In autumn 2024, Louis Poulsen will introduce the PH 5 and PH 5 Mini in new colourways in honour of the Danish architect and designer Poul Henningsen’s pioneering work with light and colour. The monochrome shades of Pale Pewter, Pale Blush, Burgundy, and Dusty Indigo cater to both lighter and darker interior styles, while complementing our black and white luminaires exceptionally well too.
Poul Henningsen’s PH 5 can be found in countless beautiful homes worldwide, enhancing interiors and people with its pleasant, glare-free lighting. It is often considered the perfect pendant for dinner tables, even though it dates back more than 60 years.
Known as the original Master of Light, PH developed the PH 5 in 1958 in response to the constant changes in the shape and size of incandescent bulbs at the time. This led to the creation of a lamp that could provide a pleasant and glare-free light no matter the light source. Later, the PH 5 Mini was developed based on the PH 5, with an upper shade of 30 cm in diameter, making it ideal for smaller spaces or in creative combination with the PH 5.
The PH 5s are based on Henningsen’s celebrated three-shade system, which ensures soft, pleasant, and glare-free lighting. This makes them not only perfect as dining table pendants, but they also provide superior lighting in the living room and the kitchen, as well as in children’s rooms and the bedroom.
Initially, the PH 5 was fitted with red and blue shades to improve the colour of the light. These were later removed as modern light sources began to reproduce daylight much more efficiently than in 1958. The new monochrome colourways of 2024 are a tribute to the significant role that PH’s exploration of the interplay between colour and light has had.
The two new lighter shades, Monochrome Pale Pewter and Monochrome Pale Blush, fit the Scandi style and more minimalistic interior designs impeccably. They are well suited to both colourful and white or lighter interiors, serving as a delicate and calm addition.
The new darker colours, Monochrome Burgundy and Monochrome Dusty Indigo, elegantly complement the PH 5s in Monochrome Black. The Monochrome Burgundy adds warmth and is an excellent alternative with its chalky saturation of rich, deep red, inspired by black cherry, pomegranate, figs and home comforts.
The Monochrome Dusty Indigo is a softer alternative to black. Its mix of charcoal with a blue tint adds a beautiful dark, moody indigo tone to interiors, while providing a perfect classic combination when paired with white.
All four colours come with spacers in the same colour as the outside of the shades, while the white reflector lacquer on the inside provides the softest, most comfortable glare-free light. Both PH 5s are as brilliant as ever in the dining room at home and in restaurants, hotels and other public lounge areas.
The PH 5 and the PH 5 Mini will be available in the new monochrome colourways at louispoulsen.com and in selected stores, from the beginning of autumn 2024.
About Poul Henningsen
The highly influential Danish designer, architect, writer and cultural critic Poul Henningsen (1894-1967) has enormously impacted Danish thinking and design. His legacy as the original Master of Light is an integrated part of Louis Poulsen’s heritage of creating exceptional lighting. He was born in Copenhagen in 1894 as the son of the Danish writers Agnes Henningsen and Carl Ewald. PH started practising traditional functionalist architecture, but over the years his professional interests shifted to primarily focus on lighting, for which he is most famous. He also expanded his field of occupation into areas of writing, becoming a journalist and an author. For a short period at the beginning of WWII, Henningsen was the head architect of Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen. But like many other creative people, he was forced to flee Denmark during the German occupation and soon became a vital part of the Danish colony of artists living in Sweden. His lifelong collaboration with Louis Poulsen began in 1924 and lasted until his passing. To this day, Louis Poulsen still benefits from his genius and continues his heritage, working to provide exceptional, glare-free lighting. His pioneering work concerning the relationship between light, shadows, glare and colour reproduction laid the foundation for the lighting philosophy still practised by Louis Poulsen.
About Louis Poulsen
Established in 1874, the original House of Light Louis Poulsen creates iconic products that provide exceptional light. Honouring the Danish design tradition, Louis Poulsen designs are based on the principle that form follows function. Working in close collaboration with prominent designers like Poul Henningsen, Arne Jacobsen, Verner Panton, Vilhelm Lauritzen, Øivind Slaatto, Olafur Eliasson, Oki Sato and Anne Boysen, Louis Poulsen continues to build on their legacy of creating luxury lighting, with the help of passionate craftsmanship, quality materials and innovative designs. Louis Poulsen has established itself as a leading global architectural and decorative lighting brand with showrooms in Copenhagen, Oslo, Miami and Singapore. This year, we opened a new showroom on Madison Avenue in New York, as well as a directly operated store in Tokyo.
Additional information is available at www.louispoulsen.com