Cecilie Manz: Maison & Objet Designer of the Year 2018
For Danish designer Cecilie Manz functionality is paramount – and she hopes for less focus on the image of perfection
“I’ve won a good amount of prizes, but it’s not something I’ll ever get used to. It’s a great honour, and it fills me with joy whenever someone praises my design,” she says.
Manz grew up in a creative, artistic environment and graduated from the Danish Design School in 1997. Since then, she has designed everything from chairs, porcelain and dishcloths to handbags, sinks and speakers.
Manz grew up in a creative, artistic environment and graduated from the Danish Design School in 1997. Since then, she has designed everything from chairs, porcelain and dishcloths to handbags, sinks and speakers.
But what exactly makes Cecilie Manz such a good designer?
Maison & Objet describe her as “one of the most outstanding names in industrial and interior design worldwide”, and “Not only a bestseller but also a ‘longseller’”. At the same time the French design fair highlighted her Scandinavian heritage as being “self-evident in her effort to strip her creations of any superfluous element”.
If you ask Cecilie Manz herself, she mentions her lamp named Caravaggio, produced by Lightyears and hanging in thousands of homes and restaurants all over the world as a bright example of her success. “It’s an extremely simple design. It provides you with efficient lighting and has a shade that covers the bulb but otherwise it’s pretty much as plain as it gets – which is probably what makes it so popular,” says Manz.
Maison & Objet describe her as “one of the most outstanding names in industrial and interior design worldwide”, and “Not only a bestseller but also a ‘longseller’”. At the same time the French design fair highlighted her Scandinavian heritage as being “self-evident in her effort to strip her creations of any superfluous element”.
If you ask Cecilie Manz herself, she mentions her lamp named Caravaggio, produced by Lightyears and hanging in thousands of homes and restaurants all over the world as a bright example of her success. “It’s an extremely simple design. It provides you with efficient lighting and has a shade that covers the bulb but otherwise it’s pretty much as plain as it gets – which is probably what makes it so popular,” says Manz.
She adds that timing may be a contributing factor when it comes to the popularity and spread of a design. In the case of Caravaggio, which was launched in 2005, it hit a dry spot in lighting at a time when people were hungry for something other than Louis Poulsen’s classic PH-lamps on the Danish design scene.
Manz has previously stated that she doesn’t have a definite design philosophy but that, to her, it often comes down to “reducing and minimising.”
The Essay table, designed for Fritz Hansen, is another example of Manz’s rigorous style. “It took me three years to complete. There’s no glamour or glitter: it is so stripped down that it doesn’t even try to grab the attention,” she says.
The Essay table, designed for Fritz Hansen, is another example of Manz’s rigorous style. “It took me three years to complete. There’s no glamour or glitter: it is so stripped down that it doesn’t even try to grab the attention,” she says.
Functionality is a key word for Manz’s design. “There are a lot of designs out there that make you wonder: ‘is that actually constructed for the purpose of being used?’ In that sense, I’m a bit old-fashioned in my approach, as I care a lot about researching and immersing myself in how my design will be used in the real world. I need to relate to the demand and truly understand what it is I’m trying to create,” she says.
In other words, good design should be made for use and interaction. The A1 speaker, which Manz designed for B&O Play, is a perfect example. Whereas a lot of luxury furniture and accessories have an appearance of fragility and sumptuousness, the round B&O speaker seems, in Manz’s own words, so perfectly unpretentious that you immediately get the urge to touch it, use it and bring it with you on the go.
In other words, good design should be made for use and interaction. The A1 speaker, which Manz designed for B&O Play, is a perfect example. Whereas a lot of luxury furniture and accessories have an appearance of fragility and sumptuousness, the round B&O speaker seems, in Manz’s own words, so perfectly unpretentious that you immediately get the urge to touch it, use it and bring it with you on the go.
With an eye for quality, functionality and stringent minimalism, Manz is on point with the Scandinavian design tradition. In her opinion, another characteristic of Nordic design is scrupulousness and an air of informality. “We take it for granted that a chair has to look equally pretty upside down,” she says.
Most of the time, Manz finds her inspiration far from showrooms and furniture fairs. “I get inspired by visual arts, a walk in the woods, beautiful materials and all sorts of other things,” she says. Although her designs stay well within the lines of Scandinavian style, she likes to pick inspiration from outside the Danish borders – especially from France and other southern European cultures.
“In some ways, Denmark is a pretty tight space. In one way it is our strength that we stick to the minimalistic norms, but it also means that small hints of free and flamboyant expression are more than welcome as a source of inspiration to me,” she says.
At the same time, Manz doesn’t really stay updated with design and fashion magazines. In fact, she generally pays little attention to trends and external norms and expectations when it comes to how to adapt, look and live.
At the same time, Manz doesn’t really stay updated with design and fashion magazines. In fact, she generally pays little attention to trends and external norms and expectations when it comes to how to adapt, look and live.
“I personally believe it’d be healthy for a lot of people to stop focusing so much on the image of perfection. People ought to take a look at their own homes, needs and family lives rather than strive to achieve some general goals and conform to norms that may not even match their lifestyles. I wish people were braver,” Manz concludes.
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Cecilie Manz is the kind of designer who refuses to settle for mediocrity and a design that’s merely “good enough”. It has to be second to none.
The perfectionist approach seems to be paying off for the 44-year-old Dane, who was recently appointed Designer of the Year 2018 at the French design fair, Maison & Objet – one award among many for the talented Cecilie Manz.