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Poul Henningsen

Danish, 1894-1967

The name Poul Henningsen is synonymous with the best and most innovative modern Scandinavian lamps and other lighting. The Danish designer created a signature vocabulary of fixtures with tiered and layered shades in sculptural arrangements that are at once naturalistic and geometric. 

Henningsen grew up in a town on the outskirts of Copenhagen and studied architecture at the Technical University of Denmark. He would become a noted art critic, journalist and screenwriter, but his first love was lighting design.

Henningsen’s childhood home was illuminated by oil lamps. When his family switched to electrified lighting, he was alarmed and repelled by the harsh glare cast by an incandescent bulb, and in his late teens he began conducting quasi-scientific experiments to measure which materials and methods best diffused or reflected light to give it a warm brightness. His work came to the attention of the lighting-fixtures firm Louis Poulsen, which sponsored the development of a prototype lamp. The design won a gold medal at the 1925 Paris Expositions Internationales des Arts Decóratifs et Industriels Modernes — from which the term Art Deco derives. The lamp, whose three-part shade is said to be inspired by the arrangement of a dinner plate atop a soup bowl atop a teacup, became the basis for Henningsen’s most successful design, the PH 4/3 desk lamp.

All told, Henningsen would design some 100 lighting fixtures in his career. Some of his most notable creations are hanging lamps, which include the Septima (1929), a pendant composed of seven graduated frosted-glass layers; the Spiral (1942), made of a single ribbon of enameled aluminum; and the Artichoke lamp (1958), whose 70 glass or metal fins in a staggered and graduated arrangement on a central steel frame resemble those of its namesake. The last is likely Henningsen’s masterwork and an icon of mid-20th-century design. Like all Henningsen lighting designs, it is striking, sculptural and — thanks to his insistence on the primacy of the quality of the light cast — superbly functional.

Find a collection of authentic Poul Henningsen table lamps, floor lamps and other lighting on 1stDibs.

Average Sold Price
$3,342
Styles
Materials
Related Creators
Iconic Designs from Poul Henningsen
Explore timeless pieces that have earned their place in history.
Artichoke Lamp
Artichoke Lamp
Ph 3 2 Table Lamp
Ph 3 2 Table Lamp
Ph 3 2 Floor Lamp
Ph 3 2 Floor Lamp
Ph 4 4 Pendant
Ph 4 4 Pendant
Hanging copper Poul Henningsen PH4/4 1930's original Louis Poulsen Denmark Rare
By Poul Henningsen, Louis Poulsen
Located in Forest, BE
Spectacular copper and brass nickeled suspension lamp made in the 1930s at the famous Louis Poulsen factory. The lamp come in few parts which includes 3 copper shades. Easy to fix in...
Category

1930s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Poul Henningsen

Materials

Brass, Copper, Nickel

Early Poul Henningsen for Louis Poulsen 'PH Artichoke' Pendant
By Louis Poulsen, Poul Henningsen
Located in Waalwijk, NL
Poul Henningsen for Louis Poulsen, 'PH-Artichoke' pendant, stainless steel Denmark, design 1957, production 1970s. The Artichoke pendant is an all time favorite in the lighting desi...
Category

1950s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Poul Henningsen

Materials

Stainless Steel

Louis Poulsen PH5 Pendant
By Louis Poulsen, Poul Henningsen
Located in Vienna, AT
The Lamp was designed by Louis Poulsen. Designed to hang low over the table, they create a 100% glare-free light these pendants have purple band details on the underside and orange...
Category

Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Poul Henningsen

Materials

Aluminum

  • Louis Poulsen PH5 Pendant
  • Louis Poulsen PH5 Pendant
  • Louis Poulsen PH5 Pendant
  • Louis Poulsen PH5 Pendant
H 11.42 in Dm 19.69 in
Poul Henningsen Hanging Lamp for Louis Poulsen
By Poul Henningsen
Located in Antwerp, BE
A vintage PH5 hanging lamp designed by Poul Henningsen for Louis Poulsen. First manufactured in 1957 for Louis Poulsen, this striking vintage PH5 Pend...
Category

Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Poul Henningsen

Materials

Aluminum

Danish Vintage Blue Ceiling Pendant PH5 by Poul Henningsen, 1960s
By Louis Poulsen, Poul Henningsen
Located in Asaa, DK
Danish Vintage blue ceiling pendant PH5 by Poul Henningsen, 1960s. Iconic Danish lighting designed in 1958 by Poul Henningsen for Louis Poulsen. This model is known as PH 5 because it has five individual shades. Emits a soft light outwards and downwards without blinding. This is an authentic early model in the original blue color with the orange suspension...
Category

