Turning the chair world upside down
"The Cone Chair takes its shape from the familiar geometric figure for which it is named"
1. WHAT IS THE STORY BEHIND THE CONE CHAIR
The Cone Chair designed by Danish architect and designer Verner Panton in 1958, originally designed for a Danish restaurant called Komi-gen restaurant (which means ‘Come again’ in Danish). Verner Panton had been commissioned by his father, he was given free rein and designed the entire interior, including textiles, carpets, lighting, furniture, uniforms for the staff, and the menus. The Cone Chair takes its shape from the familiar geometric figure for which it is named.
Verner Panton also designed his own chair for the project: The Cone Chair. As its name suggests, the body of the chair takes the form of a cone. Standing on its tip, a semi-circular padded shell extends upward to form the back and armrests, thereby creating a very comfortable armchair.
‘The main purpose of my work is to provoke people into using their imagination. Most people spend their lives housed in dreary, grey-beige conformity, mortally afraid of using colours.’ said Verner Panton
2. TELL US ABOUT THE DESIGN OF CONE CAHIR
The cone-shaped seat is mounted at its point on a stainless steel swivel base. A semi-circular padded shell extends upward to form the back and armrests, thereby creating a very comfortable armchair. The Cone Chair is a ‘ballet dancer standing on her toes and easily turning pirouettes’, supported by a flat, slender four-star base made of brushed stainless steel. When later talking of the design, Verner Panton declared, ‘If we were to start from scratch … a structure like a cone is much simpler than the four-legged bistro chair standing over there.’ The transition area between the tip of the cone and the base is subjected to extreme levels of strain, demanding extraordinary solidity as well as materials of exceptionally high quality.
3. WHAT IS THE VALUE OR MESSAGES BEHIND PANTON'S WORK?
Panton's work also reflects a desire toward society, and his creativity and design interpretation also play an important role in design thinking today. He keen to use the geometric form and outstanding color beyond his time which breakthrough the history in chair design. And almost after 60 years, his design still a classic from the past. It seems clear to us that among his wide-ranging output under the conditions for creative expression to offer relevant inspiration for current-day themes within design research as well as for the professional and creative contexts that form the setting for the young contemporary designer.
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ABOUT DESIGNER - VERNER PANTON
Verner Panton, born in Gentofte, Denmark, studied at Odense Technical College before enrolling at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen as an architecture student. He worked from 1950-1952 in the architectural firm of Arne Jacobsen and founded an independent studio for architecture and design in 1955. Verner Panton was one of the most influential figures in design history, legendary for pushing the limits of forms and materials in the 1960s and 1970s, created numerous designs for seating furniture and lighting. Verner Panton's passion for bright colors and geometric patterns manifested itself in an extensive range of textile, interior, and furniture designs.