Tauranga designer Mat Macmillan has won a bronze award in the lighting category of this year's Designers Institute of NZ Best Design Awards for his iO Lighting Drum Pendant designs.
Mr Macmillan makes his designs himself, using sliced plywood to create dramatically shaped lights, in a studio the former carpenter fitted out himself on the family lifestyle block in Welcome Bay. Each set is unique.
"This award is a huge achievement, being that this is the first product I have launched and indeed my first foray into the design field," said Mr Macmillan.
He noted that his company, Maker, was up against some well-established names.
Mr Macmillan conceived the design in early 2014 and developed the prototypes and jigs over six months, refining the product and eventually launching it through The Clever Design Store in August 2014. Maker now has its products in a dozen retail and design showrooms across New Zealand.