Cecile Manz was born in Odsherred, Denmark, in 1972 and obtained her degree at the design school Danmarks Designskole in Copenhagen. She also studied at the University of Art and Design in Helsinki and, shortly afterwards, opened her own design office in Copenhagen in 1998. There she has created objects for daily use, light fixtures and furniture with simple shapes reduced to the essential, combining functionality with high quality design.
The Danish designer considers each of her creations as a small puzzle piece composing her whole work. It is possible to see a connection between her designs, in terms of inspiration, material or aesthetics. She finds inspiration in daily life and always insists on functionality. Among her most celebrated works are the Miniscule chair for Fritz Hansen (2012), the Micado table for Fredericia (2003) and the Caravaggio lamps for Lightyears (2005). The Micado table is an elegantly designed piece of furniture without a single screw, which is displayed in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Cecile Manz was awarded several prizes for her works, like the Kunstpreis Berlin 2008, the iF Product Design Award 2007, the Red Dot Award and the Danish Design Prize.
She was elected Designer of the Year 2018 by Maison & Objet in November 2018. She already worked in collaboration with brands like Fritz Hansen, Muuto, Frederics Furniture, Nils Holger Moormann and Lightyears.