In Conversation with Toscot: Handmade Ceramic Lighting from Tuscany

Meet Toscot

Toscot makes handmade ceramic lighting in Tuscany, shaped from local clay by local hands. Founded in 2001 by Colin Dinley and his wife Lorella, it blends traditional craft with contemporary design, and you'll find the range at Enlightened Living.

We spoke with Colin about how Toscot began, why local craftsmanship matters, and how Tuscany shapes every light.

From a garage to a Tuscan workshop

Can you tell us the story behind Toscot and how it all began?

After completing a degree in Design in England, I hitchhiked to Italy in 1987, intending to gain a year's experience before returning home to undertake a two-year MA. However, once here in Italy, as is often the case, several events, including meeting my future wife, made me realise that this country was a better training ground for me than any course I may have completed back home.

I gained experience through several years working in factory production, where I learnt everything I now know about ceramics. The desire to produce my own designs was so strong that I began making my first ceramic lights in a garage.

I realised there was a market for these artefacts, so my wife Lorella and I decided to establish our first workshop, “Lorella Zuffanelli Illuminazione.” This was a very demanding period, as I continued working for another company while making our own products in the hours that remained. Fortunately, as with most people at that age, energy wasn't lacking, and over time we grew.

The name Toscot came from a combination of Toscana and cotto. We had been using the name to describe an outdoor clay and noticed how it caught people's attention. Customers were ordering from “Toscot” rather than using our company name.

In 2001, I stopped working for other companies to concentrate on developing Toscot, and we haven't looked back since.

Made in Tuscany, made by people

Toscot's approach is built on the belief that every product should have a human story behind it, and almost everything is made close to home.

How does Tuscany influence your work and design approach?

Tuscany has been a very important influence on our work and design approach, and I feel this can be seen throughout our production.

Tuscany is full of artisans. This was the first thing I noticed when I came here. It was incredible to see how many different types of production could be found within a relatively small area, from ceramics and metalwork to glass and woodcarving.

It is an incredible hive of knowledge. Being able to discuss the challenges a design may present with these people, and see each process firsthand, is so important.

The other way Tuscany has influenced our production is, of course, through the lifestyle and beauty of the area. Although it is less tangible, I'm sure our way of life has added a certain feeling to our designs. Some clients have described our production as “happy,” and I feel this comes from the balance between work, beautiful surroundings and lifestyle.

Tuscans are also very direct. They don't hold back when criticising our designs, which has always helped us recognise mistakes and correct them!

Why is craftsmanship so important to you?

The answer is quite simply, “It's what we do best.”

I firmly believe that, in order to be visible in this world, it is very important to be genuine and not force yourself into something that isn't part of who you are.

We have grown up making things by hand and have always gained enormous pleasure from it, so why should we want to change? We certainly haven't stopped learning.

How important is collaboration within your local artisan network?

Collaboration is what it's all about. Our production could not move forward without it.

When speaking with clients, I often find myself saying that the product is “Made in Tuscany.” I can trace most of our components, whether they are ceramic, metal or even glass, to within a radius of 40 kilometres. In many cases, I can cycle to our suppliers!

Part of this is luck, but I also find it extremely helpful to be hands-on. Our motto is “made by people,” which means we can put a face and a name to everything we make, whether it is produced in-house or externally.

“Our motto is ‘made by people,’ which means we can put a face and a name to everything we make.”

Colin Dinley, Toscot

Terracotta, tradition and design

What draws you to terracotta and clay?

Firstly, I love the immense possibilities in form and finish that ceramics can offer. At the same time, the material is completely unforgiving if you don't follow its rules!

I also like that you can use all of the material and practically nothing is wasted. For a period, I worked with wood. I love carving wood, but it has the disadvantage of “wasting” a lot of the material.

Secondly, the area where we live is one of the prime locations for terracotta production, and the quarries where the clay comes from are only 25 kilometres from our workshop. How could we not take advantage of this wonderful material?

It has so many natural properties that are useful for lighting design. Ceramic does not conduct electricity. Terracotta clays are very robust, rustproof and frostproof. It is also a great conductor of heat, which is extremely helpful in hot climates.

Overall, it's a win-win situation!

Can you walk us through your design process, from idea to finished product?

A good example would be the process of creating the Battersea series.

When we designed the collection, I had been searching through local markets and finding old porcelain insulators. I loved their appearance, particularly the more complicated ribbed ones. At the same time, we started seeing some of these insulators being converted into lights, especially on American vintage blogs.

This was all fine, but I imagined an architect who needed 50 pieces for a restaurant having to collect them from Sunday markets! It therefore seemed natural to develop a series based on these insulators, allowing us to offer designers a complete range. We defined five distinctive shapes.

We used both spotlight fixtures and bulb lights, so lighting designers could choose the exact effect they wanted, and made every piece interchangeable for large projects. Each one is slip-cast in white clay and glazed white. Like the old insulators, it carries a serial code, applied as a decal that becomes permanent once fired: we used 2014, the year of the design, with a TOSCOT logo in the same style.

Fortunately, we got our timing right, and for many years this product has been used by designers in wonderful projects.

Explore the full Toscot range, or talk to our team about Toscot lighting for your project.

The magic of light

What sets Toscot apart in today's lighting landscape?

There are very few artisan companies offering technical lighting solutions, and this approach to design helps us stand apart. The imprecise nature of these materials lets us create less stringent designs and experiment with finishes on even the simplest forms. These qualities give our lights their personality.

What does light mean to you?

When something suddenly lights up, its entire reason for being changes, and it becomes quite magical. When you give an object the ability to illuminate, it somehow becomes very important.

A wall light can double in size through the shadow it creates on the wall. The humblest of plates, when given a hole for a lampholder, becomes a suspension light and suddenly takes centre stage in a kitchen.

I find that no other function has this same power to transform an object.

“The humblest of plates, when given a hole for a lampholder, becomes a suspension light and suddenly takes centre stage in a kitchen.”

Colin Dinley, Toscot

What directions are you exploring now? Are there new designs on the way?

At the moment, we are working on more natural designs where simplicity is the key factor. We are creating products that help establish a comforting atmosphere when placed within interiors, giving people welcoming spaces in which to live and work.

We are also investigating new finishes that can be achieved directly on the clay before firing, allowing everything to combine at 980°C!

This interview has been edited for length.

Discover Toscot at Enlightened Living

Every Toscot piece carries a connection to material, place and people. A few places to start:

• Smith wall lights. The Smith P121 is handmade in Italy from natural terracotta, with a built-in LED. Mount it pointing up or down to wash a wall with light. The family also includes the Smith P126.
• Apuane pendants and wall lights. The Apuane 1120S pendant comes in a natural or silver and natural finish, with matching wall lights.
• Chapeau! for outdoor and indoor. The Chapeau! Outdoor Wall suits entries and patios, with a choice of glass shades.
• See the full Toscot collection: 51 pieces, from pendants and wall lights to downlights and outdoor fittings.

Architects and interior designers: Toscot's handmade pieces bring warmth to hospitality and residential projects. Join our Trade Portal for trade pricing, or request a quote.