“ that was quite emotional, and since then we’ve developed the most amazing relationship with them,” says Maja with a smile. Some 30 years on, Natalie is continuing in the same vein.Īfter initial pieces sold out, the couple placed a huge order which would effectively keep the family business running while their shop was closed to tourists during ensuing lockdowns. “She was so ahead of her time and created the most amazing and interesting home,” says Sytner. Sytner credits her mother, brand namesake Bettina, with fostering her obsession with Italy throughout Natalie’s childhood, Bettina would decamp to her native Liguria to tour ancient palazzi, returning with amazing trinkets from the workshops of local craftspeople. “But they do still represent an era that people feel touched by… whether that’s their granny or something they thought they would never have on their table again.” “It’s funny, because I think that a lot of people are seeing these pieces for the first time,” says Natalie Sytner, who founded Bettina Ceramica in 2020 and quickly found a niche with her ceramic Acquasantiera stoups, traditionally used in Catholic churches to hold holy water. Whether it be a handpainted bowl from Puglia, a needlepoint tablecloth from Veneto, coffee cups from Sicily, or a pasta cutter from Umbria, items that have traditionally been associated with the home of the Italian matriarch are finding fresh cachet with the style set.

If, in a post-pandemic era, our homes have started to say more about our sense of style than ever before, then nonnas are the new super-influencers.

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