Nordic Mobler

Panton began his life on the Danish island of Fynen, his father was an inn keeper. His interest in design led him to study at the Academy of Art in Copenhagen. This was followed by a two-year stint at Arne Jacobsen’s architectural office where he was supposedly not the best of employees, preferring to spend his time on developing his own ideas.

Panton has a number of classics to his name. The most famous of them is the instantly recognizable Panton stacking chair. This monocoque form is in production now by Vitra and uses more advanced plastics, such as injection-molded polypropylene, than the ones Panton first saw it produced in. There are many cheap, Chinese copies of his design out there, which, though damaging to the designer’s reputation due to poor quality, are a definite sign of a nice design. There is not really much of a point in buying a copy, since you’d get a chair which cannot be sold for profit, and you would generally only save about 30 percent on the cost of the genuine article. Vitra has a limited edition, orange Panton chair this year, so there are no excuses!

Another of Phanton’s great designs is the Cone chair. These chairs were astonishing at the time of their release, the single pivoting point being a huge departure from the three or four legs people expected from a chair at the time. I remember my first encounter with this chair clearly as I could not get over the optical illusion it produces. It seems to just stand, perfectly balanced, top-heavy and paying no regard whatsoever to the laws of physics.

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.

In spite of these three pieces being design classics, the example of Panton’s work that you’re most likely to come across isn’t a chair but instead a lamp. The Flowerpot lamps, both pendant and table, are very widely distributed. This is because the cost of the manufacture is comparatively low, they’re small, they come in many colors, they’ve got the name of a fine designer on them, and most of all, they’ve got an immediately recognizable classic form.

Because Panton was very prolific in his design work, you could write volumes on his career as a designer. In his day, he pushed boundaries and challenged tradition. In fact, a lot of Panton’s designs have transcended the psychedelic stigma associated with the sixties and become timeless contemporary standards of furnishings as well as 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 very influential. One more of Panton’s excellent designs were the Cone chair. These two pieces, combined with Panton’s famous interior design (inredning), had a big influence on the upcoming decade. 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 of danish furniture (danska möbler) that is sought after by many.