THE PANTON CHAIR

The Panton Chair, also known as the S-chair, has been around since the 1960’s. It is a creation of the Danish multi-talent Vernon Panton. Panton is considered to be one of Denmark’s influential 20th Century furniture and interior designers. He worked mostly with plastics in bright and exotic colors.

Born in Odense, Denmark in 1926, Panton studied architecture at the Royal Danish Academy of Art and graduated in 1951. He started his professional career at the architectural practice of Arne Jacobsen, that other Danish design icon (of which you can read more here). After two years Panton started out on his own. He became well known for his unconventional and innovative ideas for a collapsible house and even a plastic house. Since the early 1970’s Panton created the most incredible spaces which, as you look at them, make you feel as if you are on LSD. Psychedelic space caves with carved out seats, floor to ceiling, from soft foam in all sorts of bright colors. Supercool for a nightclub but not for my own home (although my two teenage boys would not agree I guess).

But his most well known creation is the Panton Chair which took 4 years of development and was presented in 1967. The first of its kind: a single-form injection-moulded plastic chair. Based on the shape of the human body and easily stackable, this chair is both ergonomically friendly and practical. An instant sensation, the Panton Chair earned multiple design awards and has been exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art (New York) ever since. Moreover, the elegant beauty of this design resulted in world-wide mass production up till today by the well-known design manufacturing company Vitra. As you can see from my own selection, I prefer the Panton’s in black and white. What about you?