Milan Update #3

Our day began heading to central Milan to the Paola Lenti showroom/display area. Just like last year, it was based in an old Monastery which they've transformed into a fantastic indoor and outdoor showroom. Paola Lenti have released several new product ranges this year and over 500 new colour combinations.

Mike T and Anna Lenti

Next stop - the IPE showroom, situated in an old theater in central Milan. This year they released an entirely new range of exterior furniture in luxurious finishes. An incredible display and one of our favorites. It was absolutely wild! They also released the IPE first class fit out for private jets!

Milan Update #2

Today's first destination was a truly beautiful stand - Giorgetti - one of the best stands we saw. Giorgetti have a fantastic new range of products, all of which seem to be on a smaller scale to the previous year. This seems to the trend across the majority of stands and suppliers have released collections to suit smaller spaces and contract applications.

Mr Giorgetti with Mike T

New bed from Giorgetti 

We then headed off to La Palma. They have released a new range of Stools called 'Mak', and two new Chair ranges called 'Link' and 'Pass'. As well as this, they've released a new concrete finish and a black chrome finish to their Lem Barstool stool range. All these products can be viewed and downloaded from their new iPad application available from the App Store. 

Today we have a half day at the fair, before going back to the Tortona and Lambrate areas, where there are a lot of new designers, especially from Belgium and Germany.

We met, yesterday, with our good friends from Pluma Cubic. As it happens we are fortunate enough to have a range of their product on its way to ECC at present!

We dropped by our friends at Lolli e Memmoli, who as always have some fantastic pieces and new versions of their traditional pieces. 

Finally a couple of cool pieces we saw in the Lambrate Displays and Good Morning from Lake Como!

Face made of carpet in 3D

Silver Plated Mini Cooper 

Milan update #1

We've arrived in Milan for the next leg of our trip. Milan hosts the Salone del Mobile, the world's leading trade fair for the home furnishing sector. We'll also see some of the more decorative lighting manufacturers displaying their new releases here. As well as the main trade fair, manufacturers have branched out into an 'arty' area of Milan called Tortona in order to display their catalogues of products in a fresh and new way.

Tom Dixon have set up at the MOST exabition in the Milan Museum of Technology which is an old Monastery build in 1712.

Russel, Debbie, Valentina, Mike T and Nick outside Tom Dixon

Famous Designer Marcel Wanders with Mike T
at Moooi

New Container Range by Moooi 

Moooi Showroom

The Moooi 'virtual showroom tour' is a must see to check out some of their new releases. Use this link for your own virtual tour - The Unexpected Welcome at Moooi Milan April 2012

Linteloo showroom. A vibrant, yet very
relaxing place.

A new release by Linteloo adding to their
already brilliant range of sofas.

New Verden Dining Table with the new version on the Cevino Dining Chair 

The Feel Good Factor!!

Linteloo's new products will arrive at ECC later this year. Keep a lookout for another great range of furniture from these guys!

Richard T and Mike T outside the Milan
Museum of Technology.

The submarine in the background of the above photo is an S506 Enrico Toti built for the Italian Navy in the 1960s (the first submarines designed and built in Italy since WW2 and named after WW1 Italian war hero Enrico Toti).

Entrance to the Tom Dixon Private Dining room set up in a old Monastery built in 1712

Italian history and culture lives on in the
artwork and architecture of these amazing
buildings.

We've got more to come from Milan so check back in the next couple of days for more of an update of what's happening around the fair grounds this year.

From the ECC Team

Frankfurt update #4

Day 4 - our final day in Frankfurt.


Meeting this morning with Vibia, we were ready for the release of their brand new software which they call 'CREA.' CREA is an absolutely brilliant new way to generate 3D lighting visuals and plans through the Vibia website. It allows the user to input their specific room dimensions (manually or via CAD file uploads) and then to create Vibia fittings and insert them around the room. It will then produce a 3D file of the room with the new fittings and Vibia will send a personalized installation plan with the product.


To see CREA at work, watch any of these shorts videos and you'll see just how great this new software is!

CREA tutorial by Vibia

Halo by Vibia - CREA

Ameba by Vibia - CREA

Origami by Vibia - CREA

That's all from us for today. Our next update will be direct from Milan, so keep an eye on the Blog!

From The ECC Team

Frankfurt update #3

LED, LED, LED!

