ProductsChairsLounge chairsSofasOffice chairsChaises longuesStools & benchesSculpturesConference chairsAirport seatingStorage spaceMicro architectureDining tablesCafé tablesCoffee & side tablesDesksOffice furniture systemsConference systemsLightingClocksDecorative objectsCoat racks & wall shelvesTrays & vesselsAlexander Girard Antonio CitterioCharles & Ray Eames Barber OsgerbyGeorge NelsonHella JongeriusIsamu NoguchiJasper MorrisonJean ProuvéKonstantin GrcicRonan & Erwan BouroullecVerner PantonJulie RichozCare & repairSpare partsCare productsManufacturer warrantyNewBestsellerQuickly availableGift finderOffice chair finderLounge chair finderColour & materialMikadoColour Frame MirrorsInspirationsLiving roomDining roomHome OfficeChildren's roomOutdoorHome StoriesAugmented RealityWorkspaceFocusMeetingWorkshopClub OfficeCitizen OfficeStudio OfficeDynamic SpacesHospitalityAirportsEducationCo-WorkingHealthcareOur ClientsHome StoriesAugmented Reality - bring Vitra products into your homeA case for classicsColour & materialAn open house A leading space for a leading art collegeHigh comfort of low energyAn office landscape - without walls or partitionsServicesCare & repairSpare partsCare productsManufacturer warrantyFAQ and contactInstructionsInstructions for earlier productsConsulting & Planning StudioConsulting & planning in the VitraHausOutdoor care instructionsRepair, maintenance, overhaul at the Vitra Circle Store Campus ProfessionalsCAD dataProduct factsheetsCertificatesBrochuresSustainability reportInstructionsEcology informationpConPlanning examplesColour & Material LibraryCertificates and standardsTo the dealer loginOur ClientsMikadoTyde 2 on castorsACXDancing OfficeOffice chairsMagazineStoriesConversationsExhibitionsDesignerProject VitraAn archive is like a time capsuleVitraHaus Loft - A conversation with Sabine MarcelisKhudi BariWalking the talkA 1000 m2 piece of furnitureShaping the future of energyFrom a toy to an objectWhat would nature doWhy design classics remain relevant, even in the officeA studio visit with Tsuyoshi TaneThe Eames Collection at the Vitra Design MuseumAbout the partnership between Eames and VitraThe Eames La ChaiseSaul SteinbergTane Garden HouseWhat would Charles and Ray say?The Maison Jean ProuvéThe OriginalVitra CampusExhibitionsGuided tours & workshopsFood and drinkShoppingActivities for familiesArchitectureYour eventPlan your visitVitra Campus appCampus EventsNewsVitraHausVitra Design MuseumVitra SchaudepotVitra Circle Store CampusOudolf GartenAbout VitraSustainabilityJobs & CareersDesign processThe Original is by VitraHistory - Project Vitra
Panton Fantasy Landscape
A Vitra Anecdote
© Verner Panton Design AG
Verner Panton was unique in his ability to stimulate people’s perception of interior design. With his spectacular concepts for homes, offices, exhibitions and restaurants, he broke every rule in regard to the classical understanding of how to live and act in any kind of interior landscape.
Verner Panton used an extensive number of architectural tools when creating his environments, particularly favouring those that affected human senses, feelings and physical behaviour. He said:
"The main focus of my own work is on the overall result. Interaction with the setting is far more important than that with just a chair or any other object; a room, a colour, furniture, textiles and lighting must be considered as a whole. An attractive setting can only be created if all of its components are truly mastered."
Verner Panton used an extensive number of architectural tools when creating his environments, particularly favouring those that affected human senses, feelings and physical behaviour. He said:
"The main focus of my own work is on the overall result. Interaction with the setting is far more important than that with just a chair or any other object; a room, a colour, furniture, textiles and lighting must be considered as a whole. An attractive setting can only be created if all of its components are truly mastered."
© Verner Panton Design AG
© Verner Panton Design AG
Some of the greatest examples of Verner Panton’s total universes are the exhibition spaces Visiona 0 and Visiona 2, which he designed for the company Bayer on the fringe of the Cologne furniture fair in the late 1960s. Set inside a pleasure boat, the main aim of these temporary showrooms was to promote synthetic textiles for the home. Panton’s concepts created a holistic experience in a succession of rooms below deck, and his articulated organisation of colours and surfaces surprised and excited visitors.
© Verner Panton Design AG
Panton wanted his architectural settings to induce a sense of well-being, and he understood how colours could affect moods – for example, red makes the heart beat faster, whereas blue has a calming effect. He had studied colours and their psychological ramifications since his early life and actively applied this knowledge to the spaces that he created for companies and individual clients. However, one of his main convictions was that colours should be seen and evaluated together – never alone:
"When we create an environment the colour planning is of vital importance. It is not enough to say that red is red and blue is blue. I, myself, normally work with parallel colours, whose shades follow each other in the spectrum. Thus I can control the colour-temperature in the room and so create a certain mood."
Of the two installations that Panton created for Bayer, the cavernous interior of Visiona 2 is the most memorable. Here the floors, walls and ceilings flowed together in a series of organic shapes without any clear transitions between the vertical and horizontal. Verner Panton sought to stimulate each of the human senses, as every room was a distinctive atmosphere of sound, colour and smell.
"When we create an environment the colour planning is of vital importance. It is not enough to say that red is red and blue is blue. I, myself, normally work with parallel colours, whose shades follow each other in the spectrum. Thus I can control the colour-temperature in the room and so create a certain mood."
Of the two installations that Panton created for Bayer, the cavernous interior of Visiona 2 is the most memorable. Here the floors, walls and ceilings flowed together in a series of organic shapes without any clear transitions between the vertical and horizontal. Verner Panton sought to stimulate each of the human senses, as every room was a distinctive atmosphere of sound, colour and smell.
© Verner Panton Design AG
The most impressive space from Visiona 2 was a cave-like tunnel decked in luscious shades of violet and blue with a glowing centre of red, orange and yellow. Today this space is known as the Panton Fantasy Landscape, also called the ‘living cave’, and is considered the climax of Panton’s creative vision. Its undulating forms were recreated in the organically shaped Living Tower, a furniture sculpture with several different levels that can be used for sitting or lounging.
© Verner Panton Design AG
In collaboration with the Panton family, two reeditions of the legendary cave were made by the Vitra Design Museum in 2000 in context to the then exhibition: “Verner Panton. The Collected Works”. One of the editions went to the Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg, the other stayed with the Vitra Design Museum and will be exhibited as part of the exhibition “Home Stories: 100 Years, 20 Visionary Interiors” at the Vitra Campus Fire Station from 8.2. – 23.8.2020.
Publication date: 6.2.2020
Author: Stine Liv Buur