Verner Panton - A Master of Design
You can tell how capable a furniture designer really is by how he impacts his own time period and later ones. By this standard, Verner Panton was enormously skilled and had lasting influence. He was renowned for his ground-breaking uses of both shapes and fabrics. His pieces were distinguished by their level of elegance, their dramatic forms, and their unique displays of color. Overall, he produced furnishings that were noticeably, wonderfully superior to those of other designers of his time.
Panton’s life began in the Danish island of Fynen where his father was an inn keeper. He was interested in design which led him to study at the Academy of Art in Copenhagen. In his two year stint at Arne Jacobsen’s architectural office, Panton was not the best of employees as he preferred to spend his time on creating his own ideas.
Panton has several classics to his name. The most famous is the instantly recognizable Panton stacking chair. This monocoque form, is currently in production by Vitra, using more advanced plastics (injection-molded polypropylene) than those Panton first saw it produced in. There are plenty of cheap Chinese copies of this design on the market, which although damaging to the designer’s reputation through their poor quality, are a sure sign of a great design. There isn’t really much point in buying a copy in this case as you would end up with a chair that can’t be sold on for a profit and you would typically only save around 30% on the cost of the real thing. Vitra has a limited edition orange Panton chair out this year so no excuses!
Panton also designed the Cone Chair. It was amazing and unexpected when it first debuted, since its unique pivot was so different from the parts of usual seating items which had three or four legs for support. I can still envision the first time I encountered this chair, because its optical illusion really struck me. The Cone appears to stand perfectly balanced although that seems scientifically impossible due to its remarkable, top-heavy appearance.
The two pieces of Panton’s classic along with the various interior designs (heminredning) will make a huge influence on the coming decade. Panton’s another classic design was System 1-2-3 chair made in 1973 for Fritz Hansen. System 1-2-3 is a masterpiece of Panton as this chair is made with flexibility. ease of production and comfort in mind though the name may sound something contrary.
Although these three chairs are classics of furniture design, the most common piece of Panton’s work you are likely to see is a lamp. His table and pendant Flowerpot lamps are found everywhere. No wonder since they are very cheap to produce, convenient, available in many colors, have a great designer name behind them, and have a classic look that is sought after by many.
Panton was such a prolific designer that it would be possible to write for days about his work. In its time it pushed boundaries and confounded expectations. Indeed much of Panton’s work has survived the psychedelic stigma of the sixties and takes its place among the timeless modern classics of furniture and interior design (heminredning).
The influence that designers have on their time and on future generations is a nice measure of their skill. Verner Panton was nothing if not influential. Panton was well known for a number of revolutionary designs. Panton came up with a System 1-2-3 chair. The System 1-2-3 is a chair that is made with flexibility, comfort, and ease of production in mind. Although these chairs are classics of danish furniture (danska möbler) design, the most common piece of Panton’s work you are likely to see is a lamp. His work survived the tests of centuries and has taken its place in the timeless modern classics of furniture and interior design (inredning).
- John Melaugh
