HIP, HIP, HURRAY - Poul Henningsen’s Birthday!

The iconic Poul Henningsen was born on September 9th, 1894, the son of Agnes Henningsen and Carl Ewald. These days, he is best known for his classic designs, including the PH lamp.

Curiosity and a passion for life are some of the values that were instilled in Poul Henningsen through his upbringing. He was a talented, young man with a knack for craftsmanship and an innovative nature that influenced his designs. At the age of 16, he invented a self-inflating bike, which was awarded the Hielmstierne-Rosencroneske Scholarship for Inventors, thereby waking up his desire to solve practical issues in a visionary fashion.

His classic PH lamp is the result of his work with the relationship between light structures, shadows, blinding, and colour rendering, as well as his fascination with the human need for both light and dark. It all started when he became irritated by the light of the electric bulb – a light that didn’t have the same warm glow that he knew from the petroleum lamp; a light that had a tendency to blind.

Because Poul Henningsen was somewhat of a rebel who would sooner break with tradition than accept the status quo, he created a drawing room in his home. This is where he started to create a lamp that reduced the unnecessary blinding, improving the electrical light in terms of the needs of human people. He created more than just a new lamp: he created a new system that changed the history of lamps as we know it. This system is known as the “three-shade system”, and it is the concept behind the PH Lamp.

Poul Henningsen was, and continues to be, the most significant designer associated with Louis Poulsen. The concepts behind his iconic designs are the founding elements on which the company’s light profile is built.

Special Editions – Only in 2019!

In connection with Poul Henningsen’s 125th birthday, Louis Poulsen are paying tribute to the iconic designer. Not just to his iconic lamps, but also to his influence on how we put the spotlight on people when designing lighting solutions. To commemorate the designer’s life, the company have chosen a series of his classics and relaunched these in new editions for his 125th birthday.

The iconic PH Artichoke Brass Rose was originally designed for Langelinie Pavilion in Copenhagen, commissioned by the owners of the restaurant in 1958. Back then, Poul Henningsen created the lamp in brass with a rose finish on the inside. The combination of colours and materials crafted a warm and reflective light. Louis Poulsen have chosen to launch the PH Artichoke in its original materials and finish for this special birthday edition, only available in 2019. To mark his birthday, the special edition comes with an engraving of PH’s signature.

Although 60 years have passed since the launch of the PH 5 Pendant, it continues to be one of the most popular lamps in the world. The original version has a diameter of 50 cm, but the popularity of the lamp eventually led to the launch of the PH 5 Mini in 2017, which has a diameter of 30 cm. In connection with Poul Henningsen’s 125th birthday, Louis Poulsen have launched the PH 5 Brass and PH 5 Mini Brass, making the two popular lamps available in the lovely brass material.

Find all the beautiful Poul Henningsen lamps here, where you can also find the PH 3/2 Amber Glass floor lamp – Limited Edition 2019 – a special edition only available in 2019.