1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Poul Henningsen

Materials

Aluminum

PH Grand Piano PH150 Excellence, cognac leather with chrome, Modern, Sculptural
By Poul Henningsen
Located in Copenhagen, DK
- All prices are listed ex works. - 5 year guarantee. - We regularly crate, ship and install PH Pianos worldwide with full insurance. Please contact us for individual shipping quote and for any questions. The PH Grand Piano...
Category

2010s Danish Bauhaus Poul Henningsen

Materials

Chrome, Aluminum

PH5 Pendant by Poul Henningsen for Louis Poulsen, Denmark, 1960s
By Louis Poulsen, Poul Henningsen
Located in Steenwijk, NL
This timeless model PH5 pendant is a design by Poul Henningsen for Louis Poulsen, designed in 1956. The lamp has a white, blue and red lacquered metal with blue connecting elements.
Category

1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Poul Henningsen

Materials

Metal

PH Upright Piano, Cognac Color Leather with Chrome, Modern, Sculptural
By Poul Henningsen
Located in Copenhagen, DK
- All prices are listed ex works. - 5 year guarantee. - We regularly crate, ship and install PH Pianos worldwide with full insurance. For those who want a traditional acoustic upright piano with one of the most iconic design silhouettes, the PH Upright Piano...
Category

2010s Danish Bauhaus Poul Henningsen

Materials

Chrome

Browse all Furniture from Poul Henningsen
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Poul Henningsen Sellers

PH Furniture & Pianos
5.0
Two Enlighten Los Angeles
5.0
Osted Antique & Design
4.8
Mid Century Mobler
4.8
Galerie Martynoff Paris
4.7
Gallery Sixty One
5.0

Creators Similar to Poul Henningsen

More Poul Henningsen Designs
Artichoke Lamp
Artichoke Lamp
Average Price
$20,890
Number Available
39
Artichoke Lamp
By Poul Henningsen
Materials
Metal, Steel, Copper
Styles
Scandinavian Modern
The PH Artichoke lamp was born out of a lighting commission Poul Henningsen (1894–1967) received from Danish architects Eva and Nils Koppel to outfit the newly rebuilt Langelinie Pavilion, a Copenhagen restaurant that was bombed during World War II by the Germans with support from Danish collaborators. The original space — situated on the Copenhagen waterfront — dated back to 1902 and was a beloved spot for socializing in the city. The new, modernist 11-story pavilion was completed by the Kop...
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Ph 3 2 Table Lamp
Ph 3 2 Table Lamp
Average Price
$8,400
Number Available
14
Ph 3 2 Table Lamp
By Poul Henningsen
Materials
Metal, Glass, Brass
Styles
Scandinavian Modern
The PH 3/2 table lamp isn’t just striking; it’s scientific and caring, too. A series of stacked concentric shades, initially made of metal or glass, helps evenly distribute reflected light while concealing the source at its center, creating diffuse illumination that’s much gentler on the eyes than the harsh glare from a bare light bulb, which, in the early days of electric lighting, was an off-putting evolution from the welcoming glow of gas lamps. Designed by Poul Henningsen (1894–1967) in t...
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Ph 3 2 Floor Lamp
Ph 3 2 Floor Lamp
Average Price
$2,910
Number Available
8
Ph 3 2 Floor Lamp
By Poul Henningsen
Materials
Metal, Glass, Opaline Glass, Copper
Styles
Mid Century Modern, Modern
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Ph 4 4 Pendant
Ph 4 4 Pendant
Average Price
$3,031
Number Available
8
Ph 4 4 Pendant
By Poul Henningsen
Materials
Metal, Glass, Opaline Glass, Steel
Styles
Scandinavian Modern
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Poul Henningsen furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

Poul Henningsen furniture are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of metal and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Poul Henningsen furniture, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. We have 244 vintage editions of these items in-stock, while there is 484 modern edition to choose from as well. Many of the original furniture by Poul Henningsen were created in the Scandinavian Modern style in europe during the 21st century and contemporary. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider furniture by Louis Poulsen, Fog & Mørup, and Vilhelm Lauritzen. Prices for Poul Henningsen furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at £306 and can go as high as £271,879, while a piece like these, on average, fetch £1,982.

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