What is the "ADHD Sofa"? How a Design Classic From 1969 Went Viral

One of the strange idiosyncrasies of a social platform such as TikTok is that you can be scrolling dog videos and Crockpot recipes one minute, and get a lesson in design history the next. Well, if you curate your algorithm that way.

When it comes to what in design does go viral online, you tend to find that the wackier the object, the more social traction. The first design classic that ever came across my feed was the Pratone Chair by Gufram, an undeniably out-there concept for a chair made from oversized foam "blades of grass" that wouldn't look out of place in an indoor jungle gym.

It's a similar story for what's been dubbed the "ADHD sofa" by TikTok, a design from the vaults of one of the most celebrated furniture design brands in the world. But how did this unique piece of design come to be known by this new — and very zeitgeist-y — moniker? And what's the history of this iconic chair?

What is the "ADHD Sofa"?

The "ADHD sofa" is otherwise known as Vitra's Panton Living Tower, designed by Verner Panton in 1969. Part couch, part furniture sculpture, this upholstered seating tower lends itself to a more interactive way of sitting. You can perch on its various levels, in different directions, with your feet positioned in different ways. The fun is, I would suspect, in discovering new ways to find a seat within.

It's a unique idea, but not, of course, the sort of thing you'll see in many living rooms. "The Vitra classics often broke new ground with their innovative forms," Stine Liv Buur, Design Manager Classics of Vitra tells me. "The Panton Living Tower is a good example. When first presented, the design broke the existing mold, taking the furniture in new, almost revolutionary directions."

It's undoubtedly a design that captured the imagination of the world when it was first released, but why has the Living Tower also started courting attention some 50 years later? The original viral TikTok, which garnered some 35 million views, suggested that the design was the perfect "ADHD sofa". It doesn't really have anything to do with the condition — rather, it's a reference to the idea that you can change up how you're seated, quickly, and that it's a good couch design for people who can't help but fidget in a standard chair.

Pair this with the fact that ADHD diagnoses are on the rise, and it's the perfect storm. According to the CDC, one million extra children between the ages of 3-17 received an ADHD diagnosis in 2022 compared to 2016. In adults, diagnoses have increased from 6.1% to 10.2% in the last two decades, claims another report by Forbes Health. With that, awareness and conversations about the condition are at an all-time high, too.

But, while ADHD might be the buzzword that has re-propelled it to the spotlight, it's the unusual nature of this design by today's standards that has really driven its virality. "Everything has its popular moments — including design furniture classics," Stine tells me. "The uniqueness of the Verner Panton Living Tower is the sculptural quality that opens for several uses. Is it a lounge? Is it a sofa? Is it a chair? Is it for play? For relaxing? For reading? Working? With the absence of one obvious function, it is, from my perspective, a symbol of the life we live today."

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Can you buy the Panton Living Tower?

Vitra still retails the Panton Living Tower, but this isn't a purchase for those without the deep pockets to match their well of enthusiasm for the design — it's currently priced at $28,740.

It is, Stine from Vitra assures me, something that people do buy, though. But I want to know who. "I think they are looking for something that can bring joy and fun into their lives and at the same time enrich their home with a sculptural icon by a world-famous designer," Stine says. "I have observed the Living Tower in use at several places, both privately, in office interiors, and at exhibition spaces, and it always provides immense pleasure; it is like a magnet to people of every age."

Its virality just goes to prove that it still has this magnetism to this day, and there's a warmth in the reaction people have when seeing it, perhaps even more so than other examples of eccentric modern interior design. Something of a rarity in the cynical world of social media.

"Verner Panton’s daughter once shared with me that what her father disliked most was entering a living room and seeing the typical arrangement of a sofa and two armchairs around a coffee table," Stine continues. "He found it terribly boring and dreaded the prospect of being forced to sit there all evening."

And it's fair to say, if you fear the boring too, this design is anything but.

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