New agreement aims to spread Scandinavian design to Europe’s urban spaces

Danish design company out-sider is entering into an agreement for the right to sell Verner Panton’s iconic Cloverleaf sofa for urban spaces. “We want to spread this attractive Danish design to Europe’s many urban landscapes,” says Head of Development Ib Mogensen

Autumn 2020 saw design companies out-sider and Verpan enter into an agreement that gives out-sider the rights to sell Verner Panton’s iconic outdoor seating Cloverleaf. And it’s an agreement that sparks the enthusiasm of Ib Mogensen, who is the CEO of out-sider. For he has long sought to bring design classics to outdoor spaces:

“Not only do we get an iconic Danish design, but also what I feel architects and urban planners worldwide are lacking – namely, attractive design for outdoor and urban landscapes. For a number of years we have achieved success with urban furniture in the same category as Cloverleaf, and thanks to its flexibility, size and ingenuity it is an excellent complement to our existing range,” he explains.

The team at Verpan also feels that this iconic piece of furniture is ideal for the urban landscape, even though it was not initially designed with this in mind.
“Thanks to its unique configuration it allows privacy for the individual, while also catering for groups who want to sit together. In this way it fulfils a number of urban requirements,” explains Head of VerpanMalene Nielsen, pointing out why out-sider is the perfect partner:
“out-sider knows so much about design for the urban landscape, they have international contacts within this field, and they have a range that will be ideally complimented by Cloverleaf.”

Design for the urban landscape
In 2016, almost 40 years after its creation, the family behind Verner Panton relaunched the iconic Cloverleaf sofa in polyethylene. It would no longer be confined solely within the four walls of homes, this iconic design would now also adorn the urban landscape. The choice of polyethylene as a material was very much in the spirit of Panton, in the opinion of the team at Verpan, who are carrying on the legacy of the world-renowned designer:

“Verner Panton created a wide range of furniture items and lamps using moulded plastic, so we are sure that Cloverleaf in polyethylene is very much in his spirit. What’s more, it’s hard-wearing, easy to clean and 100% recyclable, which is paramount for good Danish design today,” says Malene Nielsen.

Cloverleaf (or Kløversofaen in Danish) consists of modules that give the user an infinite number of possibilities for configuration. The sofa curves and folds, and, as its name suggests, can be set up as a clover-shaped configuration. In other words, Cloverleaf is multi-directional with neither a front nor a back. It therefore lends itself particularly well to open spaces, where it serves as seating, but also a striking sculpture when empty.

World-renowned furniture designer Verner Panton (1926-1998) launched this sofa in the 1970s, and with its distinctive look it quickly became part of Danish design history.