We're Excited About The New Generation of Panton Chairs
This iconic 1960s chair has undergone a modern makeover in time for its 50th anniversary!
Fifty years ago, Danish designer Verner Panton launched one of the most recognizable and iconic chairs of the modern world: his eponymous Panton Chair.
In the Swinging Sixties—which was also an era that was crazy with space travel and futurism—this chair was revolutionary in its form and design, made out of a single piece of polyurethane, with a magically cantilevered seat and elegant, figure-hugging form. “It pushed plastic’s uses,” says Mathias Remmele, guest curator of Verner Panton: The Collected Works of the famous chair. “It has since been produced with four different materials and production techniques, and bears the signature of Panton at the back.”
Now furniture company Vitra is adding two more materials and finishes to the iconic plastic chair, which has technically remained unchanged since the 60s. Introducing Panton Chrome and Panton Glow, in time for the chair’s 50th anniversary.
With the new Panton Chrome (above left, seen with the Panton Classic at right), an old dream of Verner Panton finally becomes a reality. In the early 1970s, he wanted to give the Panton Chair a mirrored surface, but this didn’t come to fruition because of technical limitations. Today, the dazzling mirrored effect of the Panton Chrome is a result of a metallization process, in which metal particles are embedded in multiple layers of varnish, making the surface more resilient.
The original designer frequently worked with lighting and luminous elements in his futuristic interiors, and sometimes created spaces that appeared to glow from within. This was the inspiration for Panton Glow, which was consulted with Verner’s wife Marianne Panton. In an elaborate process, five layers of a varnish containing phosphorescent pigments are applied by hand to the raw polyurethane shell of the Panton Classic and sealed with high-gloss coating. The phosphorescent elements make the chair glow, especially at night.
Panton Chrome will be available in March 2018, and Glow in June 2018. Find original Panton Chairs locally at CWC Interiors, G/F W Global Center, 30th St. cor. 9th Ave., Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City, tel. (02) 659-6449.
