Ecooldesigns eyes high growth with global supply deals

Edinburgh-based Ecool-designs has made a name for itself creating candle holders shaped like giant dice and champagne flutes formed out of recycled aluminium from aircraft parts.

Now the company is branching out into a range of other products, bringing over folding chairs that are made using wooden wine barrels from California.

The firm is also importing multi-coloured, lead-free wire baskets made by Zulu tribes in South Africa.

Esmond Toney, a Londoner who moved to Edinburgh 12 years ago and worked in the furniture department of the city’s branch of department store chain John Lewis, set up Ecooldesigns in 2009.

He overcame long-term illness and an attack in his own home to found the company – even though he had not studied design at university but simply had a love for the industry.

Toney said that, thanks to the company’s manufacturing contract in India, he would now take on design and production work for customers.

But Toney added that he was also looking at options to manufacture some of his products in Scotland – including an idea to build music speakers into his flagship dice design.

Toney said: “The chair made from the recycled California wine barrels was a great find and is representative of the type of stylish but highly functional products we bring to market.”

Ecooldesigns has also been signed up by Scottish Enterprise as one of its high-growth companies.