Monolit Chair by Cecilie Manz

During the 3 Days of Design in Copenhagen, Fritz Hansen presented the new Monolit chair, designed by Danish designer Cecilie Manz. Monolit is an upholstered plywood shell chair with a leather frame and is available in two different heights.

The upholstered plywood shell chair Monolit has discreet leather edging. © Fritz Hansen

Design Principles 

The Monolit chair reflects designer Cecilie Manz's philosophy of functional ambiguity. It is conceived as a comfortable seat without committing to a specific category. This approach allows the chair to remain relevant and useful as tastes and lifestyles evolve.

© Fritz Hansen

In conversation with Cecilie Manz

Cecilie Manz, what was your starting point for this design?
"I wanted to design a beautiful, comfortable and useful armchair that doesn't take up too much space and simply works well. There was no commission as such, just many discussions with Fritz Hansen about a joint armchair that developed over time.

Can you tell us something about your design process?
"When I start something, I make sketches and designs in my workshop, which I then realise directly one-to-one, because then you can immediately see the proportions – what works and what doesn't. You can sketch or render forever, but that's not enough, you have to see it one-to-one in three dimensions to get it right. Monolit went through this whole process with models made of cardboard, wood and polystyrene before the final plywood casing was created. There's no point in building a chair like this if you don't sit well. We tried from day one to achieve good seating comfort by testing angles and proportions on models in the workshop."

"The challenge is to harmonise the two aspects of comfort and aesthetics. It's a long development process. We tried out tonnes of shapes, different angles, different front contours and heights. We have boxes full of paper samples on which we worked out the front cut-out so that you can turn a little in the seat. That was very important to me, because people want to move and change their position, their bodies don't want to be locked in."

© Fritz Hansen

Collaboration with Fritz Hansen 

The collaboration with Fritz Hansen builds on the company's heritage in woodworking and upholstery techniques. It is important to the designer to understand the history and identity of the manufacturers she works with and to ensure that her designs are tailored to their strengths and traditions. 

Click here for the company portrait of Fritz Hansen.