K11 DesignStore | Hong Kong

Born in 1926 in Gamtofte, Verner Panton was Denmark's most innovative and influential 20th-century furniture and interior designer.

His imagination and enthusiasm was to use high-tech materials, playful shapes and an array of vibrant colours. His style was settled in the taste of the 60’s and 70’s, but his designs were popular until today.

Considered as an “enfant terrible”, Verner Panton started his own design and architectural office. Soon after, he received his first major job in creating the interior of the Komigen Inn. The “Cone Chair” was one of the designs which started to draw much attention. He became well known for his nonstandard architectural ideas, including a foldable house (1955), the Cardboard House and the Plastic House (1960).

His chair designs became more and more unconventional towards the end of 1950s, having no legs or a discernible back. In 1960 Panton designed the very first single-form injection-moulded plastic chair. Called the “Stacking Chair” or “S chair”, it would become his most famous and mass-produced design. However, it wasn’t until 1968 when the American company Herman Miller was finally able to put it into serial production after many attempts. It soon became a style icon.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Verner Panton designed radical and psychedelic interior environments that were an ensemble of his curved furniture, wall upholstering, textiles and lighting.