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Name the premier product designers of the 1960s and the name of Verner Panton is sure to turn up near the top. Born in Denmark in 1926, Panton—known particularly for his Panton chair for Vitra and his experiental use of intense colour—is considered one of Denmark’s most influential 20th-century furniture and interior designers. His influence on international design was long-lasting, ranging from the 1950s up until the 90s and beyond. He was, therefore, a perfect choice of creative to be part of Amini’s impressive list of Design Icon rug collection collaborators—joining Joe Colombo, Manlio Rho, Gio Ponti and more.
Talks first began between Amini and Verner’s daughter, Carin Panton, back in 2022. It was not the first time that the Amini team had to work with a design archive, each having its own peculiarities and requirements. As Ferid Amini explains with this collection ‘It was essential to tune into his colour theory, to respect those chromatic plays that characterise his works. Months of discussion and negotiation were necessary to truly grasp the essence of his work.’ The development of Panton’s cool turquoise, blue, violet and purple, and the warm aubergine, carmine red, red and orange colours were key.
In his 1997 book Notes on Colour, Panton famously wrote ‘In the kindergarten one learns to love and use colours. Later on, at school and in life one learns something called taste. For most people this means limiting their use of colours.’ From this we can understand his attitude towards colour use in design and his dislike of white. Panton’s interest in colour’s effect on the limbic system was much explained in his book and can be seen in works of art such as his Colour spaces installation at Gallery Littmann in Basel in 1996, in which visitors had to walk through eight successive circular rooms, each of which was painted one colour.
In the Amini’s rugs, three original graphics and textile designs by Panton have been reissued as three very different carpets series: Romantica, Mono and Domino. For Romantica, as Ferid explains, ‘Colour is form and form is colour’, as it comprises six designs based on ‘Panton’s colour series and pure geometries of the circle, square, and wave’. Hand-knotted in high-quality New Zealand wool—unlike the synthetics of the 1960s and 70s—the designs have a light, high-pile shag. The squares and circles, with concentric frame motifs, are also available in inverted colours while the wave rugs, in two sizes, have a purple background. Within the remits of the formal and chromatic characteristics of the collection, these designs are customisable.
Derived from a colour series developed by Panton in the early 1970s, the Mono designs see these eight intense shades turned into a range of solid-coloured rugs that can be utilised in multiple ways. Intended for either
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contract or residential use, the designs can become wall-to-wall or custom-made versions, crafted in pure wool or wool and nylon suitable for use in public spaces.
Domino brings an even more fun element into the collection as it comprises ten square (60 x 60 cm) modular carpet elements that can be used in endless arrangements to make different shapes and patterns using the familiar circles, square, stripes and waves. Inspired by a project developed by Panton in 1974, the Domino elements are hand-tufted in wool and can be used on the floor or wall for the management of accoustics.
The last series reminds me of a child’s card game of matching shapes to create bigger
01 Domino Circle (negative), Verner Panton x Amini 02 Domino Curve (negative), Verner Panton x Amini 03 Domino Wave (positive), Verner Panton x Amini 04 Domino—Circle (positive), Verner Panton x Amini 05 The Panton Lounge by Capsule and Verner Panton Design AG at Corso Como
