The scaled-down, updated version of the Panthella lamp has a diameter of 250mm, a 150mm decrease from the original 400mm size. Louis Poulsen’s reimagined Panthella MINI features painted metal shades and will be available from September in eight eye-catching colours from Verner Panton’s own colour spectrum: yellow, orange, mauve, red, pink, blue and two shades of green. Versions in white, black and opal acrylic will also be available.

The miniature Panthella features three light intensities and the latest LED technology. The colours are drawn from the last project Verner Panton was working on before his death in 1998: ‘Lyset og Farven’ – ‘Light and Colour’ – an exhibition hosted at Trapholt Museum of Modern Art in Kolding, Denmark, which took the form of a complete installation comprising eight rooms in different colours, where the furniture, light fittings and fabrics, created by Verner Panton over a period of 50 years, were framed in a holistic presentation of colours and light.

Colour and imagination were two key elements in the world of Verner Panton, and Louis Poulsen has chosen the new colours for the Panthella MINI from the spectrum that Verner Panton himself had selected for the remarkable universe that was ‘Lyset og Farven’.

Panton-fever still going strong

“Verner Panton developed the Panthella lamp in partnership with Louis Poulsen in 1971. He originally wanted to have Panthella launched with a metal shade, but this was not technologically possible at that time. The Panthella MINI is a world-first, based on Verner Panton’s original drawings,” relates Rasmus Markholt, Design Manager at Louis Poulsen.

While most other Danish architects and designers in the 1950s and 1960s were working with wood and other natural materials, Verner Panton’s predilection for new materials saw him develop into a specialist in steel, plastic, Plexiglas and fibre glass. His design work involving synthetic materials was trail-blazing, and he was a pioneer in the field of designs using circles and rounded shapes before they became mainstream under the banner of ‘organic design’.

According to Rasmus Markholt, this is one of the reasons why Verner Panton’s lamps – especially the semi-spherical Panthella lamp with its trumpet-shaped foot – has become a true design icon with an edge to it.

“Since the retro wave of the 1990s rolled over us, enthusiasm for Verner Panton’s lamps has risen sharply. His products are in great demand at auction houses all over the world, and we have received many requests for a Panthella lamp in a smaller format, designed to stand on window sills, shelves, tables or other limited surfaces,” comments Rasmus Markholt.

Internationally-celebrated Danish Designer Verner Panton was one of a kind, an avant-garde designer who was deadly serious about his furniture, light fittings and textiles. In his work with lighting, Panton was far in advance of his time, concerning himself with the ambience he sought to create. During the period of 1955–1998, he developed 25 different lighting solutions, the majority of which were manufactured by Louis Poulsen. His light designs can be split into two categories: the first being organic, with a host of composite elements, while the second is distinguished by its use of simple geometric shapes. His lamps have built-up a good deal of respect – particularly the Flowerpot and Panthella, which became bestsellers as soon as they appeared on the market in 1968 and 1971.