Pantonova seating system as seen in The Spy Who Loved Me is now reissued by Montana

The Pantonova chairs seen in the James Bond movie The Spy Who Loved Me, created by Danish designer Verner Panton, are being revived.

Pantonova seating system, pictured here: the Concave
product photo © Montana

Danish brand Montana is reissuing the Pantonova seating system, which was the seat of choice for Bond villain Karl Stromberg (played by Curt Jurgens) in the 1977 film The Spy Who Loved Me.

The chairs can be spotted in the impressive interior of Stromberg's ocean lair Atlantis, designed by Ken Adam who was responsible for the iconic set design of the Bond films in the 60s and 70s. The chrome steel chairs are decorated with brown velour pillows.

Karl Stromberg (Curt Jurgens) meets Jaws (Richard Kiel) in the Atlantis, while seated on a Pantonova chair

photo © United Artists / EON

There are three different seating modules of the Pantonova chair: Linear, Concave and Convex. The different shapes can be used alone as sculptural, iconic chairs, or freely combined and arranged into various organically shaped seating formations, such as a circle, a half-circle, a wave, or an S-Shape.

Pantonella Convex, Concave and Linear chairs can be used separately or combined to form shaped seating formations

Linear is the seat that most resembles a typical chair form, with a gently curved backrest and seat that comfortably wrap the sitter. Convex is similar to Linear, but has a more exaggerated form that creates a stronger curve. Meanwhile Concave is the reverse, with a backrest and seat that curve forward rather than backward.

In the film, the chairs are set in a ?-shape, and a similar shape mirrored at the other side of the Atlantis living room. It looks like the setting on which Stromberg sits consists of: 1x Linear + 1x Convex + 2x Concave + 3x Convex (see illustration).

The chair setup in Strombergs Atlantis room
Illustration © Bond Lifestyle

The Pantonova seating system was originally developed for Varna, a Danish restaurant that become famous in the 1970s, but was seen by millions when it appeared in the The Spy Who Loved Me.

The new release of the Pantonova seating system was unveiled at the Salone del Mobile furniture fair, during the Milan design week from April 9-14 2019.

Designer Verner Panton (1926-1998)

Verner Panton is considered one of Denmark's most influential 20th-century furniture and interior designers, not to mention one of the most avant-gardes. During his career, he created innovative and futuristic designs in a variety of materials and in vibrant, exotic colours. Panton was a close friend of Peter Lassen, founder and designer of Montana. Joakim Lassen, Peter's son and Montana's current CEO, maintains a close relationship with the Panton family to this day.

Other Verner Panton designs in Bond films
In On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1967) we can spot another Verner Panton design: the hanging Verner Panton Fun Shell Lamp series. In Bond's room in Blofeld's Piz Gloria lair, James Bond checks the lamp for bugs. And in Blofeld's office, a bigger version of lamp is prominently used in many shots, including when Bond girl Contessa (Diana Rigg) gently touches the lamp while eavesdropping on the radio conversation between Blofeld and her father.

Shell lamps designed by Verner Panton, as seen in On Her Majesty's Secret Service
photo © EON / United Artists

And in Quantum of Solace (2008), there's a very short appearance of a Louis Poulsen Panthella Table Lamp, designed by Verner Panton in 1971. (Louis Polsen also provided the desk lamp for M in the same film).

Table Lamp designed by Verner Panton, as seen in Quantum of Solace
photo © EON / United Artists

The new Pantonova Chairs will be available from your nearest Montana retailer from August 2019.

2019 Prices
Linear, Concave and Convex in Chrome:
€1,323 ex. VAT / $2,804 ex. VAT / £1,455 incl. VAT

Measurements
Pantonova Linear: H 73.2 cm, W 55.2/55.2 cm, D 61.8 cm, Seat H 40 cm
Pantonova Concave: H 73.2 cm, W 38.2/77.2 cm, D 57.8 cm, Seat H 40 cm
Pantonova Convex: H 73.2 cm, W 78.6/35.8 cm, D 57.8 cm, Seat H 40 cm

Accompanying cushions are available in different textiles and colours.

For more information visit montanafurniture.com