DANISH DESIGNER AND ARCHITECT · 1926–1998
Verner Panton
Verner Panton is the colourful exception in Danish design. Where his colleagues designed in wood and leather, he designed in plastic, steel and strong colours, and his upholstered chairs from the 1950s are among the most sought-after to have reupholstered.
From Jacobsen’s studio to the plastic chair
Panton was born in Gamtofte on Funen in 1926, qualified as an architect from the Royal Academy and worked for Arne Jacobsen, where he helped develop the Ant. In 1955 he opened his own studio, and in 1960 he showed the first chair moulded in a single piece of plastic. The Panton Chair went into production with Vitra in 1967 after seven years of development.
He moved to Switzerland and spent the rest of his life on total interiors in which floor, walls, furniture and light were designed as one: the Visiona exhibitions for Bayer in 1968 and 1970 and the Spiegel canteen in Hamburg in 1969.
Cone, Heart Cone and the upholstered classics
Before plastic, Panton designed upholstered chairs on steel frames: the Cone Chair from 1958 for his parents’ inn on Funen, the Heart Cone Chair from 1959 and the Bachelor Chair. Today they are produced by Vitra and covered in wool or leather over a steel shell.
We reupholster the Cone and Heart Cone in original wool fabric, preferably in the strong colours Panton used himself. The Panthella lamp from 1971 and the Flowerpot from 1968 are produced by Louis Poulsen and &Tradition.