Fritz Hansen Cecilie Manz Essay Table

Founded in 1872, Fritz Hansen originated with a forward-thinking family of Danish cabinetmakers who revolutionized the Scandinavian furniture industry, producing some of the world’s most revered design classics in the process.

Through creative partnerships with visionary designers and architects such as Arne Jacobsen, Hans J. Wegner and Poul Kjærholm, Fritz Hansen developed a culture characterized by the love of good craftsmanship coupled with a desire to make the most of modern industrial production methods in the manufacturing and distribution of good design.

Today Fritz Hansen is part of a small, exclusive array of global luxury furniture makers. From the Royal Hotel in Copenhagen to the North Carolina Museum of Art, to fine homes all over the world, Fritz Hansen is known for products of unmatched quality and world-class design.

Cecilie Manz was born in the Odsherred region of Denmark. As the child of parents occupied with art and design, designing always formed a natural part of her life. She chose design as her living when she began studying at the Danish School of Design in 1992. Her great interest for function and conceptualization took her further as an exchange student to Helsinki where she attended the Finnish University of Art and Design.

In 1998, a year after she graduated from the Danish School of Design, she started her own studio, Manz Lab, the center of her work ever since. Cecilie Manz' strong feeling for functionality and insistence on quality make her an obvious choice for Fritz Hansen. Already, Cecilie Manz has exhibited all over the world and is permanently represented in the exhibitions of MoMA and the Danish Design Centre. She has given lectures and received several significant awards for her conceptual design.

Manz says, "I work with things that have a meaning to me. My general idea is always to have a clear argument legitimizing the designs that I make. Function is essential, and if I cannot formulate a good reason for a new product, it is better to refrain from making it."