Panton Chair

The Panton Chair is perhaps one of the most fascinating and exotic   furniture designs of the 20th century.    The chair was designed by Verner Panton, the legendary Danish   modernist and an icon of furniture and interior design, and is further proof   that Denmark should be declared the world capital of chair design.  Despite its considerable age, this timeless   piece of furniture still looks extravagant and fascinating, making it a   great, tasteful addition to any modern interior.

history

The design of the chair was created by Verner Panton, a graduate   of the Royal Danish Academy of Art, whose innovative approach and use of new,   innovative materials revolutionized the world of interior design.  His great passion for bright colors and   geometric patterns manifested itself in his outstanding work, which includes   a large number of classics of furniture design.  Panton was particularly fascinated by the   potential of plastic, a material that was new at the time.  In the mid-1950s, Panton began work on a   one-piece chair made entirely from plastic.    His new wish was particularly well illustrated by Panton himself, who   said: “I want to design furniture that grows out of the ground (..) in order   to transform the furniture into something organic.  Which never has four legs.  “His first design was called the S-Chair   and is considered to be the forerunner of the Panton Chair, the first   plaster-molded prototypes of which were developed in the early 1960s. In   1963, Panton began working with the furniture company Vitra, with whom he   continued to improve the design.

The finished chair first stepped into the spotlight in 1967 and   was enthusiastically received by the public and critics.  Soon after its presentation, the chair,   which was hailed as a design sensation, was brought into mass   production.  This furniture design   classic had immediate commercial success and is still available under the   same brand.

design

The innovative futuristic design of the chair in combination with   the innovative use of materials has given the chair a very special place in   the history of interior design.  The   unique shape of the Panton Chair has been praised by critics from all over   the world and is extremely appealing and stylish.  No wonder, because it is one of the   exhibits in the Museum of Modern Arts in New York, Berlin’s German Historical   Museum, Copenhagen’s Danish Museum of Art and Design and London’s Design   Museum.  Although the chair looks like   a masterpiece of modern art, it is fully functional and very   comfortable.  Its shell is shaped to   match the curves of a human body.

The waterfall seat edge that reduces pressure on the back of the   user’s thighs.  The distinctive   S-shaped chair was originally made of rigid polyurethane foam with a glossy   finish, as the plastic dyeing process was not developed during this   time.  This version of the chair is   still available in stores under the name Panton Chair Classic.  Since the chair was introduced in 1967,   numerous production improvements have been made and new, more durable   materials have been used.  In 1999   Vitra presented the Panton Chair again, which was manufactured according to   its original concept – made of colored plastic with a glossy matt   surface.  This variant of the chair is   sold under the name Panton Chair.  Both   chairs are available in a variety of bright colors.

The seamless shape of the chair without joints or binders makes it   very robust and stable.  The chair is   extrusion molded in one piece.  Thanks   to its well thought out arm shape, the chair is stackable and therefore   easier to stow away.  The overall   appearance of the chair is extremely appealing and fascinating.  Even today, more than five decades after   its presentation, when modernity is no longer an extravagant or radical   concept, the Panton Chair has neither aged nor become banal.  It still looks fresh and   contemporary.