Cecilie Manz was born in Odsherred, Denmark, in 1972. For her diploma project at the Danish School of Design in 1997, she conceived "Surface" – a piece of furniture that defies categorisation and serves as a bench, a lounger, a low table or simply a book shelf.
Alongside her studies in Copenhagen, Cecilie Manz began studying at the Department of Furniture and Interior Design at the University of Art and Design in Helsinki, Finland, in 1995. She was particularly interested in Finland's strong design tradition and the international approach of Finnish design, which she often missed in the Danish design scene.
After working in Professor Yrjö Wiherheimo's drawing office in Finland in 1997, she founded her own design studio, Manz Lab, in Copenhagen in 1998. Since 2005, Cecilie Manz has worked with the long-established Danish glass manufacturer Holmegaard, among others, for which she created the sophisticated "Minima" glass series and the "Light Bottle" candle glass. Her best-known designs include the Minuscule chair for Fritz Hansen and the Micado side table for Fredericia. In her designs, functionality always comes first, and the clear usefulness of a product is always the focus. She draws her inspiration from everyday situations.
Her work has received numerous international design awards, including the Furniture Prize 2007, the Kunstpreis Berlin 2008 and the iF Design Award 2015.
