The Balera Collection Is Where the Lighting Lives in the Tiles

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Ceramic lighting continues to surprise us – first with tiles that double as hooks and lamps, and now with STUDIOTAMAT and Arianna De Luca’s collaboration with Ninefifty. This time, lighting isn’t simply paired with tile; it’s embedded directly into ceramic compositions, turning wallcoverings into luminous and artful statements. From glaze to glow, the BALERA collection pushes ceramic conventions into bold new territory, merging artisanal craft with sculptural lighting design.

The collaboration is the latest chapter in OFFTAMAT, an experimental offshoot of STUDIOTAMAT, where design exploration takes center stage. The studio uses OFFTAMAT as a platform for limited-edition pieces that blur the boundaries between function and art. For the BALERA collection, they tapped Abruzzo-born designer and ceramicist Arianna De Luca, known for her expressive language that fuses bold silhouettes with vibrant, contemporary palettes, and Ninefifty, the Caltagirone-based ceramic manufacturer dedicated to preserving and evolving the tradition of artisanal ceramics. Together, they’ve crafted a series that speaks both to Ninefifty’s heritage in hand-glazed tilework, De Luca’s sculptural sensibility, and OFFTAMAT’s appetite for pushing materials into unexpected roles.

A small stage with a shiny orange platform, geometric red and white patterned tile backdrop with round lights, and silver curtains on both sides under a disco ball

Red and gray patterned tiles with geometric triangles on a wall, featuring four round lights spaced across the surface

The brief for BALERA began with a deceptively simple request. “We had a very clear idea from our very first meeting. We asked Arianna to design a wall lamp starting from a precise measurement – 20×20 cm,” explains Matteo Soddu of STUDIOTAMAT. “We wanted to explore the plasticity of surfaces, and pair the lamp with simple graphic marks, inspired by its curves, to develop a modular language applicable to tiling.” From that single measurement, the collaboration unfolded into a series of ceramic compositions where light and glaze stand on equal footing.

Two framed wall installations made of blue ceramic tiles with geometric patterns, each featuring a central light, are mounted between gray curtains on a white wall

A grid of blue ceramic tiles with a central recessed tile holding a white spherical light, framed by a white border.

A lit round bulb in a square glass fixture sits on a grid of blue ceramic tiles with scalloped lower edges

BALERA’s modular compositions balance playful geometry with refined craft. Each 20×20 cm tile becomes part of a rhythmic grid, where curves meet crisp lines and glossy glazes reflect pools of light. The wall lamps nest seamlessly within the tiling, their soft glow accentuating the subtle reliefs and brushstrokes of the ceramic surface. In a single composition, the pieces act like building blocks, shifting between lighting, decor, and ceramics – transforming walls into illuminated, tactile canvases.

Rectangular arrangement of blue and maroon geometric tiles with a wall-mounted light fixture positioned over two tiles near the upper left corner

A round wall sconce is mounted on a tiled wall with a geometric pattern in shades of gray, blue, and red

Rectangular grid artwork with alternating pink, dark green, and white diagonal-striped tiles; one tile is replaced by a round, lit bulb in the lower right area

Color plays a pivotal role in BALERA’s visual impact. “For the BALERA collection, we worked extensively on building a shared chromatic language,” De Luca shares. “We aimed to blend my personal color world with Ninefifty’s, through a process of exchange and synthesis. We wanted both palettes to speak their own languages without overlapping, while merging in harmony.” The resulting hues range from soft, sunbaked neutrals to saturated, Mediterranean blues and greens, their glossy glazes catching light in ways that enhance the sense of depth. Against the glow of the embedded lamps, these colors take on new warmth, shifting in mood as the light changes throughout the day.

A tiled wall with a geometric green, purple, and white pattern, a mounted round light, a sheer curtain, and a red table with a glass of water and a microphone

BALERA is a modern-day study of how lighting, ceramics, and architecture can merge to create something greater than the sum of their parts. By embedding light directly into ceramic compositions, STUDIOTAMAT, Arianna De Luca, and Ninefifty have crafted pieces that invite both touch and reflection, proving that even the most traditional materials can surprise us when given new roles.

A geometric wall art piece made of square pink, white, and red tiles forms a symmetrical pattern with a central light fixture

A wall with glossy, geometric-patterned red and white tiles next to a sheer gray curtain, featuring a mounted sconce light with a round bulb

A round wall light fixture is mounted on a tiled wall with a geometric red and white diamond pattern

A small red stage is set against a red and white geometric tiled wall, with disco balls above and metallic silver curtains on either side

A red and pink geometric tiled wall with a round wall light, silver curtains, a red floor, and a red metal table holding a corded electronic device

A woman in a black outfit stands on a red platform, leaning against a geometric red and gray wall, with patterned art and a sheer silver curtain in the background

Arianna De Luca

To learn more about the BALERA collection by STUDIOTAMAT, Arianna De Luca, and Ninefifty, visit studiotamat.com.

Photography by Eller Studio.

As the Senior Contributing Editor, Vy Yang is obsessed with discovering ways to live well + with intention through design. She’s probably sharing what she finds over on Instagram stories. You can also find her at vytranyang.com.





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