Cheers to Verner Panton!

On 13 February 2026, Danish architect and designer Verner Panton would have turned 100 years old. Verner Panton occupies a special place in Vitra’s history. After several years of intensive research into new materials, construction, durability and quality, Verner Panton and Vitra succeeded in creating the first serially produced cantilever chair made of a single piece of polymer: the Panton Chair. This collaboration marked a decisive moment for both the designer and the company, resulting in a design now recognised as one of the most iconic chairs of the twentieth century. From the early stages of development, Verner Panton maintained a close relationship with Vitra’s founders, particularly Rolf Fehlbaum, who became a lifelong friend.

Marianne Panton, Verner’s wife and mother of their daughter, Carin Panton, has many personal memories from that period. Few people know, that the famous photograph of Panton Chairs lined up in front of a swimming pool was taken at the home of Willi and Erika Fehlbaum (Rolf Fehlbaum’s parents), and that the small girl in the image is Carin herself. Another little-known fact is that Verner and Marianne’s move from Denmark to Basel in the early 1960s was closely linked to the complex development process of the Panton Chair. It is also a surprising coincidence that Marianne shares the same birthday as Verner.

Verner Panton passed away in 1998 at the age of 72. Today Marianne and Carin Panton are the owners and sole rights holders of Verner Panton’s extensive oeuvre, which is managed by the family-owned company Verner Panton Design AG. In connection with the celebration of Verner Panton’s 100th birthday – and the man behind iconic designs such as the Heart Cone Chair, the Living Tower and Amoebe – we asked Marianne to share her memories of celebrating their birthdays together.

Stine Liv Buur: Marianne, you are from Sweden and Verner Panton was born in Denmark. In the early 1960s, you married, moved to Basel and later had your daughter, Carin. In Denmark, a traditional way of celebrating a birthday is with a classic layered cake made with vanilla custard and whipped cream, often combined with jam, strawberries, banana and grated chocolate. In Sweden, there is a similar cake: the “Prinsesstårta”.

These cakes symbolise togetherness, hygge (the Danish idea of warmth, comfort and well-being), fika (the Swedish ritual of taking a meaningful break) and a strong sense of tradition. Did you bring any of these traditions with you when you moved to Basel?
Marianne Panton: In the beginning, we didn’t really have any traditions as we were often travelling, but Verner and I sometimes started our birthdays with coffee in bed… and when the “Prinsesstårta” became available in Basel, we would occasionally celebrate with one of those.

When we had Carin and my daughter Cecilie with us, we would sing birthday songs and celebrate like most other families. We rarely had candles on our own birthday cakes – though I do remember the time when Verner and I blew out all 110 candles on a special cake at a celebration in the Illums Bolighus design store. Verner turned 60 that year and I turned 50. Later that same day, Tivoli’s director, Niels Jørgen Kaiser, arranged a fantastic birthday party for us in Cirkusbygningen in Copenhagen with food and music and lots of guests. It was an exceptional and truly unforgettable experience.

You lived a very busy life together, with Verner constantly working on new ideas or deeply immersed in projects. How did birthdays fit into this rhythm – were they moments you consciously prioritised together?
When we were at home, we marked birthdays with a Danish flag – it’s a very Danish tradition. In Denmark the flag is used for all kinds of celebrations, not just as a national symbol. Verner always raised a glass with our team in the office, but otherwise it was just a day like any other to him, holding its own excitement.

Did design and colour play a role even in private rituals and celebrations, or the way you set the table?
Yes, in true Panton style we often chose just one colour – for example, red – which then became the only colour for the flowers and the table setting. This made it very special. Occasionally we also went for multiple colours – but then they were always carefully chosen to complement each other.

Were celebrations sometimes shaped by where you happened to be in the world at the time?
Yes, definitely – we celebrated with what was local. For instance, Verner loved the Danish “Rundstykke” (morning roll), so he was very happy when he could have that for breakfast.

After moving to Switzerland, did you adopt any Swiss traditions that became part of your family life?
We loved raclette and fondue – I still do – they’re both very social ways of dining. And we also loved Basler Fasnacht carnival with all its colours. We even enjoyed the traditional “Mehlsuppe”, a browned flour and onion soup.

Switzerland is often associated with precision and order – did this environment contrast with or complement Verner’s way of working?
If anything, it complemented the way he worked – he was very meticulous in his approach to design. His fascination with complex geometric patterns is a nice example – many of his textiles are real works of precision.

If you were to celebrate a birthday together today, what would matter most to you?
That he was here, and we could enjoy a wonderful time together.