Behind The Blade

featuring ECC

23 March 2022

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Imagine a space illuminated by barely visible downlights that seamlessly bathe the whole room in light. The Blade, the world's smallest downlight, is the latest product from Italian lighting company iGuzzini, and is being launched around the world this week, available exclusively through ECC New Zealand.

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Founded in 1959, iGuzzini is one of the top five architectural lighting businesses in Europe, and it exports its products around the globe. The company’s new product builds on the success of the iGuzzini Laser Blade family of light fittings, first available in 2012.

The Blade, a new linear downlight – and the first of its kind in the world – is much smaller than previous models, as well as being more powerful. It also offers a performance so precise that the light appears to emit magically from the ceiling. At only 28mm wide, a full 20mm narrower than previous downlighting systems, it is iGuzzini’s innovative technology that has allowed this new light fitting to be so small that it can be integrated into ceilings almost invisibly, ensuring a clean, unspoiled appearance.

“For example, in an internal area of an office, or in a retail space, or restaurant, an architect may want to create a feeling of daytime warmth and have the lights set at 2700 K. Or, in an application where a different atmosphere is required, the temperature can be adjusted towards a cooler 4000 K,” he says. “I believe The Blade is the perfect mix – with perfect visual comfort, perfect integration into space, and perfect performance,” says Guzzini. In fact, The Blade has already been recognised by the international lighting industry with awards in several European countries for its innovative design.

The Blade is produced in several finishes, including black, white and gold, and in a range of lengths to suit different spaces and applications, although, says Guzzini, “for those who prefer a more traditional form, the fitting is also available as a square”. The collection also includes a ‘wall washer’ model with the same characteristics. Fittings can be framed, or remain frameless for a completely clean look. Research and innovation are key to iGuzzini’s success, and The Blade is a testament to this approach.

This highly efficient LED fitting offers an impressive light performance with reduced energy consumption, and fewer fittings are required to illuminate a particular area because all the power is transferred to the lamp, rather than lost as heat. With iGuzzini’s emphasis on quality, LED lamps manufactured by the company are expected to be long lasting, with an expected lifetime of around 50,000 hours.

“The future of lighting is LED,” says Guzzini. “Over the last five years, we have been redesigning our lights, so that now around 76 per cent of our turnover is in LED lighting.” Practicality is also important, and the fittings in The Blade collection have been designed to be easy to install. “It was a challenge to design such tiny, yet powerful, downlights that would be easy to install, but we have succeeded,” says Guzzini.

The Blade is being imported into New Zealand by ECC, a family-owned company that has built a reputation for its collections of European designer and technical lighting and furniture. ECC was established in 1909 by George Thorburn and is now run by his grandson, Mike Thorburn. ECC has had a long relationship with iGuzzini, which is also a privately owned and family-run company, and The Blade harmonises with ECC’s passion for finding and providing innovative designs and inventive solutions that meet clients’ lighting and design requirements.