'Return of the Bright Sparks' Quiz Night, Wellington

2009 was the 'Return of the Bright Sparks' Quiz Night, hosted by ECC in Wellington. Teams of Architects, Engineers and Interior designers descended on The Boatshed, situated on the beautiful Wellington waterfront, for a night of fun and one hell of a competition.

After 10 rounds of questions, spot prizes and some interesting competitions run by the MC, Mike Robinson, Third prize ended in a tie breaker between Warren & Mahoney and Inside Design, with Inside Design taking it out. Second prize, by 2 points, went to Craig & Coltart. The big winners of the night, one point ahead, were Toulouse Group, taking out the Gold Medals. There were only points between the other 19 teams.

A great night was had by all, and we hope everybody enjoyed themselves. A big thanks to everybody who joined us and we will see you all at "Bright Sparks 2010"!

Pink Puppies '09 for Breast Cancer NZ Wraps Up.

The successful New Zealand Pink Puppy campaign ended on Friday 18 December 2009 with the handover of a cheque to Heather Shotter, Executive Trustee of the New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation. ECC donated all profits from the sale of pink puppies from its Auckland and Wellington stores to this very worthwhile cause that affects many New Zealand families. The special limited edition of 60 pink puppies was designed by Finnish designer - Eero Aarnio for Italian manufacturer Magis.

ECC Brisbane USM Function Oct 09

USM was the topic of the night at ECC Brisbane's recent function which was hosted by special guest Simon Enderli from USM in Switzerland. The invited designers and architects were impressed by the sleek classic design of the items on display. Enderli's presentation emphasised the versatility and functionality of the product and its 40 year history gave a true indication of the company's strength.

ECC Sydney USM function Oct 09

ECC held a function at our showroom at Darlinghurst on the 1st of October. Simon Enderli from USM Switzerland presented on the night with interesting content information on The Bauhaus Principle of "form follows function "We had a range of products on exhibit showing real-life solutions that can be developed on the Basis of our customers’ individual needs. Simon also pointed out the sustainable attributes of these products that are very relevant to our changing world. An enjoyable and informative evening was enjoyed by all.

Brisbane Trivia Night

ECC Brisbane hosted a fun filled Trivia Night in celebration of their 100 year anniversary. It was a full house, and the competing companies were: The Buchan Group, BVN Architecture. Cottee Parker, Geyer, Hassell, Nettleton Tribe, Norman Disney & Young, Smith Madden, Steendyk and Studioplus Group. The competitors needed to know how many feet were in a fathom, who Santa's eight Reindeers are, what a numismatist is and be able to identify their Mr Men. It was a close playing field as the questions came to a close but Studioplus Group came up victorious and took home the golden cup. It was a fabulous evening with many laughs all round. ECC would like to thank all those that joined us and are looking forward to the next one.

ECC Sydney Showroom Salon Event June 09

We had our third successful Salon event at the ECC Sydney showroom on June 8th. TALK BY: DAVID BECKER FROM Point Of View

David Becker presented us with some beautiful imagery and insight into his very creative and Beautiful designs. We were all captivated and inspired with many of his ideas, practical hints and insight into a complete story covering a large myriad of recent projects.

Salon has become a much anticipated event that helps to inspire with interest in the many aspects associated with design, artists and very often all of the above. If you would like to be included in one of these events that take place in our Sydney showroom, please feel free to register on our website with your email address under "Contact Us".

Melbourne Night Trials June 09

As we approached the winter solstice in June 2009, the ECC Melbourne team braved the wintry conditions to host their night trials over three nights in the CBD. The BBQ was lit, the beer was cool and the halls were filled with over 100 lighting consultants walking through the St Peter's Parish Hall to view the extensive external range available from iGuzzini.

The highlight of the evening was the new Archilede LED streetlight which illustrated iGuzzini as a leader in revolutionising the way we experience light. (Post note: A sample of the Archilede has since been installed near the Eureka Towers in Southbank for public viewing.) The night trials also hosted exhibits of iGuzzini's wall / ceiling luminaires, bollards, LED uplighters as well as the Cosompolis lamp in the MaxiWoody floodlight.

Congratulations to our nightly winners who each won $300 retail voucher for our ECC showroom.

