteen.
I love visiting the local monthly antiques market near where my dad lives in Liguria. It takes place along the seafront, and it gives me endless inspiration. Antique linen panels, ceramics, mid-century lighting, beautiful Catholic wall hangings and artworks… I could go on.
The most recent item I bought for my home was a beautiful antique pine sleigh bed for my youngest daughter who has just moved out of her cot. It’s an ex-prop from Shepperton Studios and I got it for a steal on eBay. The style is more of a day bed, so looks lovely with lots of cushions when we all sit together to read books at bedtime. I also just bought a little desk for my eldest daughter’s room. I plan to smarten it up with a lick of paint and some new hardware (knobs and backplates) from Matilda Goad.
The most expensive investment I have made for my home is some bespoke pieces recommended by my friend Lucy Barlow – a custom kitchen island to exactly our spec and design (as our kitchen/living space is a unique space and size) and a full floor-to-ceiling wall of open contemporary style shelving in the sitting room, built to fit around our quite unusually shaped window which is ceiling height!
I buy my tableware from Bettina Ceramica of course, but I also mix it up with some antique pieces. I have a collection of vintage hand-painted ceramic serving plates and platters, and I also love the simplicity of a brand called Jars Ceramistes – our everyday plates are the ‘cantine’ style in off-white.
/https%3A%2F%2Fsheerluxe.com%2Fsites%2Fsheerluxe%2Ffiles%2Farticles%2F2025%2F05%2Fphoto-20-05-2024-14-02-20.jpg?itok=bYKChb7L)
For my bed, I like Tekla bedlinen in white – my whole room is white! For my children, I love the gingham bedding from Piglet In Bed and my mum loves to buy them vintage Laura Ashley bedding from eBay too.
My favourite vintage piece is my dad’s original Eames chair and footstool, which I now have in my home. The leather is worn away in places and the wood is bleached from the sunlight. It feels like it ‘fits’ in our sitting room, which has a concrete ceiling and a bit of a 70s vibe.
The best sustainable brand is Eco Birdy – I love the children’s tables and chairs; they’re made in Italy and are created out of recycled plastic toys. It’s kids' furniture you would happily keep out.
My favourite diffusers, candles and scented wax tablets come from Santa Maria Novella. It’s a heritage brand based in Florence – and any purchase is a real treat.
The best interiors gift I’ve ever given was a custom dog bed for my mum’s dog from Colours of Arley. The best interiors gift I’ve ever received was a very cool stainless-steel tea set from Stelton from my late godmother as a wedding present. She had impeccable taste, and I think of her every time I see it on the shelf in my kitchen. Also, my bust by Studio Bust. This is one of my most favourite things – it sits proudly on a shelf in the sitting room, and very occasionally someone will notice it.
I like straight and simple glassware with clean lines. My favourite is always from LSA: the Gio tumbler in small and large I use every day, and for wine glasses, I love the Arles collection from The Conran Shop. We got a set as a wedding gift and they have miraculously all survived nearly ten years later…
I always scour markets for artwork, and I love collecting vintage samplers and crochet for my girls’ rooms. For myself, I tend to favour more abstract art. I love mixing the scale with frames and mounts – for example, more traditional gold gilt frames with lovely neutral grainy linen mounts and then more striking contemporary black skinny frames with larger white mounts. Often, I’ll find a relatively inexpensive artwork from a market and spend a lot more on the framing. I also love to visit the Discerning Eye exhibition with my mum; it’s a great way to find new and up-and-coming artists. I also really like Record 28 for framed posters and prints.
/https%3A%2F%2Fsheerluxe.com%2Fsites%2Fsheerluxe%2Ffiles%2Farticles%2F2025%2F05%2Fphoto-18-07-2023-07-09-21.jpg?itok=_zVYpEEC)
When it comes to soft furnishings, I like a real mixture of brands. I generally like very simple cushions and throws for our sofas and beds. H&M Home is great for plain neutral linen cushion covers of all sizes, and also for simple jute and sisal rugs. For fabrics that have a little more texture and detail, I tend to go to The Conran Shop and Ferm Living.
I mostly buy furniture from antique dealers and eBay – we don’t really have any furniture that we bought from new for our house, except the beds and the sofa. I also love to check the ex-display sections on my favourite websites. We got a great sofa from SCP at 70% off for the kitchen.
I’m a big fan of wall lights, as well as lots of individual smaller pools of light dotted around a room. I like to keep it simple. A favourite is the Glo-Ball lamp by Flos in all different sizes; we have tiny ones on shelves in bedrooms and larger ones on the floor in the sitting room. I like to mix this contemporary style of lighting with my more ‘one-off’ Cavaliere horsewoman lamp bases to really make a statement. You also can’t go wrong with an Anglepoise – we have them in two desk areas at home.
The item I regret not buying is an Alpes Inox metal larder cupboard – but it would have been a huge investment. Instead, I bought a much better value large stainless-steel catering shelving unit, which is great, but the shelving is all open, and it’s a bit of a nightmare to keep the contents tidy and dust free.
If my house was burning down I’d save the original Bernard Dunstan oil canvas that I have in my kitchen – it hung in my childhood kitchen too, so it reminds me of wonderful happy times.
Next on my shopping list is a little vintage chair for my daughter’s new desk – I’m waiting to find something special as I have some really gorgeous fabric from Svenskt Tenn that I want to make into a little seat cushion for it.
Visit BETTINACERAMICA.COM
DISCLAIMER: We endeavour to always credit the correct original source of every image we use. If you think a credit may be incorrect, please contact us at info@sheerluxe.com.
