Standing beneath the vast, human-sized outer leaves of the world’s largest ‘PH Artichoke’ lamp is a unique way to seek shade from the Copenhagen sunshine. Produced by artists Oliver Sundqvist and Frederik Nystrup-Larsen, ‘A Heart of Light’, an installation created for this year’s 3DaysofDesign, offered an innovative representation of the genius of one of Poul Henningsen’s most famous creations. Designed in 1958, its sculptural form, carefully engineered to cancel out any glare, is still hugely popular today and, walking beneath it – ‘uncovering its many layers’, as Sundqvist describes – you could marvel at the mastery of light and shade that makes it such an icon.
Sundqvist and Nystrup-Larsen’s interpretation, which, if constructed, would form a ‘PH Artichoke’ 12 times the size of the original, is a grand way to mark a very considerable milestone. This year, Louis Poulsen turns 150, so it’s certainly a time for impressive gestures. Choosing which light to champion for such a year, when you have a history as glittering as this Danish brand’s, however, could be tricky, but it’s a task that, says Oliver Nieto‑Tröger, Louis Poulsen’s PR and marketing manager, ‘has proved to be a delightful challenge’.
Louis Poulsen’s collaboration with Henningsen was a natural place to start. The designer was the first to work with the company, back in 1924. He has masterminded many pieces, from the ‘PH Luminaire’, made for the Forum building in Copenhagen, to his lampposts for Tivoli gardens, which showcased his expertise with wartime problem-solving – they directed light down but made the glow invisible from above, so as to foil fighter planes – and the ‘PH5’, a classic that is now ubiquitous in fashionable homes around the world.
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The latter is the second of three designs, including the ‘PH Artichoke’, to be reimagined with an anniversary edition. The third is Arne Jacobsen’s ‘AJ Mini’, a desk essential that was first installed in the SAS Royal Copenhagen hotel; it can still be found in the city’s towering landmark today.
Each of the three designs will be presented in a combination of pale rose and bright white, with brass details. It’s a combination that highlights the quality of the light they emit and the beauty of their forms. ‘We treat our heritage designs with great respect, meticulously preserving their essence even as we introduce new colours, materials and finishes,’ says Nieto‑Tröger. ‘Collaborating with the Henningsen and Jacobsen families ensures that each iteration honours their timeless legacy.’
Only 300 of each reimagined design will be sold, with those fortunate enough to claim one of the collector’s pieces also receiving a copy of First House of Light, a new book that tells the story of Louis Poulsen. Published by Phaidon and written by TF Chan, the coffee-table tome (in a blush-pink shade to match the new lights) details the contributions of masters such as Henningsen and Jacobsen, as well as Vilhelm Lauritzen and Verner Panton, but also looks to the collaborations the brand has worked on in more recent years, from the otherworldly ‘OE Quasi Light’ by artist Olafur Eliasson to the emerging Danish star Anne Boysen’s architectural ‘Moonsetter’. Full of never-before-seen photography and anecdotes, the book is a true testament to a brand with a storied past and a future that appears equally bright, with yet more launches coming in this important year.
Also look out for new colourways of the ‘PH5’ and ‘PH5 Mini’ – ‘Burgundy’ and ‘Dusty Indigo’, inspired by the blue-and-red tones of Henningsen’s three-shade system, selected to improve the quality of illumination before the invention of daylight-mimicking bulbs – as well as ‘Pale Pewter’ and ‘Pale Blush’. Also imminent is a new version of the ‘PH2/1’ table lamp, with limited-edition, dusty-terracotta shades on an aged-brass base.
Louis Poulsen is still ready to innovate and excite. As CEO Søren Mygind Eskildsen says: ‘When Ludvig Poulsen started his family business in 1874, I don’t think he’d dare to dream of where we would be 150 years later.’ louispoulsen.com
