Verner Panton

By Lauren

 The Danish designer and architect Verner Panton was one of the most
innovative of all 20th-century designers, exerting a lasting and far-reaching
influence through his sculptural designs, some of them playfully futuristic,
and the vividly colored works he designed.
Verner Panton attended the Tekniske Skole (Polytechnic) in Odense
between 1944 and 1947 before going on to study architecture until 1951 at
the Kongelige Danske Kunstakademie (Royal Danish Art Academy) in
Copenhagen.
From 1950 until 1952 Verner Panton worked in Arne Jacobsen's practice.
In 1955 Verner Panton opened a practice of his own in Copenhagen.
In the years that followed, Verner Panton stirred up quite a bit of
controversy with his innovative architectural concepts, such as a prefab
foldable house (1955), a "Cardboard House" (1957), and a "Plastic House"
(1960).
Moreover, Verner Panton was active from the 1950s as an interior decorator,
exhibition designer, and all-round designer.

 Verner Panton broke entirely with convention, designing rooms as landscapes in vibrant color tones, sometimes entirely in shades of
red, as in the interior (1958) of "Komigen Kro", a guest house in Langes on the island of Funen. For this interior, Verner Panton als
designed the "Cone" chair.

In 1960 he turned it into the "Heart" chair, which also featured a conical foot, and came up with other variations on the original
"Cone" that were all made by Plus-Linje.

The unusual way Verner Panton dealt with furnishings and other features of his interiors would become typical of the other interior
appointments he designed.
His carpet and wallpaper patterns, inspired by Op art, were almost always in vibrant colors.
By 1955 Verner Panton had come up with a design for a swing chair made of a single piece of laminated wood, the "S" chair. The
"Panton" chair (1959-60) represented a successful translation by Verner Panton of form into plastic materials.
In 1962 the Hermann Miller Company acquired the production rights to the "Panton chair" and it was ultimately made by Vitra for
Hermann Miller. The "Panton" chair is one of the earliest chairs made from a single piece of pressure-diecast plastic.
Among Verner Panton's many other, extremely successful designs are the lamps he created for firms such as Louis Poulsen and J.
Lber.
In 1960 Verner Panton designed "Moon" (known in the US as "Visor"), with a shade made of movable, interlocking slats, by means
of which the light intensity can be adjusted as desired.

In 1964 Verner Panton created the "Fun" range in lamps featuring round pieces of nacreous shell.

In 1968 Verner Panton the "Flower Pot" lamp and, in 1969, "Ring-Leuchte", meaning "Ring lamp", consisting of an acrylic diffuser
printed in color mounted on a rectangular plate of steel. Verner Panton used his lamps in the interiors he designed as modular
elements of wall and ceiling decoration, an approach he also used in designing his own house in Basel-Binningen, Switzerland.
Later Verner Panton lamps were the 1969 "Kugel-Lampe" ("Ball Lamp") and the entirely futuristic-looking hanging lamp "VP
Globe", with the lamp itself encased in a ball of acrylic.

In 1969-70 Verner Panton designed seat furniture for the Hermann Miller Company: "Living Tower", consisting of upholstered
modules. From 1969 until 1985, Verner Panton also designed textiles printed with geometric patterns for Mira-X, using both Op-art
patterns and his signature "rainbow" in vibrant colors.

 Verner Panton (13 February 1926 5 September 1998) is considered

one of Denmark's most influential 20th-century furniture and interior
designers. During his career, he created innovative and futuristic
designs in a variety of materials, especially plastics, and in vibrant and
exotic colors. His style was very "1960s" but regained popularity at
the end of the 20th century; as of 2004, Panton's most well-known
furniture models are still in production (at Vitra, among others).

 Verner Panton's passion for bright colours and geometric patterns

manifested itself in an extensive range of textile designs. By fusing the
elements of a room floor, walls, ceiling, furnishings, lighting, textiles
and wall panels made of enamel or plastic into a unified
gesamtkunstwerk, Panton's interior installations have attained
legendary status.

Panton S-chair
Design Verner Panton, 1960
Injection molded polypropylene
Made in Germany by Vitra
"Most people spend their lives living in dreary, beige conformity, mortally afraid of using color. The main purpose of my
work is to provoke people into using their imagination and make their surroundings more exciting." -Verner Panton

Created by Verner Panton in 1960, and with the assistance of Vitra technicians a version was finally ready for series
production in 1967. The Panton Chair is the very first ever to be constructed from one continuous piece of material. Since
its market launch, the Panton Chair has undergone several production phases. Not until today was it possible to produce it
in line with Panton's original idea, namely from consistently dyed, tough plastic with a matt surface and an affordable price.
The Panton Chair has won various design awards world-wide and graces the collections of numerous renowned museums.
Its expressive shape makes it a true 20th-century design icon. The chair offers great seating comfort thanks to the cantilever
base, together with its shape and flexible materials. It can be used on its own or in groups.
Panton chairs are a solid plastic chair made in a single mold finished with a matt surface. Please note that special added
additives slow down the fading process caused by ultraviolet rays. However, leaving the chair exposed to the sun for an
extended period of time can result in color changes. We recommend not leaving the chair in the sun.

Pantons cone heart chairs

Flowerpot lamp
Year: 1968
Serial production model
The lamp consists of two semi-circular spheres facing each other. The
diameter of the upper sphere is twice as large as the lower one. The
lower sphere hides the bulb, while its interior serves as a colourful
reflecting surface.
Material: enamelled industrial metal, in colours turquoise, white, red,
orange or polished steel
Dimensions: H15cm/ 22cm or H33cm/ 50
Manufacturer: Louis Poulsen, DK

The best
The Heart Cone Chair takes its name from its heart-shaped silhouette.
The extended wings of the backrest are reminiscent of Mickey Mouse
ears, but can also be interpreted as a contemporary development of the
classic wingback chair. In addition, gives people a protect and comfort
feeling.