LOUIS POULSEN - "GIVING FORM TO LIGHT"
Nobody today associates Louis Poulsen with a wine import company. But in 1874 it was exactly that. In this year, Ludvig R. Poulsen founded the company under the name "Kjøbenhavns direkte Vin-Import-Kompagni" (The Copenhagen Direct Wine Import Company). But today, more than 140 years later, Louis Poulsen is known as a Danish manufacturer of designer lamps with world fame!
The Louis Poulsen lighting range
Louis Poulsen is known for its famous classic lamps by renowned designers such as Vilhelm Lauritzen, Verner Panton, Arne Jacobsen and of course Poul Henningsen. Henningsen set things in motion in 1924: the victory at the Paris Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs & Industriels Modernes, for example, an international exhibition for decorative art and industrial design.
Today, Louis Poulsen is represented in stylish living spaces as well as in countless commercial locations. These include, for example, a breathtaking showroom by Carl Hansen & Søn. Or the Langelinie Pavillonen restaurant in Copenhagen, for which the PH Artichoke was designed.
In general, many designs have been developed for a specific lighting task in a professional environment. Louis Poulsen's designers have always been faced with new building projects and continue to be faced with new challenges - and every customer benefits from the results!
Designers and classics from Louis Poulsen
Whether it's the names of the Louis Poulsen luminaires or the names of the designers, everyone has probably heard them at some point. If you have an affinity for design, names like PH Artichoke or PH 5 will trigger very specific associations. Functional and yet all-round striking design. But at the same time they are so versatile that they cut a fine figure in the home as well as in professional use.
And with names like Arne Jacobsen, Poul Henningsen or Verner Panton, one rightly thinks of the greats from the world of design. This also applies to the "newcomers" in the portfolio: Clara von Zweigbergk, Oki Sato and Christian Flindt. "Even today, being a designer means being curious, trying things out and trying to make them better," reveals Christian Flindt in an interview with Lampenwelt, demonstrating a similar pioneering spirit to that of Poul Henningsen.
At Louis Poulsen, design enthusiasts will find many well-known names - for their own four walls or the next big lighting project, which is part of the great history of this luminaire manufacturer.
The world of Poul Henningsen
Born in 1894, Poul Henningsen's mother was the Danish writer Agnes Henningsen. And indeed, her son Poul also expanded his field of activity to include writing at some point and became a journalist and author. In the minds of design enthusiasts, however, he is more likely to be remembered for his career as a great luminaire designer.
Today we perceive his designs as classic and functional, simple but unique. In the past, however, he was considered an unconventional thinker with a rebellious streak. In his day, his designs were indeed a break with many a tradition. Accept the status quo? He never did.
One example is the legendary three-shield system of the PH 3/2 from 1927. It avoids glare across the board - a real innovation for the living space. He was a pioneer in the field of relations between light structures, shadows, reflections and light rendering.
He has worked for Louis Poulsen all his life. Even after his death in 1967, his works remain among the most popular and best-known in the history of light.
Classics by Poul Henningsen
PH Artichoke
The PH Artichoke was designed in 1958 for the Langelinie Pavillonen restaurant in Copenhagen. Its characteristic feature is the 72 leaves for symmetrical, glare-free light.
PH 5
This classic for living rooms, restaurants and hotels was also designed in 1958. The PH 5 was developed in response to frequent changes in the shape and size of light bulbs.
PH 3/2
Designed in 1925/26, the legendary PH 3/2 is now an amber-colored limited edition in honor of the 125th anniversary of the company. available on the occasion of Louis Poulsen's 50th birthday.
The world of Vilhelm Lauritzen
His designed lights and buildings embody the essence of what we now understand by the term "modernity " - and have done so since the 1930s.
Vilhelm Lauritzen (1894-1984) was one of the most important Danish architects of all time and a pioneering representative of Danish functionalism. He designed the Nørrebro Teater (1931-1932), the Daells Varehus department store (1928-1935), the Danish Radio Building (1936-1941) and Copenhagen's first airport (1937-1939).
Lauritzen also designed some excellent luminaires - for example for the Danish Broadcasting House, which he also designed as a whole. Today, these lights are known as VL38 and VL45.
Connoisseurs know that they were designed for a radio building. Everyone else can tell this story from now on. And bring a real design icon into your home with the lights with the striking shade.
VL45 Radiohus
This pendant light was designed in the 1940s for the Danish Broadcasting House. Its features are the brass suspension and the three-layer mouth-blown glass.
VL38 floor lamp
This floor lamp was also part of the furnishings of the Danish broadcasting building. Their retro flair and soft, curved expression are their hallmarks.
VL38 table lamp
The VL38 table lamp is a true Vilhelm Lauritzen classic. On a desk, it provides the best light and is a stylish home accessory for real design lovers!
The world of Verner Panton
The works of Danish designer and architect Verner Panton are an expression of his experimental streak. His collaboration with Louis Poulsen began in 1959.
His lights could almost be called "psychedelic" due to the vivid colors and fantasy in the design. His luminaires are completely functional and graphically clear despite their finesse. A coherent figurative structure that lends rooms an additional dimension.
The legendary man is really famous for his panthella. This was to play a special role in the major exhibition "Light and Color" at the Trapholt Design Museum in Kolding.
Unfortunately, the master, who had planned the entire exhibition as a coherent work of art, did not get to see it himself. He died in 1998 shortly before the opening. But his works live on.
Panthella floor lamp
The Panthella series was created in 1971. Its unbroken popularity is also due to its organic shape. It is a striking yet discreet furnishing object.
Panthella Mini Chrome
The chrome version of the table lamp gives the Panthella from 1971 a particularly modern, almost futuristic touch. It also has the striking shape here.
Panthella Mini
The mini version of the Panthella is even more versatile. She has had this great variety of colors since 1998, when she was asked to present the life's work of Verner Panton in the exhibition "Light and Colors".
The world of Arne Jacobsen
Arne Jacobsen was an architect. One of the really big ones. In 1927, he graduated from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen and went on to develop and consolidate his worldwide reputation.
With the National Bank in Copenhagen, for example. The SAS Royal Hotel & Terminal, also in Copenhagen. Or St. Catherine's College in Oxford.
In addition to entire buildings, he also designed cutlery, door handles, bathroom fittings, fabrics, wallpaper patterns - and of course lights.
The AJ table lamp is nothing less than a movie star - even in science fiction films. The occurrence in future utopias shows what characterizes all the works of this master architect: an uncommon clarity of design, which one can easily imagine will also be in demand in the future. In the near as well as in the distant future.
Eclipta
This wall light was created in 1959 for the town hall in Rødovre. Later she also appeared at St. Catherine's College. Today, the luminaire can often be found as the architectural icing on the cake.
AJ table lamp
Perhaps Arne Jacobsen's best-known model was created in 1960 for the SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen (Radisson Blu). Today, the luminaire is regarded as an unforgettable design icon in the Louis Poulsen style.
AJ outdoor wall light
The outdoor lighting version of the AJ model was also used in the SAS Royal Hotel. In private outdoor areas, the striking wall light immediately demonstrates the resident's sense of style.
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