One of the most famous – and arguably professionally relevant – phases in Verner Panton’s life was his journeys through

Ida Engholm, forskningslektor ved Dansk Center for Designforskning er kurator for den akutuelle Pantonudstilling på den danske ambassade i Berlin.

I 1962 mødtes Verner Panton og Marianne Pherson Oertenheim under en ferie på Tenerife, og to år senere blev parret

This past Friday the Danish Embassy in Berlin opened an exhibition devoted to the work of Verner Panton – from

Ask most people to name a Danish furniture designer and they will probably reply Verner Panton or Arne Jacobsen. Ask

As already stated our visit to Copenhagen and CORE 10 was without question one of our more disappointing trips. Largely

For one of Denmark’s most celebrated designers Verner Panton spent considerably little time in Denmark; and many most of his

On the last Sunday of the school summer holidays over 35 production companies in and around Kassel stage an annual

On several occasions in the past month we have repeatedly seen a similar scene. A scene that has made us

It may not be the most universally recognised example of either Charles Eames‘ nor Eero Saarinen‘s canon however their 1940

Although in the course of his career Verner Panton worked with numerous designer furniture producers, his name is undoubtedly most

On Saturday 20.03.2010 the latest Vitra Design Museum exhibition “The Essence of Things. Design and the Art of Reduction” officially

As many of you will be aware, the construction of the VitraHaus was not without it’s controversy. For all the

If a picture really does paint a thousand words; a dozen VitraHaus photos here saves us an awful lot of

Vitra Eames Elephants prepare to ambush nordic walking pensioners in Leipzig

The last couple of days have seen an endless stream of emails into the (smow)blog bunker asking if we are

One of the joys of being involved in the designer furniture industry is that every now and again one is

It’s not all hard work you know. Just read a nice little article on dutch design portal design.nl in which

It’s Dumfries Show on Saturday. That won’t mean much to the most people, but for us it is a sure

It must be a summer thing. Not only are our newspapers and magazines full of authors recommending their chums books,

It’s an oldie, but still a goodie and a story we want to quickly share with all who don’t know

“Most people spend their lives living in dreary, beige conformity, mortally afraid of using colours. The main purpose of my

We at the (smow)blog aren’t above making advertising form others. If we feel that something passes to our remit, we

Project Vitra (Birkhauser)

Project Vitra (Birkhauser)

The snow is back in Leipzig and so whereas the weekend was spent enjoying the warm spring air – the evenings are now being spent enjoying the warm living room and a good book.

And so it’s just as well we were recently at Leipzig book fair.
Among the seemingly endless piles of new historical novels, travel guides – each, naturally, with the best insider tips –  and Harry Potter wannabes there was also a few title that appealed to us.

“Project Vitra” from Rolf Fehlbaum und Cornel Windlin for Birkhauser is not only an interesting stroll through the history of Vitra – without question one of the world’s most important and creative designer furniture houses – but is also a design classic in it’s own right.

It was shortlisted in the graphics category for the Brit Insurance Design of the Year Award 2009, and won a bronze medal in the “Best Book Design from all over the World 2009” organised by the German foundation “Stiftung Buchkunst“. The prizes were awarded at a ceremony in Leipzig during the book fair.

Charles and Ray Eames with

Charles and Ray Eames with Willi and Erika Fehlbaum

The “Project Vitra” story began in 1957 in Basel and Weil am Rhein and can more or less be summarised as: Willi and Erika Fehlbaum meet Charles and Ray Eames and start making furniture.

And they haven’t really stopped.

In the intervening 50+ years Vitra have worked with designers as varied and individual as Jean Prouvé, Jasper Morrison, Antonio Citterio and Verner Panton. To name just five.

“Project Vitra” chronicles the decades and the creations and in doing so elucidates not only the Vitra story but also the philosophy which has guided Vitra since its establishment.

Writing in the Vitra Magazine in January, Rolf Fehlbaum – company Chef and son of  grounders Willi and Erika – explained part of this philosophy; namely, the importance of the “individual authorship” of articles and the importance of the relationship between designer as “author” and Vitra:

“Vitra works with independent “authors” – primarily with designers, but also with architects and graphic artists. What distinguishes the work of these people from that of other designers is the fact that their personal imprint and outlook is reflected in every one of their products.

In contrast, designers in fixed employment must adapt their personal interpretation to the requirements of the client. We do not define our roles in terms of client and contractor. Two business partners – the designer and Vitra – embark on a common quest for an optimal solution. Vitra’s task is to provide a stimulating environment, technical support, conceptual input and constructive criticism.”

Panton Chair Classic (Verner Panton) for Vitra

Panton Chair Classic (Verner Panton) for Vitra

A classic example of this process is the Panton Chair by Verner Panton which went through numerous design and prototype phases – all the result of the cooperation between Vitra and Panton – before the final, and widely copied, design was completed.

In “Project Vitra” the importance of this relationship and the eternal conflict between creative drive and commercial survival is wonderfully , and aesthetically, documented.

“Project Vitra” is not a book for cover-to-cover reading, and at 800 pages we wouldn’t recommend it – it is however a wonderful reference book for all who enjoy quality designer furniture, want to learn more about how design classics are created or who simply enjoy good photography.

Or for those who are looking to escape the late march Leipzig snow with a glass of Tempranillo and an exquisitely laid-out and designed book.

smow don’t stock “Project Vitra” but it can be ordered direct from the Birkhauser.

The (smow) blog has more than once suggested that designer furniture is more than just a comfortable place to sit

Last week the (smow)team made their annual pilgrimage to the CeBIT communications and IT trade fair in Hannover – not