The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - The Telegraph Magazine
ON THE QUIET
Cool colours, simple shapes and restrained pricing herald a new mood in the home
A DESIGN FAIR THAT sees the launch of thousands of new lifestyle products is not the obvious platform for a moment of restraint. But for Cecilie Manz, named designer of the year at the Maison & Objet show in Paris last weekend, there is a new mood for a new year in the world of decorative products, and it’s less peacocky, more pared-back.
Manz launched her own studio in Copenhagen 20 years ago and has made her name as an industrial designer, making simple, functional products in basic materials, such as wood, leather, glass, aluminium and porcelain. The latter was the basis for one of her favourite collaborations, with the Danish ceramics company Kähler, which saw her compose a bone-china tableware collection between 2006 and 2016. ‘You could say it’s because I’m the daughter of two potters,’ she says. ‘When I was choosing my career path I thought I would do something completely different, but I tend to get a lot of ideas in porcelain.’
Other collaborations have ranged from tea towels to tech, with brands including Muuto, Fritz Hansen and Bang & Olufsen, for whom she most recently created a portable bluetooth speaker in pearl-blasted aluminium.
Her stand at Maison & Objet was a distillation of her greatest hits from the past two decades, as well as new pieces in wood, leather, glass and aluminium. ‘I’m using basic materials, but trying to twist them, to see them with new eyes,’ she says. And as for the future: ‘Maybe it’s wishful thinking on my part, but I think we’re seeing things in a more holistic way. It’s always interesting when everyone’s work is put together at an exhibition like this, and you start to see some kind of connection. It seems we’re starting to appreciate modesty. After the economic crisis people couldn’t afford the bling, but now times are better, perhaps we’re still reflecting on what we buy, how much we buy and how we buy it. Design doesn’t need to shout.’ ceciliemanz.com