About
Swtch is an online retail destination for light switches and sockets that is about modern, elegant utility. We believe that just because an object is classed as ‘everyday’ doesn’t mean it shouldn’t weave into a home’s wider story. Our collection of feature light switches is curated for look, feel and function, meaning that style-led homeowners can make not just big design statements with their decor, but small ones too.
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21/05/19
Your Home Made Perfect... with Swtch
It's not often that small design features take centre stage on national television. But the new BBC TWO series "Your Home Made Perfect", which has just finished its initial run of 5 programmes, did exactly that and made prime time celebs out of a stylish selection of light switches from Swtch, a new online retailer of European designer lighting accessories.
In this new Interior Design show by Remarkable Television, award-winning architects Laura Jane Clark and Robert Jamison help create perfect homes for renovating couples, assisted by Virtual Reality - a first for British TV. It proved to be a huge success with UK audiences, who loved seeing whole architects' proposals come to life in front of the stunned home owners.
But it was also the small finishing touches in each of the episode's finished homes, which really resonated with viewers. Details such as Swtch's Katy Paty and THPG light switches, featured in the colourful house of Suzanne and Danny in episode 3 of the series.
We loved presenter Angela Scanlon's face when seeing the final design including those bright yellow and turquoise porcelain switches! You can still catch up on the series on BBC iPlayer
More about Swtch:
Traditionally, design-conscious UK customers have not been able to purchase individual high-spec light switches from Europe, and many home owners are not aware these products exist. The big light switch manufacturers in Germany, Italy, Spain and Belgium sell exclusively to wholesalers and the electrical trade, and their products have virtually no presence in the UK design and home improvement media.
Other brands stocked by Swtch include top quality European manufacturers Gira, Jung and Berker. The Sussex-based company retails switches and other wiring accessories online in over 50 colours and finishes, in materials as diverse as glass, wood, metal, ceramic, Bakelite, and concrete. Renewable, natural materials such as plywood and linoleum are also available. There is a choice of rocker, rotary, button, toggle and dimmer functions, including options for integrating with Smart Home installations such as KNX, Lutron and Loxone. Customers can choose switches to match the architectural period of their property, or mix and match to reflect their own style. A selection of Swtch products will be on display in the new showroom in Lewes’ Star Brewery later this summer.
Founder Wolf Luecker, says, “The pieces you’ll find at Swtch are a world away from the everyday white plastic light switches seen in many UK homes and offices. I want to show people how switches can be a beautifully considered design statement. Most of the time, design editors just photoshop plain or dull switches out of the picture, and this seems a huge missed opportunity to me.”
As well as ‘off the shelf’ products available from their online shop, Swtch offer highly bespoke, made-to-order wiring accessories from artisan metal designers GMatrix of Bruges, hand-painted porcelain switch covers from Suited Suits of Holland, and the luxurious Cockpit range from Belgian switch maker, Lithoss.
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Notes for Editors:
1. For more information, visit https://www.swtch.co.uk and the Swtch Instagram feed at https://instagram.com/swtchuk
2. The Katy Paty ‘Roo’ ceramic switch is made from traditional kaolin and undergoes an intricate dyeing and firing process. It is dust-proof, scratch-proof, heat-resistant and does not stain, available in a wide range of colours, and comes with a 50-year warranty. Retail prices start at £65 per switch.
3. The THPG Toggles and Dimmers are made in Germany from authentic black Bakelite® granules, using original moulds and machinery from the 1940s and '50s. They are available with the more traditional round backplates as well as square plates, which are easier to fit into British wall boxes. Retail prices start at £40 for a single switch.
4. All Swtch products are manufactured, tested and certified in the EU, carry the CE mark and conform to the relevant European standards, in particular the Low Voltage Directive. They are legal to be installed by qualified electricians in the UK, and safe to be used in domestic and commercial environments. NB: Recent UK government guidance confirms that CE marked electrical products can continue to be placed in the UK market and installed according to UK regulations, even in the event of a “No Deal” Brexit.
5. Swtch provides online installation guides for its products but cannot give detailed installation advice or electrical consultation.
29/03/19
Swtch brightens up Ideal Home Show with colourful light switches
"Evolving Home" bedroom set, featuring yellow porcelain switches supplied by Swtch. Photo: Veronica Rodriguez.
