Who is Verner Panton?  Perhaps you have never heard of his name, unless you know much about design.  However if you see the Panton chair he designed, you could instantly recognise it.  With its unusual shape and vibrant colour, it would surely remain in your memories.  You might notice that they are ubiquitous.  For example, the Panton chairs are placed in the central open space of Oasis 21 in Nagoya.  They are also used in an office room in the American TV drama “Ugly Betty”.  Their presence is so strong that you would never forget.

Verner Panton (1926-1998) is a major Danish designer in the 20th century.  He is highly recognised for his design of chairs, lights, textiles, and carpets.  He also designed unconventional psychedelic interior Phantasy Landscape for the Visiona II exhibition in Cologne.  All the surfaces including its floor, walls, and ceiling were undulating and the organic form looked like a cave.  His design never becomes old-fashioned.  On the contrary, it looks very futuristic even today.  That is why his design is called “future-retro”. 

The Panton chair was designed in 1959-60.  It is one of the most revolutionary chairs in the era, because it is the first single-material and single-form injection moulded chair made of plastic.  Unlike earlier chairs, there is no distinction between arms, legs, seat, and back. It is seamless and all-in-one. It could be said that it is not only a chair but also a sculptural artwork. Can you imagine that this modern chair was designed fifty years ago?   

 Why has his design been loved and used for such a long time?  I examined the reasons why the Panton chairs are used in the Oasis 21 from three points of view: form, colour, and material.

Form

The Panton chair is comfortably designed. It has a beautiful organic shape based on ergonomics.  The curved line fits human body shape and line, so you will never be tired if you sit on it for hours. It is also safe for children because there is no edge.

In addition, it has a strong structure, which is resistant to wear and tear.  Chairs in the public place should be robust so that thousands of people can use them repeatedly.

Moreover, it is stackable and easy to store. The Panton chairs can be stacked and put in storage when not in use.  
  

Colour

Panton’s design is characterized by colour.  In fact, he published a book entitled Notes on Colour in 1997. In this book, he wrote about colour and its effect.

The Panton chair has wide colour variations: classic red, blue, chartreuse, tangerine, black, white, and ice gray.  Tangerine, black, chartreuse, and yellow ones are used at Oasis 21.  They create a pleasant and modern atmosphere in the space.

Material

The Panton chair is made of plastic. Plastic was a newly developed material in those days.  Most of earlier designers liked to use tubular steel or moulded plywood as the material for their chairs. Verner Panton was a pioneer in the field of plastic design.

The Panton chair is water-resistant. Oasis 21 is half open air, even though there is a roof.  The Panton chair’s plastic surface can repel water, when it rains. It dries immediately, when it stops raining. 

Plastic is highly mouldable. Thanks to its property, the Panton chair’s organic shape was realized. Since it is suited to mass production, the Panton chair is inexpensive for a famous designer’s chair.  It costs around 25,000 yen.  It can be easily replaced with a new one, when it becomes old.

For these reasons above, Panton’s design still exists in our daily life, as it did in the 60s. Good design is timeless and borderless.  Some products have never lost their splendour and remain modern.  It is a proof that good design will last forever.  His innovative and playful design keeps giving us dreams and joy once, now, and forever.