Ten Verner Panton products that have stood the test of time
The late mid-century modern designer Verner Panton was born 100 years ago today. To mark the occasion, we have rounded up 10 of his most enduring pieces of furniture and lighting.
Born in Brahesborg-Gamtofte in Denmark on 13 February 1926, Panton left an indelible mark on the design industry and is remembered as a household name who dared to experiment with swathes of colour, shapes and materials.
His career spanned furniture, lighting and product design as well as interiors and architecture – a common feature among many of Panton's mid-century peers, who were considered polymaths for their multidisciplinary capabilities.
To mark 100 years since Panton's birth, we have collected 10 of the designer's most iconic pieces of furniture and lighting.
Panton Chair, 1967
Characterised by its distinctive S-shape, Panton's eponymous chair is widely considered to be not only his most famous piece of furniture, but one of the most recognisable pieces of furniture ever created.
The seat made design history in the 1960s as the first cantilevered chair to be manufactured completely out of a single piece of plastic.
The Panton Chair has been enshrined in popular culture ever since, referenced in settings from Barbie Dreamhouses to an iconic Vogue magazine cover that depicts model Kate Moss sitting nude in the chair.
Flowerpot lamp, 1968
Panton designed his brightly-coloured Flowerpot lighting range in 1968 to embody the period's flower-power movement, which promoted peace, love and free thinking.
The original collection featured a duo of table lamps and a trio of pendant lamps. Each was made of two lacquered metal hemispheres, positioned at opposite angles to create a glare-free, ambient glow.
Heart Cone Chair, 1958
The Heart Cone Chair made waves in the late 1950s for its distinctively heart-shaped upholstered seat supported by a satin stainless steel base.
Manufacturer Vitra described the chair as a clear example of Panton's fascination with geometry, and his desire to create emotional impact despite the functionality of his furniture. The brand has marked the designer's centenary by producing a two-tone blue version.
Panton created the heart-shaped furniture as a playful follow-up to the Cone Chair, conceived for the Kom-Igen inn restaurant on Denmark's Funen island. He was responsible for both the design and interiors of the restaurant.
Panthella lamp, 1971
Designed three years after the Flowerpot lamp, the Panthella is another example of Panton's experimentations with glare-free lighting.
The first Panthella was produced in 1971 in five vibrant colours. Light is reflected from the oversized, mushroomy shade onto the lamp's trumpet-shaped chrome base. For Panton's centenary, Panthella manufacturer Louis Poulsen has reissued the lamp in its original bold hues, including red and orange.
Barboy trolley, 1963
Barboy is a flexible, mobile piece of furniture that has served as a side table or a drinks trolley since the early 1960s.
Panton crafted Barboy from four cylindrical wooden parts, which are supported by chrome-plated castors. The project is a classic example of the designer's penchant for combining blocky and colourful shapes with shinier accents.
Living Tower, 1969
Perhaps Panton's most unusual design, Living Tower is a sculptural piece of furniture fitted with interior niches for reclining.
The upholstered tower was crafted from polyurethane foam, a staple of the 1960s furniture industry, with a birch plywood frame. It measures over two metres in height and can accommodate up to three people in seated positions.
Cloverleaf sofa, 1969
Cloverleaf broke with the modernist tradition of rectilinear sofas, reimagining the couch as a modular structure of alternating inward and outward-facing niches.
This radical new form, resembling a many-leaf clover, was designed to encourage socialising and interaction, as well as allowing the sofa to be endlessly extended and reconfigured.
Globe lamp, 1969
Many of Panton's lighting designs stack several reflectors on top of each other to completely obscure the bulb, but none does it more impressively than the gravity-defying Globe pendant.
Here, five polished aluminium reflectors, accented in red and blue, are suspended inside a transparent acrylic sphere, emanating a soft ambient glow that seems to come from nowhere.
System 1-2-3 chair, 1973
It took Panton three years to develop the System 1-2-3 chair with its S-shaped cantilever seat that allows for next-level customisation.
Customers are able to pick between two backrest heights, four seat heights and six base types – including legs, runners, casters or plates – yielding around 20 different versions of the same design.
Fun lighting, 1963
Panton crafted his affectionately-named Fun lighting series from translucent discs of seashells, flexibly connected to each other using metal rings.
The heat that is emitted by each of the lights' central bulbs causes the discs to move and reflect patterns of light. Chains of varying lengths can be arranged to create lighting of various sizes.
The series offers an alternative to a traditional chandelier, and highlights the breadth of materials Panton used over his career.
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