Louis Poulsen pendant lamp opal glass PH 3/2

Poul Henningsen designed this lampshade consisting of three sections and presented it at a Paris exhibition in 1925. At the time the shades were still made from metal, but Henningsen soon replaced them with models featuring opal glass shades. The opal glass is permeable to light (around 12%) and therefore contributes with a soft and diffuse light distribution to a room’s illumination. The inner sides of the shade segments get a matt finish by sandblasting; as a result, the majority of the light is directed downwards, as well in a non-glaring way. The lampshade consists of three sections: an upper segment of 28.5 cm diameter and two smaller segments underneath.

The ceiling rose of this lamp is made of plastic, which is due to the Scandinavian tradition of not attaching great importance to the ceiling rose. Nevertheless from a practical point of view it is sophisticated and extremely handsome.

The lamps of the Danish manufacturer Louis Poulsen have been a benchmark for decades. They owe their development to the ground-breaking work of Poul Henningsen (1894–1967). After giving up his studies as an architect, he began working as a freelancer in the field of functional architecture. He followed his vision of creating an ideal lamp, a lamp that would provide completely non-reflective, indirect light and, at the same time, offer an efficient light yield. He was able to achieve this aim by cooperating with Louis Poulsen. The partnership began in 1925 and lasted until his death. Henningsen performed pioneering work concerning light structures, shades, reflection and light projection. In short, his work laid the foundation for the perception of light Louis Poulsen adheres to and set the framework for manufacturing lamps down to the present day.