Monolit by Cecilie Manz for Fritz Hansen

I always love hearing the story behind a design, so it was a delight to hear Danish designer Cecilie Manz talk about her Monolit chair for Fritz Hansen at their London showroom last week. First unveiled at 3 Days of Design in Copenhagen last May, the Monolit chair is an upholstered design with a strong silhouette and sculptural form.

‘Fritz Hansen have a long history of doing bold, expressive pieces, for example with Arne Jacobsen’s Series 7 chair, so I allowed myself to be a little more expressive than I normally would,’ said Manz, having flown in for a fleeting trip to the capital. ‘It’s called Monolit because I wanted to create one unit, not with legs sticking out in all directions. Despite its appearance, the footprint is actually the same size as a Series 7 chair, so it doesn’t take up too much space. I hope it will be useful in spaces where you don’t have much room.’

Known for her clean functionalism and pure aesthetic, Manz has a knack for reducing forms down to their most essential details, creating simple designs that have a strong but quiet presence. Manz described how she wanted to give the Monolit chair an innate sense of comfort.

For her, this comfort didn’t need to come in the form of dense, thick upholstery, but simply from a comfortable, curved form that cocoons the shape of the body. Fritz Hansen describe the back of the seat as a ’round protective shell’, designed to embrace the sitter and give a sense of personal space.

The Monolit chair has been conceived for both commercial dining spaces and home interiors, and comes in two seat heights. During the design process with Fritz Hansen, always with an eye for detail, Manz adjusted the seat height above what is normally standard for lounge chairs of this nature, conscious that people should be able to rise in and out of it with ease.

Look closer and you’ll see that the detail of the chair lies in the full grain leather piping that Manz says, ‘separates the inside and the outside of the chair, really defining the shape and contour of the design’. It acts as the sharp seam on a pair of trousers or the clean cuff on a shirt, finishing the design in a tactile detail you can’t help but run your fingers over. A pure form and a simple detail, all that is needed to create a minimalist chair with a distinct character. Yet, as with all things Cecilie Manz creates, you suspect there is far more than meets the eye and the trick is perhaps in making something look deceptively simple.

Stealing five minutes of Cecilie Manz’ time, I asked her a few burning questions about her design ethos and the way she works, keen to understand the collaborative process with Fritz Hansen and which design she would keep for her own home.

How does the design process work when you’re creating a new design with Fritz Hansen?

Cecilie: There are many ways to work, even with the same company. I have a long history with Fritz Hansen, but the first project that came out (into production) was the Essay Table. The brief was as long as a novel, but I summarised it into ‘a long wooden table’. That seemed better for me to work from; a clear function to solve, of course grounded in what I saw as ‘Fritz Hansen’.

What’s the starting point for you – would it be a sketch or a particular material you desire to work with?

Cecilie: First it starts with words. What do I need to solve? This could be a functionality, certain materials, or situations. Then comes hand sketching or sketching in models. Model work is extremely important; you quickly see the proportions and the spatial architecture. No rendering does that.

What do you think is the common theme that links all your designs for Fritz Hansen?

Cecilie: Made for Fritz Hansen, made by me? I’m following my own path, but the goal is Fritz Hansen.

What is your favourite design that you’ve created for Fritz Hansen and what does it mean to you?

Cecilie: The Essay Table is in use in my everyday life, both at work and at home. It works so well, and I almost do not notice it – that is kind of a plus to me.

How would you describe the style of your own home?

Cecilie: ‘Functional Mixed’ or ‘Imperfect For Others’.

But perfect for you perhaps. What’s the one thing you would save from your own home if you had to?

A sculpture that one of my children made.