Poul Henningsen

Poul Henningsen is probably most associated with his design of lamps. Henningsen (or simply PH) was an author, critic, architect and designer.

Son of a actress and a satirical author, PH was born north of Copenhagen. When he was young he worked as a mason. Later he studied architecture and design, but never graduated.

PH was a self taught inventor and designer and through his writing he became know for his critic of art, architecture and society.

At the beginning of world war II PH worked as head architect of the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen. However, his obsession with light made him focus on lamps. He was not a fan of light bulbs and he worked on the premise that the observer should not be exposed directly to harsh electric light. A lot of work went into trying to replicate the soft and relaxing glow of petroleum lamps that PH grew up with.

From PH’s design studio, established in 1919, his hard work paid off and his multi-shade lamp finally emerged in 1924. The shape and position of the three shades perfectly determined the distribution of light and focus the glare downwards.

The lamp, known as ‘PH lamp’ or ‘Paris lamp’ as it won a competition in Paris. His best-known models are the PH Artichoke and PH5. The lamps created the economic foundation of his later work. Many of Henningsen’s lighting fixtures, such as the PH5 Pendant Lamp, is still being produced by Louis Poulsen today.

Although PH is most famous for his lamps, he also designed a number of furniture pieces between 1919 and until the mid-50s. Furniture that is still being produced today.

Read about other designers and their journeys here.