Gillian McInnes, Bird de la Coeur
Peter Bobek, Jeff Bryar & Associates
Natalie Beeton, Williams Boags Architects

ECC NZ's Milan 09 Report

This year our annual report on the Milan Furniture Fair takes on a new interactive format. By putting the report here on our website you can view the new products from ECC suppliers in the way you want, read about the trends from the show and provide us feedback on what you like the most.

» Product Showcase
» Report on Trends

Yellow Tree House lit by ECC

Being lighting design specialists, ECC was given the challenge of providing lighting for the Yellow Pages Tree House project just north of Auckland. Our owner Mike Thorburn loves big, creative ideas, so he was supportive of the concept right from the start. Commercial lighting designer Renee mapped out a plan using outdoor lighting, since the structure is not fully waterproof, making sure it looks stunning from a distance and provides enough ambient light for diners and staff. View image»

Get your Limited Edition Pink Puppy. Proceeds to NZ Breast Cancer

ECC NZ has shipped in a special limited edition of the small Pink Puppy by Finnish designer Eero Aarnio for Italian manufacturer Magis.

The Puppy is an exciting chair designed specifically for children incorporating playfulness, vibrancy, and colour. It is fabricated with a moulded polyethylene allowing the puppy to be used indoor and outdoor, and ensuring total safety for children.

The name of Eero Aarnio has become synonymous with great design and universal appeal. There are not many people in this world who could walk past the Pink Puppy without registering a reaction or interaction. When coupled with a charity that is all inclusive of the human race, there is a need to get involved.

This is a great way to get involved, with ECC donating all profits to the NZ Breast Cancer Foundation. Available in the small size only – dimensions: Height – 34.5cm / Seat Height – 23.5cm / Length – 42.5cm / Width – 26cm.

Light Bulb Ban Ended in New Zealand

Energy and Resources Minister, Gerry Brownlee, has told Parliament today the ban on traditional light bulbs is being lifted. "This government has real concerns about telling people they have to move to energy efficient light bulbs by decree," he said.

"It has been well signalled and will come as no surprise that the government is lifting the ban on traditional or incandescent light bulbs," said Mr Brownlee. "We are committed to energy efficiency in the home and efficient lighting has an important role to play in helping us reduce the amount of energy we use, but this Government believes it is a matter of consumer choice."

"People need good, credible information about the different lighting options that are available to them, and then they can decide what is right for them in their homes."

"Lifting the previous government's ban on incandescent light bulbs simply means we are allowing their continued sale, and I am confident the consumer trend to energy efficient bulbs will continue," said Mr Brownlee.

Zwei Creates Personalities for Brand van Egmond pendants

Working in conjunction through the Saturday in Design 'Join' program, ECC Lighting + Furniture and Zwei Interiors Architecture launched the exciting new lighting range from the Dutch design team Brand van Egmond, the creative collaboration between William Brand and Annet van Egmond. The concept captured the outrageous designs of the BvD duo by presenting each fitting as a unique personality. Fittings are presented as the 'head' of an iconic or identifiable personality based upon the original inspiration of the fitting: Broom - a witch, Hollywood - Marilyn, Nightwatch - Shakespeare, Love you/love you not - kissing couple. Katherine Kemp of Zwei Interiors Architecture said, "It was wonderful to work with such an inspiring product and with a client who was so receptive to presenting a concept in a unique manner".

Six Brisbane Design Firms Join the Puppy4life Campaign

The Puppy4life campaign is in support of the National Breast Cancer Foundation and involved the help of six Brisbane design firms and the local Fortitude Valley State School. ECC donated the participating teams a white x-large 3D Magis puppy and they were asked to transform their puppy into an innovative design object. These were on show in the Brisbane ECC showroom and are now up for Auction with all proceeds being donated to the worthy cause. Auction closes October 5th. The Brisbane based design firms involved were: Cottee Parker Interiors, Cox Rayner, Geyer, GHD, Mirvac Design and Studioplus.

ECC at Indesign 08

ECC Brisbane's participation in the 2008 Brisbane Indesign was a huge success. The streets of Fortitude Valley were abuzz with the who's who of Queensland designers and the reaction to the newly renovated showroom was amazing. On display were some of the latest products from the Milan Fair including the Chair First and Steelwood from Magis. Also on show at this year’s BiD were the Puppy4life entrants.