Designer: Verner Panton (1926-1998)


Current manufacturer: Vitra

Genre: Pop art

Material: Stainless steel (frame and foot), PU foam, fiberglass-reinforced plastic (body)


Verner Panton (1926-1998) was a designer and was one of the best known designers of the 1960s. Panton is especially known for his furniture and lamps, which often appear in strong colors. He was educated at the Copenhagen School of Architecture and worked for a period for Arne Jacobsen, where he subsequently in 1955 started his own design studio. Panton is also known for his joy of breaking with traditions and norms.


In 1959, The Heart Cone Chair, also known as Hjertekræmmerhusstolen, was launched a year after The Cone Chair/Kræmmerhusstolen as a further development of the design. The Heart Cone Chair is available in a total of 13 colors, including red, green, black, gray, yellow, blue and orange. The Heart Cone Chair was made especially for Hotel Astoria's restaurant in Trondheim, Norway, which opened in 1960. The Cone Chair and several of Panton's other designs were also made especially for the same place. The difference between the Heart Cone Chair and the Cone Chair is that the Heart Cone Chair is more expensive, rare and spectacular. With a frame and cross-shaped foot of stainless steel and upholstered in wool fabric, it is clear to see why the chair got its name from its shape and expression.


Today, the Heart Cone Chair and the rest of Panton's designs are made in the Kræmmerhus series by Vitra, but Panton's designs were originally produced by Plus-Linje until the early 1960s. Panton's most famous chair is said to be the S-chair, which gets its name from its curved shape. The S-chair was first made in collaboration with Vitra in 1967. The price for the Heart Cone Chair today is around DKK 12-15,000, depending on material, condition and originality.