The third day of Frankfurt and nearly our last before heading off to Milan for the Salone del Mobile. A long time supplier of ours, FLOS, was the main port of call for us today, to go through their large range of lighting. FLOS, like the rest of the industry, have implemented LED into their current products and released a range of new products embracing the latest in LED technology.

Front of the FLOS stand in Frankfurt.

Running Magnet by Flos Architectural is a lighting system for continuous ceiling and wall mounting where the light source is secured through use of magnets.

The Running Magnet - close up.

The Running Magnet extending 'seamlessly' from the
ceiling and down the wall.

Here are just a few of the other products on display at the FLOS stand for light+building 2012. We'd love to write about each and every one of these amazing products and the technology which has been put into them, but we'd be here forever! We hope to have these on display at ECC later this year.

Light Cut by FLOS Architectural.
Extrusion with numerous lighting elements
as possible inserts.

Meetings with suppliers & retailers at FLOS'
stand. FLOS Soft Architecture lighting on
display on the back wall.

FindMe by FLOS. Can be either in or out
of the wall its is mounted on.

Solid Pure by FLOS - display lighting.

LED Squad - shelf lighting by FLOS.

Another stop for us today was to meet with Ingo Maurer, one of our more decorative suppliers. Ingo Maurer continue to come up with stunning, yet quirky, designs year after year. You may have remember their BangBoom! Zettel'z pendant in our showroom last year which features about 50 small paper sheets with different comic drawings on them.

This year they've produced a very interesting table which happens to have no legs! The table is actually supported by the chairs which surround it. The left hand arm of each chair is fixed underneath the table top and the chairs are able to slide in and out depending on how close you want sit to the table.

Floating Table by Ingo Maurer.

Mike T at the Ingo Maurer stand.

Tomorrow is our last day at the Frankfurt light+building fair for 2012. We then head to Milan for our next stop to meet our furniture suppliers and some of the more decorative side of the lighting market.

The ECC Team

New Product 2012 - iGuzzini - #1

The iPro Mini & iPro Micro by iGuzzini, released at light+building 2012 in Frankfurt this week are an extension to the iPro family of projectors. The outdoor fittings use LED technology and are intended to be hidden within the architectural context, thereby evoking minimal visual impact.

iGuzzini's Laser Blade, an indoor LED recessed fitting combines an extremely minimal design with the maximum experience in LED products for retail applications and creates graphic textures in ceiling applications.

The Wow pole mounted LED luminaries feature various innovative solutions that render it one of the most effective street lighting systems: it allows for a 58% saving in energy consumption compared to analogous fitting with the best light sources currently available on the international market.

Lun-Up is a ground/floor recessed outdoor luminaire. Simple and functional, it is a smile of light for the exterior of residential areas.

We'll blog some more new releases from iGuzzini in the coming days, so check back again if you'd like to see more.

The ECC Team.

Frankfurt update #2

Day 2 in Frankfurt allowed us to meet with both Royal Botania and iGuzzini, along with others, including ‘graypants’ who have some very interesting and ‘green’ lighting products in their catalogue. We also were lucky enough to meet with the representatives from KKDC.

Royal Botania, manufacturers of beautiful outdoor furniture, also have a catalogue of outdoor lighting. 2012 sees them release an extension of this lighting catalogue and offering new versions of their current models.

Dome Floor, in black or white powder coated

aluminum with glass shade.

Q-Bic, available in different heights, with double

or single lamps, in stainless steel and teak.

iGuzzini combines the old and the new in a perfect harmony to promote its releases for 2012. The ceiling and floor in one particular part of their stand, reminiscent of fresco artwork by artists of the Renaissance, is portrayed through the use of LED.

Center of iGuzzini stand - LED Frescoes.

The ECC Team with iGuzzini representative Igor.

Street lighting by iGuzzini.

'graypants', a lighting manufacturer based in Holland, offer a range of pendants made from recycled cardboard. Perhaps these will be on display at ECC some time later in the year?

Recycled cardboard pendants

by graypants.

Below, Nick Quy and Mike Thorburn of ECC meet with a representative from KKDC at their stand in the fairgrounds.

KKDC stand.

Stay tuned to our blog for daily updates from light+building 2012 in Frankfurt, before we move onto Milan and the Salone del Mobile.

The ECC Team