PH 3/2 Amber-coloured Glass Floor Lamp – Limited Edition 2019

Every autumn Louis Poulsen present a Limited Edition of one of Poul Henningsen’s classic PH lamps, and 2019 is no different. This year - for a limited time only - you can buy the iconic ‘Water Pump’ floor lamp, fabricated in untreated brass and with classic PH shades in amber-coloured glass.

New colours for an old classic

In the 1950’s Louis Poulsen presented Poul Henningsen’s new reading lamp, the PH 3/2 floor lamp. It was equipped with an adjustable arm that allowed the lamp’s head to be positioned at the desired height. This arm reminded people of the handle of an old-fashioned water pump and the lamp son came to be known as ‘The Water Pump’.

Underlining the lamp’s historic roots, its foot, body and arm are fabricated in untreated brass.  This material gives the lamp a sophisticated look, while the warm golden colour contributes to the cosy atmosphere that is so popular in contemporary interior decorating.

The Water Pump lamp has naturally retained the famous three-shade system, developed by Poul Henningsen in 1926. He was annoyed by the light produced by the then-new incandescent bulbs, which didn’t create the same warm glow as traditional kerosene lamps. That spurred him to develop a new shade that reduced uncomfortable glare and improved the illumination of the electric light bulbs.

Henningsen’s drive to innovate went further than just a single shade – he created a system of shades that altered the course of electric lamps. These shades were originally fabricated in metal, but at the close of the 1920’s Henningsen and Louis Poulsen glass shades in a range of colours to attract new customers.

The shades for the Limited Edition Water Pump are fabricated in mouth-blown amber-coloured glass. This semi-transparent material allows a small amount of light to shine through the shades themselves, creating a warm and inviting glow around the lamp.

Poul Henningsen’s work on the relationship between light structure, shadow, colour reproduction and glare – as well as his fascination with the human need for both light and dark – continue to for the foundation of Louis Poulsen’s lighting philosophy.

"Limited Edition 2019 - PH 3/2 Amber-coloured Glass Floor Lamp "The Water Pump" is available from 1 October through 31 December 2019.