Interview with Cecilie Manz
Sheer coziness for that feel-good factor in the bathroom
Since the introduction of the Luv series, Nordic style has become a firm fixture in the bathroom. Danish designer Cecilie Manz’s minimalist design language invokes the Scandinavian concept of living for a brand-new sense of wellbeing. Carefully conceived materials that also appeal to the sense of touch emphasise the gentle forms and strict geometry. Perfectly harmonized color combinations round off the overall picture.
What emotion do you associate with the bathroom range Luv that you designed for Duravit?
For me, Luv is about sheer coziness for the perfect feel-good factor – natural, uncomplicated, and unobtrusive.
What’s most important to you in a bathroom?
The bathroom is one of the most intimate rooms and what matters to me are qualities like “clean, “functional”, and “comfortable”. Everything should be hygienic and low-maintenance, it should work well and at the same time I want the materials, colors, and the overall ambience to exude a sense of wellbeing. In the bathroom I enjoy my “every day spa moment”.
The colors and surfaces that you’ve selected for the bathroom series Luv radiate natural warmth while simultaneously managing to appear contemporary. Where do you get your inspiration?
In the bathroom you often find cool and clear colors. Because Luv has a very pure design, it was important for me to create a cozy and welcoming component using subtle, natural tones. I often find inspiration for colors in nature – I always have a couple of pebbles in my bag.
What were the biggest challenges for you in designing furnishings for the bathroom?
I’m not sure if it makes such a big difference whether you’re designing a piece of furniture for the bathroom, the living room, or the kitchen. The design process involves the same approach and we go through the same mechanisms. At the same time, you have a greater responsibility to a certain extent: for me it feels as though each individual object that I design in the bathroom is tailor-made for the specific person buying it. That might be because each object in this room is so important. For instance, you might have various chairs in your home and can choose which one to use at any given time. You arrange your home how you want and are constantly moving things around. That’s not so easy in the bathroom. That’s why I also think that people’s decisions are a lot more conscious when selecting bathroom furniture.
Do you believe that people’s wishes in terms of bathroom furniture are changing?
It seems that bathrooms are constantly getting bigger. On the other side there is also a need for tiny, highly efficient bathrooms. In any case we expect the level of comfort enjoyed in the rest of the home to be part of bathroom, too: more warm colors, natural materials, coziness alongside inventive solutions for keeping it clean and using less water.
Duravit AG
Founded in 1817 in Hornberg in the Black Forest, Duravit AG is today a leading international manufacturer of designer bathrooms. The company is active in more than 130 countries worldwide and stands for innovation in the fields of signature design, comfort-enhancing technology and premium quality. In cooperation with an international network of high-profile designers
such as Philippe Starck, sieger design, Christian Werner, Cecilie Manz and young talents such as Bertrand Lejoly and Kurt Merki Jr., the company develops unique bathrooms that enhance quality of life for users on a sustained basis. Duravit’s product portfolio comprises sanitary ceramics, bathroom furniture, bathtubs and shower trays, wellness systems, shower-toilets, tap fittings and accessories as well as installation systems.
