the original panton chair
Some designers are crying fowl at Peter Jakubik’s “Arbor Chair.” Also called the DIY Panton Chair, Jakubik’s project includes an instructional video showing people how to make their very own “original fake” of Verner Panton’s iconic chair. Copycat or not, he intends to produce and sell the chairs to people with a love of modern design and a yen for something more homey than Panton’s original injection-molded plastic.
But the design world needn’t be so shocked. This isn’t the first time someone has ‘borrowed,’ ‘copied,’ or ‘ripped off,’ (whichever you prefer) Panton. In fact, United Nude released their “Pixelated Verner Panton Chair” not too long ago. Are these chairs two examples of stealing a famous design or paying homage to a well-loved designer?
