Vitra pays tribute to Verner Panton by bringing to life an idea that had remained unrealised for over fifty years. The result is a limited edition of 999 pieces, in which the lustre of gold meets the sculptural forms of the iconic chair
Verner Panton’s most iconic design, the famous Panton Chair, is adorned with golden hues to mark the centenary of its creator’s birth. Drawing on its technological and manufacturing expertise, Vitra has brought to life an idea the designer had envisaged in the early 1970s, but which the technical limitations of the time made unfeasible. In 2026, in collaboration with Verner Panton Design AG, that vision takes shape in the Panton Chair Classic Gold, a Limited Edition of 999 pieces.
Panton’s passion for mirrored surfaces spanned his entire career, manifesting in a constant exploration of light and reflection. This exploration extended to furniture, lighting systems and entire interior spaces, helping to define the designer’s expressive and unconventional style.
Born from a collaboration between Pantone and Vitra, the Panton Chair entered production in 1967 after years of research and refinement, becoming the first cantilever chair made from a single piece of polymeric material. Unveiled the following year at the imm Cologne Furniture Fair, it immediately stood out for its construction and sculptural silhouette, becoming one of the most recognisable icons of twentieth-century design. From the outset, its single-material structure and continuous lines provided an ideal canvas for its designer’s experimentation; as early as the beginning of the 1970s, he had envisaged a version with a mirrored surface.
What stood in the way of that project was the fragility of the finishes available at the time, which were particularly prone to scratches and deterioration. This limitation has now been overcome thanks to technological advances, through an extremely sophisticated production process.
