Verner Panton introduced the word “groovy” — or at least its Danish equivalent — into the Scandinavian modern design lexicon. He developed fantastical, futuristic forms and embraced bright colors and new materials such as plastic, fabric-covered polyurethane foam and steel-wire framing for the creation of his chairs, sofas, floor lamps and other furnishings. And Panton’s ebullient Pop art sensibility made him an international design star of the 1960s and ’70s. This radical departure from classic Danish modernism, however, actually stemmed from his training under the greats of that design style.
Born on the largely rural Danish island of Funen, Panton studied architecture and engineering at Copenhagen’s Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, where the lighting designer Poul Henningsen was one of his teachers. After graduating, in 1951, Panton worked in the architectural office of Arne Jacobsen, and he became a close friend of Hans Wegner's.
Henningsen taught a scientific approach to design; Jacobsen was forever researching new materials; and Wegner, the leader in modern furniture design using traditional woodworking and joinery, encouraged experimental form.
Panton opened his own design office in 1955, issuing tubular steel chairs with woven seating. His iconoclastic aesthetic was announced with his 1958 Cone chair, modified a year later as the Heart Cone chair. Made of upholstered sheet metal and with a conical base in place of legs, the design shocked visitors to a furniture trade show in Copenhagen.
Panton went on to successive bravura technical feats. His curving, stackable Panton chair, his most popular design, was the first chair to be made from a single piece of molded plastic.
Panton had been experimenting with ideas for chairs made of a single material since the late 1950s. He debuted his plastic seat for the public in the design magazine Mobilia in 1967 and then at the 1968 Cologne Furniture Fair. The designer’s S-Chair models 275 and 276, manufactured during the mid-1960s by August Sommer and distributed by the bentwood specialists at Gebrüder Thonet, were the first legless chairs crafted from a single piece of plywood.
Panton would spend the latter half of the 1960s and early ’70s developing all-encompassing room environments composed of sinuous and fluid-formed modular seating made of foam and metal wire. He also created a series of remarkable lighting designs, most notably his Fun chandeliers — introduced in 1964 and composed of scores of shimmering capiz-shell disks — and the Space Age VP Globe pendant light of 1969.
Panton’s designs are made to stand out and put an eye-catching exclamation point on even the most modern decor.
Find vintage Verner Panton chairs, magazine racks, rugs, table lamps and other furniture on 1stDibs.
Rare Pantonova Dining Set by Verner Panton 1971, Chrome, Glass Table, Six Chairs
By Verner Panton, Fritz Hansen
Located in Kansas City, MO
Pantonova dining table and chairs designed by Verner Panton for Fritz Hansen, Denmark, 1971. The black and white check fabric was updated two years ag...
Chrome
Verner Panton "Pantonova" Dining Set of Dining Table and Six Chairs
By Fritz Hansen, Verner Panton
Located in Kansas City, MO
Very rare Verner Panton Pantonova dining table and chairs, made by Fritz Hansen, Denmark, 1971. Cognac color leather seat pads. Set includes table, m...
Chrome
Danish Modern Dining Set in Fabric, Rosewood & Steel by Verner Panton, 1958
By Verner Panton
Located in Limhamn, Skåne län
This very rare dining set, composed of five Cone chairs and a matching table, was designed in 1958 by Verner Panton and manufactured by Gebrüder Nehl in Germany. It stands as a landm...
Steel
$4,340 / set
H 31.49 in W 62.99 in D 62.99 in
1940s Laminated Wood Dining Table Six Chairs Seat Skai Covered Italian Design
By Carlo Ratti, Vittorio Nobili
Located in Milan, IT
Dining table in laminated wood with wooden and satin finish black metal legs with brass feet adjustable in height, complete with six chairs in plywood and bent, with seat covered wit...
Wood
$4,500 / set
H 29.5 in W 104 in D 44 in
Mastercraft Burl and Brass Extendable Dining Table and Six Chairs
By Mastercraft, Charak Furniture Company, William Doezema
Located in Hanover, MA
Vintage 1960s dining table and six chairs designed by William Doezema for Mastercraft retailed by Charak of Boston. Briar root burl veneer although frequently identified as Amboyna. ...
Brass
Norman Cherner Dining Chairs, Set of Eight
By Norman Cherner
Located in Atlanta, GA
Set of eight sculptural dining chairs, designed by Norman Cherner for Plycraft, American, circa 1950s. They have all been refinished and reupholstered in black vinyl. They measure: 3...
Upholstery, Wood
$51,403
H 300 in W 300 in D 300 in
Art Deco Dining Room set, sideboards, table & chairs, Atelier Borsani attributed
By Atelier Borsani Varedo, Gaetano Borsani
Located in Vigonza, Padua
They can be sold separately 1930s Art Deco majestic room furniture sets in burl walnut attributed Atelier Gaetano Borsani, Varedo, polished to wax. Two tulip-shaped sideboards with b...
Mirror, Walnut
$43,407 / set
H 30.71 in W 18.5 in D 22.05 in
Afra & Tobia Scarpa Africa Dining Room Set for Maxalto, 4 Chairs and Table, 1976
By Maxalto, Afra & Tobia Scarpa
Located in Vicenza, IT
A dining set composed of four “Africa” dining chairs and an “Artona” table, designed by Afra and Tobia Scarpa for Maxalto in 1975. Made of walnut, burl...
Brass
$13,000 / set
H 30.5 in W 96 in D 44.25 in
Iron & Glass Brutalist Dining Set Table & 8 Leather Chairs after Ilana Goor
By Ilana Goor
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Remarkable high quality Mid 20th Century Iron and Glass Dining Set Consisting of a Large Glass & Iron Dining Table and 8 Iron Chairs with Distressed Tooled Leather Seats and Backs af...
