The materials that fundamentally frame our homes and lives – the surfaces that our hands touch every day – are of the essence. For this issue of RUM, the importance of great materials became our starting point. 

Wood is a much-loved material in the Nordic countries, where our bond with nature is strong and our proud design traditions excel in this material in particular. We speak to Danish designer Cecilie Manz, one of the most prolific and celebrated industrial designers working today, who shares her story with us and talks about her love of materials – especially her fondness for wood. Together with artist Cathrine Raben Davidsen we venture into a world of bronze, as she tells us about one of her most comprehensive commissions to date; creating 16 larger-than-life bronze vessels with dreamscape-esque motifs for J.C. Jacobsens Winter Garden in Copenhagen..

We also meet seven craftspeople and creatives working with materials like clay, stone, mycelium, foam, sand and glue, who are looking ahead, experimenting, thinking outside the box and researching new resources. 
And of course we pay visits to fantastic homes filled with amazing materials – the raw, the refined and the resourceful.