Varna Palace, 1971

Verner Panton never limited himself to the placement of individual objects, but always placed them in a context, thus incorporating the entire space into his design. The best example of this is the Varna Palais in Aarhus, Denmark, which housed a restaurant. The dining room, corridor, lounges, toilets - all the rooms of the classic building underwent a fundamental redesign in 1971.

Geometric patterns paired with colors and shapes shaped the impressive interior and put Panton's significant stamp on the 1909 palace. He designed the corridor with curtains and carpet from the Mira-X company from the Dekor I collection, the so-called Mira-X set. He covered the entire walls with curtains on which the curved design was printed. The floor and ceiling were covered with a carpet in the same Optik , which increased the depth of the corridor enormously. Color-coordinated spherical lights extended from the ceiling deep into the hallway, just enough to allow even tall guests to move comfortably underneath.

In the toilets, parts of the walls and ceiling were fitted with Ring lamps. Mirrored walls were also installed to enhance the color effect. The light was also reflected in the chrome-colored washbasins.

Attuned to psychedelic effects, Panton undoubtedly crowned his design with the ambience of the restaurant. Colored foam spheres, with Spiral SP1 pendant lights violet-colored columns in between, carpets and curtains with the decor I in the circle variant, plus chrome-colored Pantonova-chairs by Fritz Hansen - the use of colors and shapes was almost inflationary.

In contrast to the mainly purple color scheme of the rest of the restaurant, Verner Panton designed the Rotonde in red. The central element in the so-called Red Room were red foam balls hanging from the ceiling. Their arrangement made them appear to move towards the column in the middle of the room. The ones placed in between Flowerpot VP1 lights were also arranged in a circle. Grouped below them were rectangular plastic tables, furnished with the Panton Chair Classic, also in red.

Panton's lights and furniture, which seem to have been created for complete relaxation of body and mind, did a great job in the lounge. Countless flowerpotslights formed two spirals. The circular seating areas placed underneath created separées. Despite their open arrangement in the room, they guaranteed peace and seclusion. In another area, people settled down in the Living Tower settled down. Over a digestif, people watched the play of light from a Spiral SP3 luminaire, Panton's idea of a chandelier that resembled a waterfall full of light.

The work of art that the cultDesigner two kilometers from the gates of Aarhus caused a sensation far beyond the borders of Denmark. The Varna Palace in Marselisborg Forest, built at the time (1909) as part of a nationwide industrial, craft and cultural exhibition, was named after the Bulgarian city of Varna. In 1971, the municipality sold the restaurant to the Order of Odd Fellows, who had the premises renovated by Panton. The palace was recently renovated again. The most beautiful rooms in the city with space for up to 500 people, nestled in a park by the sea, have remained - but Panton's style has had to make way.