Iron
McGuire Style Rattan Dining Table & Chairs
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Odd rattan bases with woven faux leather seats with high backs. Table has rattan base with oval glass top. 2 arm chairs measure 49" H x 26 1/4" W x 26" D. Seat height 18 1/2". 6 ...
Rattan
$5,800 / set
H 42.5 in W 21.5 in D 21 in
Set of Eight French Dining Chairs Purchased from Ralph Lauren
Located in Atlanta, GA
Set of eight French dining chairs, originally purchased from Ralph Lauren, NYC, when they were selling antiques in the early 2000s. The chai...
Upholstery, Wood
Mid century dining set, Denmark 1960’s
Located in Leuven, Vlaams Gewest
Elegant mid century scandinavian dining set consisting of 4 spindle chairs and a round dining table. The chairs and table are made from teak. The table has a nice round top mounted...
Fabric, Teak
$4,809 / set
H 28.15 in Dm 51.19 in
Dining Room Set with Table and Four Chairs by Giotto Stoppino, Italy 1970s
By Giotto Stoppino
Located in Hellouw, NL
Very nice dining room set by Giotto Stoppino from the 1970s in Italy. This set consists of a dining table and four matching dining room chairs. The table has a tubular, chrome-plated...
Metal, Chrome
$3,767 / set
H 37.8 in W 18.12 in D 20.48 in
Set of 6 Chinese Chippendale Style Rattan Dining Chairs & Table By Angraves, 70s
Located in Richmond, Surrey
Fabulous Mid Century Rattan / Cane set of 6 x Chinese Chippendale style dining chairs plus matching table by the renowned English company ‘Angraves’ from their “Invincible” range. Brown in colour. Circa 1970s The Table has a 10mm Glass top with polished edges. The chairs and table have cane lapping on all joints and other areas in abundance, the seats of the chairs are heavily woven wicker. In great condition Plaque reading: Angraves, Invincible, Brook Street, Thurmaston, North Leicester Excellent quality and craftsmanship, in great condition. Please note these are made from natural materials, so they may differ slightly in finish and colour. Angraves of Leicester: manufactured high class cane furniture in Britain for almost a century. From 1912 through to 2011, when the company along with its highly skilled craftsmen were bought out by Soane Britain...
Cane, Rattan
$10,280 / set
H 29.14 in W 24.02 in D 19.3 in
Extendable Round Dining Room Set by Rainer Daumiller Brutalist Table + 5 Chairs
By Rainer Daumiller
Located in Copenhagen, DK
German architect turned designer, Rainer Daumiller, popularized these playful pine dining sets through the Danish brand, Hirtshals Savvaerk, in the 1960s and ‘70s. Designed to be fun...
Pine
$1,884
H 13.39 in W 33.27 in D 33.27 in
Midcentury Steel and Smoked Glass Coffee Table Verner Panton Style, Italy 1970s
By Verner Panton
Located in Rome, IT
Midcentury amazing coffee table with a smoked glass surface and a steel base that reminds of a cage in the stylke of Verner Panton. Made in Italy in the 1970s.
Metal, Steel, Chrome
$1,175 / item
H 28.55 in W 14.97 in D 14.97 in
Verner Panton 'Barboy' Bar Cabinet in Mushroom for Verpan
By Verner Panton
Located in Tilburg, NL
Verner Panton 'Barboy' Bar Cabinet for Verpan. Designed in 1963, current production. Adaptable side table and mobile storage unit in one. Barboy consists of three round-shaped drawe...
Wood
Barboy Bar Trolley in Orange by Verner Panton, Re-Edition
By Verner Panton, Verpan
Located in Paris, FR
The Barboy is a celebrated modular bar trolley originally designed by Verner Panton in 1963 and reissued by Verpan. Conceived as a flexible storage and serving unit, the design consi...
Metal
Verner Panton Chrome and Glass Panatova Dining Table with Four Dining Chairs
By Verner Panton, Fritz Hansen
Located in San Francisco, CA
Verner Panton's innovative design combines a sleek steel-wire frame with a glass top to create a truly modern and stylish table. Paired with four side chairs featuring detachable uph...
Chrome
Verner Panton Pantonova table and chairs for Fritz Hansen 1970s
By Verner Panton, Fritz Hansen
Located in Parma, IT
Verner Panton Pantonova table with six chairs for Fritz Hansen, 1970s. Interlocking table and chairs in chromed and curved metal grid, or...
Metal
Sold
H 27.75 in Dm 46.75 in
Verner Panton 'Pantonova' Six Chair Dining Room Suite for Fritz Hansen, 1971
By Verner Panton, Fritz Hansen
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This original, early production year, 'Pantonova' dining room suite by Verner Panton for Fritz Hansen consists of six convex nickel-plated steel wire dining chairs which nest into it...
Steel, Nickel
Verner Panton Dinning Set Midcentury of Pantonova for Fritz Hansen, 1971
By Verner Panton, Fritz Hansen
Located in Milano, IT
Complete set of 6 chairs and table by Verner Panton Pantanova series for the manufacture Fritz Hansen of 1971. The furniture was designed for the restaurant Varna - Denmark. The tabl...
Metal
Sold
H 32 in W 19 in D 21 in
Mid-Century Modern Verner Panton Cream Dining Set or Card Table by Herman Miller
By Herman Miller, Verner Panton
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A very early complete dining set designed by Verner Panton and Produced by Herman Miller and Vitra. A nice early example in off-white dyed polystyr...
Glass, Polystyrene