Panton Chair Classic Gold
After several years of joint development by Verner Panton and Vitra, the Panton Chair was finally ready for production in 1967 – as the first solid polymer cantilever chair to be manufactured in one material in one piece. Created with a revolutionary production technique, the chair’s unique sculptural design was presented to the public for the first time at the imm Furniture Fair in Cologne in 1968. It rapidly came to symbolise an entire era.
Throughout his career, Verner Panton was fascinated by mirrored surfaces and experimented with diverse reflective effects more extensively than almost any other designer. This passion is evident in his works of furniture and lighting as well as many of his expressive interiors.
Back in the early 1970s he had explored the option of giving the Panton Chair a mirrored surface.
He felt that the chair’s dynamic curves were particularly suited to a reflective finish; however, the sensitivity of such a coating to scratching was an insur mountable technical obstacle at that time. It remains problematic even today – but thanks to advances in technology and the development of a highly complex process, it is now technically feasible. Vitra has embraced this challenge and launched the Panton Chair Classic Gold, a limited edition that expresses the idea of a mirrored surface in a warm golden tone.
The dazzling mirror -like effect of the Panton Chair Classic Gold is the result of a metallisation process in which metal particles are embedded in multiple layers of varnish. This complex coating system is resilient enough to cope with the slight movement of the cantilever chair when in use, while being sufficiently robust to make the finish less susceptible to scratching. Several stages of the elaborate production process of the Panton Chair Classic Gold are carried out with meticulous handcraft.
The Panton Chair Classic Gold is being produced in a limited edition of 999 pieces.
www.vitra.com