Verner Panton 100 – The Heart Cone Chair in the Anniversary Year

In 2026, Verner Panton would have turned one hundred. Few designers have shaped 20th-century design as profoundly as the Danish architect and visionary, whose radical forms, luminous colours and forward-looking spatial concepts still resonate today. Switzerland will celebrate this anniversary with particular intensity: Vitra and the Vitra Design Museum dedicate a year-long programme to Panton, featuring exhibitions, re-editions and a limited anniversary edition of the Heart Cone Chair.

The connection between Panton and Vitra dates back to the 1950s. Early on, Panton pursued the idea of a chair made from a single material, formed in one continuous piece. Only through his collaboration with Vitra did this vision become reality: in 1967, the Panton Chair entered the market — the first industrially produced cantilever chair made of plastic, and an icon of modern design.

This cooperation grew into a lasting relationship. Panton lived with his family in the Basel region, and even after his death in 1998, the partnership endured. Since then, Vitra has produced re-editions of key designs such as the Cone Chair, Heart Cone Chair, Amoebe and Living Tower, developed in close coordination with the family and Verner Panton Design AG.

Exhibition 2026 at the Vitra Design Museum

One of the highlights of the anniversary year will be the exhibition opening in May 2026 at the Vitra Design Museum. The museum holds one of the world’s most significant collections of Panton’s work and focuses on his enduring relevance: his passion for colour, his geometric radicalism, and his understanding of design as an emotional experience.

In keeping with this, Vitra will launch a limited Heart Cone Chair Anniversary Edition. The iconic armchair appears in a duo-tone version in two shades of blue, whose contrast further accentuates its sculptural form. The design itself dates back to 1957, when Panton created an extensive interior concept for the Kom Igen restaurant in Denmark. Shortly afterwards, he developed the Heart Cone Chair from the Cone Chair, adding its heart-shaped backrest — an object that unites comfort, freedom of movement and an expressive emotional language.

The anniversary programme of 2026 makes one thing clear: Verner Panton’s design is far more than historical avant-garde. It is a living legacy, carried forward from Switzerland.

Further information: vitra​.com

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