Louis Poulsen - PH 2/1 Pendant Lamp

 

close image gallery

The PH 2/1 Pendant Lamp is a member of the PH3-shade product family. The PH3-shade system was initially a pendant lamp solution but fast became an example for other lamp arts for tables, floors, walls and a large amount of chandeliers. As a result of the different sizes, materials, surfaces and light sources, more than thousand variants were developed along the years.

A classic amongst the variants is the PH 2/1 pendant lamp. It is based on the principle of a reflecting multi-shade system with glare-free illumination. The shade form leans on a logarithmic spiral, whose focus is a light source. This is how the 2/1 creates soft light.

The PHL lamps were designed as rational light systems, where the size of the shade, its material and the surface are combined depending on the duty field. All upper shades have an according number of middle and lower shades so that the proportions between the shades stay in an approximate relation of 3:2:1. Each shade reduces the light amount.

One of the original ground models was a PH 5/5. The first number shows the approx. diameter of the shade, the second one, behind the slash, refers to the “curving” of the middle or lower shades for the upper one. This means that the 5/5 has an upper shade of 50, a middle shade of 31 and a lower shade of 15.5 centimetres diameter. This combination was good for lamps that were estimated to be hanged at high ceilings. But if it comes to a lower ceiling, a combination of large upper and smaller middle and lower shades would be useful. This is how the PH 2/1 emerged.

Design: Poul Henningsen

Poul Henningsen was born in Copenhagen as a son of the famous Danish actor Agnes Henningsen. Designer Poul Henningsen