Unveiling Balma Antiques' fragrance collection

Design agency: Weird Studio
Brand owner: Balma Antiques
Label material: Fasson® Rustique Blanc FSC®

In the realm of sensory delights, few parallels can be drawn as poignantly as the ones between the worlds of antiques and fragrances. Both are deeply entwined with the past, evoking memories, experiences, and emotions from bygone eras. In a way, both are physical incarnations of history and sentiments. And in the heart of Tuscany, where past and present dance in a timeless waltz, Balma Antiques is weaving these threads together through its latest fragrances collection.

Balma Antiques stands as a testament to a vision rooted in the elegance of history. "The brand is born from the union of our personalities and our way of viewing the world and capturing its beauty. On one side, good taste and creativity; on the other one, rationality and knowledge," share Francesco and Claudia, the passionate owners of Balma Antiques. Their attraction to 18th and 19th-century French antiquities is more than mere aesthetics. It's a "deep passion that has pushed us to make our lives a constant journey between past and present, living between Italy and France," they say. Their adventures across borders fuel the ethos of their Atelier and make them curators of beauty, preserving the aura of ancient times.

This very aura formed the basis for their collaboration with Weird Studio for the first fragrances collection. It is a symphony of scented candles and home fragrances and is a tribute to seasons, memories, and places—themes intrinsic to both antiques and scents. And who better to help craft this identity than Edoardo Cantarella and Giulia Tordi from Weird Studio? Their design sensibilities were ideally matched to the project. With a backdrop of an old agricultural machinery shed in Montemurlo and inspired by the brands' keen vision, Weird Studio embarked on a project that would mirror the soft elegance and delicate beauty it stands for. Edoardo Cantarella articulates, "The label design is part of a brand refresh we created for Balma Antiques. Typography dominates the design, yet it is kept minimal and clean, evoking deep nostalgia." The antique amber glass pharmacy bottle, with its colored wax seal, reflects the romantic era. Giulia Tordi adds, "To elevate the minimal design, we matched the old-fashioned look of the French pharmacy bottle with an uncoated paper."

The choice of Avery Dennison’s Fasson® Rustique Blanc FSC® paper was not a mere coincidence. It is a white paper with a felt-marked finish that perfectly complements the ancient pharmacy bottle. According to Edoardo, the design reflects Balma Antiques's ethos of 'beauty in the past to live it in the present.'

The Fragrances Collection is more than just scents encased in a bottle. It is an embodiment of Balma Antique's journey, its philosophy, and its ode to history. It serves as a reminder that even in the fast-paced present, there's beauty to be found in the whispers of the past. As the fragrance lingers and the candle's flame flickers, one can find solace in knowing that the journey with Balma Antiques doesn’t end. The ancient pharmacy bottle is a monument to time, a beautiful object to cherish even after the fragrance has long faded. But more than anything, this collection stands as a symbol of how the two worlds of antiques and fragrances can come together to create something transcendent, echoing the age-old adage that beauty truly is timeless.