The UK’s first ever retailer of European designer light switches has been selected to supply products for this year’s Ideal Home Show House. New company, Swtch, whose online shop launched in December 2018, sells high-quality, well-designed light switches and sockets previously not available direct to homeowners.
Founded by entrepreneur Wolf Luecker and based in Lewes, East Sussex, Swtch is hoping to change the way British consumers view wiring accessories, from mundane technical necessity to an integral part of the interior design process.
It is the first time that designer switches from a retailer have featured in the Show House at London’s Olympia. The ‘Roo’ is a porcelain button light switch from artisan maker Katy Paty of the Czech Republic, now stocked by Swtch. The product was chosen by Owl Design, the interior design company who decorated and furnished the ‘Evolving Home’ Show House.
Sophie van Winden of Owl Design explains how the Katy Paty light switch caught her eye on Swtch’s Instagram page:
“I just loved its vivid colours, retro feel and glossy finish. I’m half Dutch so I’m used to seeing gorgeous switches in continental homes, but it’s much harder to find them in the UK. As well as looking great with our pastel-toned colour blocking themes, we chose the Roo switches as a lovely tactile feature for visitors to the Evolving Home.”
Owl Design used the Mint version to match skirting boards and painted furniture in the living room, and installed the same design in Yellow, Salmon Pink and Matt Black in three of the other rooms.
"Evolving Home" bedroom set, featuring yellow porcelain switches supplied by Swtch. Photo: Veronica Rodriguez.
More about Swtch:
Traditionally, design-conscious UK customers have not been able to purchase individual high-spec light switches from Europe, and many home owners are not aware these products exist. The big light switch manufacturers in Germany, Italy, Spain and Belgium sell exclusively to wholesalers and the electrical trade, and their products have virtually no presence in the UK design and home improvement media.
Other brands stocked by Swtch include top quality European manufacturers Gira, Jung, Berker and THPG. The Sussex-based company retails switches and other wiring accessories online in over 50 colours and finishes, in materials as diverse as glass, wood, metal, ceramic, Bakelite, and concrete. Renewable, natural materials such as plywood and linoleum are also available. There is a choice of rocker, rotary, button, toggle and dimmer functions, including options for integrating with Smart Home installations such as KNX, Lutron and Loxone. Customers can choose switches to match the architectural period of their property, or mix and match to reflect their own style. A selection of Swtch products will be on display in the new showroom in Lewes’ Star Brewery later this summer.
Founder, Wolf Luecker, says, “The pieces you’ll find at Swtch are a world away from the everyday white plastic light switches seen in many UK homes and offices. I want to show people how switches can be a beautifully considered design statement. Most of the time, design editors just photoshop plain or dull switches out of the picture, and this seems a huge missed opportunity to me.”
As well as ‘off the shelf’ products available from their online shop, Swtch offer highly bespoke, made-to-order wiring accessories from artisan metal designers GMatrix of Bruges, hand-painted porcelain switch covers from Suited Suits of Holland, and the luxurious Cockpit range from Belgian switch maker, Lithoss.
END
Notes for Editors:
1. For more information, visit https://www.swtch.co.uk and the Swtch Instagram feed at https://instagram.com/swtchuk
2. The Katy Paty ‘Roo’ ceramic switch is made from traditional kaolin and undergoes an intricate dyeing and firing process. It is dust-proof, scratch-proof, heat-resistant and does not stain, available in a wide range of colours, and comes with a 50-year warranty. Retail prices start from £65 per switch.
3. The Ideal Home Show is at Olympia London from 22 March until 7 April 2019 and is the world’s longest running home show exhibition, attracting up to 200,000 consumers each year.
4. Subject to final edit, Katy Paty ‘Roo’ light switches from Swtch will be featured in BBC2’s “Your Home, Made Perfect” later in Spring 2019. In this new series by Remarkable Productions, Architects Robert Jamison and Laura Clark help create perfect homes for renovating couples, assisted by virtual reality - a first for British TV.
5. All Swtch products are manufactured, tested and certified in the EU, carry the CE mark and conform to the relevant European standards, in particular the Low Voltage Directive. They are legal to be installed by qualified electricians in the UK, and safe to be used in domestic and commercial environments. NB: Recent UK government guidance confirms that CE marked electrical products can continue to be placed in the UK market and installed according to UK regulations, even in the event of a “No Deal” Brexit.
6. Swtch provides online installation guides for its products but cannot give detailed installation advice or electrical consultation.