The story of the original cone chair begins in a small forge on the island of Funen, where Verner Panton was creating a new chair for his father’s restaurant Kom Iger (Come Again). The jaw-dropping design used a semi-circular padded shell to create a very comfortable armchair, perfect for dining or relaxing. Panton’s friend Niels-Jorgen Kaiser once described it as a ‘ballet dancer standing on her toes.’ A year later, Panton extended the shell upwards and outwards with two wings that further enfold the sitter.
When it first launched, Panton’s Cone collection took the world by storm, drawing attention at exhibitions and in shop windows. The Heart Cone Chair became an instant classic, a visually striking and exceptionally comfortable piece of furniture. Produced by Vitra since 2004, it makes the ideal centrepiece to any modernist living space.
Verner Panton is one of the iconic designers of the last century. Panton rose to fame designing the ‘Panton Chair’ for Vitra. Panton’s designs continue to be hugely popular and are still a big influence today on designers and architects.
Verner Panton was a student of Architecture at the Royal Art Academy in Copenhagen. Amongst Panton’s major achievements in the design and architecture world, is the design of the interior for the Spiegel publishing house in Hamburg.
Panton’s designs are fantastically fun, colourful and contemporary and include the organic shapes of the Panton and Amoebe chairs right through to the ecliptic Flowerpot lamp collection.
