His style was very “1960s” but regained popularity at the end of the 20th century.

During his career, he created innovative and futuristic designs in a variety of materials, especially plastics, and in vibrant and exotic colors. Verner Panton ( 1926 – 1998) is considered one of Denmark’s most influential 20th-century furniture and interior designers. For the Spiegel Publishing House, which moved into the modernized premises in 1969 in Hamburg’s Ost-West Street, Panton designed the entrance area with courtyard and lobby, the canteen and the bar areas, the swimming pool for the employees in the basement of the building, the rooms for the editorial conferences and the lounges, as well as the colour schemes for the hallways of the administration or editorial highrise buildings. Design of the exhibition on the Dralon ship (later renamed Visiona 0) for Bayer on the occasion of the Cologne Furniture Fair. The Danish design magazine Mobilia presented the Panton Chair to the public for the first time in 1967. The sleek S-curve shape and shiny finish added a sense of otherwordliness to this post-war design classic. The choice of plastic, specifically fibre-glass-reinforced polyester, was a flexible, durable alternative to hand-crafting the design from plywood, which would have been prohibitively expensive. This innovative design was the first to be made of a single piece of material. Revolutionary plastics were also instrumental in Verner Panton’s cantilevered stacking chair (often referred to as the Panton Chair). Treco Cherry Red By Giovanni Maur for Raymond Loewry 10 of the Most Famous Space Age Pieces 1.Panton Chair by Verner Panton These materials were extremely malleable and could be shaped to fit the human body.ġ0. With the demands of war, new innovative materials such as fibreglass, plastic or moulded plywood were used for furniture.

New technical perspectives combined with an interest in abstract futuristic shapes lead to what is known as Space Age design. Easily recognisable with its geometric, starry and galactic patterns but also because of the industrial materials used, the Space Age marks a turning point in society.

The research on materials allowed the use of different types of polymers, unlocking infinite shape possibilities. On another note, aerospace engineers influenced design and architecture through the adaptability of the materials they created for flight. From this excitement derived a true interest from the society for science and technology. At the same time at which we would see some buildings with satellite shapes and cars with ornamental tailfins, product designers would start using some revolutionary materials and bring back ornaments in their projects, following the same space-inspired trend.Īt the end of the Second World War, the whole world was ready to witness NASA reaching outer space. Towards the end of the ’50s, the US’ confidence in becoming a leader in space flights influenced a vast majority of designers and architects. What actually defined space age design, and how did it come to be? Keep reading to find out about the history, and and some of the most important pieces from the design movement. You may have heard the term space-age, when referring to funky furniture that, well, looks like its from outer space.

Vintage space age furniture