Fans of Danish lighting manufacturer Louis Poulsen will be delighted (pun intended) with the 304-page monograph “Louis Poulsen: First House of Light”, published by Phaidon and written by former Wallpaper* Editor TF Chan, celebrating the brand’s 150th anniversary. The monograph delves into the rich history and enduring legacy of Louis Poulsen, from its founding to its modern-day innovations.
Louis Poulsen: First House of Light, published by Phaidon
Louis Poulsen: First House of Light by TF Chan is published by Phaidon, £59.95, available at Waterstones
For this design book, Chan was granted full access to the company’s archives, its extensive library of past catalogues and other publications, and a long list of both past and present employees as part of his research for the book. ‘It was quite amazing to be given such access and being allowed to dig so deep in one single company,’ Chan says.
Poul Henningsen at home with a PH 5 lamp. The 1962 Contrast lamp appears in the background.
The book uncovers and brings to the fore many wonderful stories from Louis Poulsen’s design history. Who knew, for instance, that the original petals of the Artichoke designed by Poul Henningsen in 1958 for the Langelinie Pavilion in Copenhagen were painted pale pink on the inside to give the light ‘a rosier glow that would complement the skin tones of the Langeline Pavilion’s guests’? Or that Henningsen developed a blackout lamp for the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen during the Second World War, that only won approval of the city’s authorities when they were invited to see the lamp from the 105m tall tower of the city hall next to the park?
Louis Poulsen campaign image from 2020, showing the newly launched black version of the PH Artichoke in four sizes.
After looking back at the 150 years history and the importance of Poul Henningsen in defining the brand, the book explores the contemporary production of Louis Poulsen’s products. About 85% of all lamps are still manufactured or finally assembled in Vejen, Denmark and while the company embraces the latest technology, there is still a keen focus on keeping the human touch.
A 2012 photograph of the dining hall at St Catherine’s College, Oxford, UK, with the AJ Oxford table lamp (custom-made by Louis Poulsen) built into the long oak tables.
‘Embracing advanced manufacturing technologies while still employing highly skilled craftspeople, and indeed training new generations of them, distinguishes Louis Poulsen as a leading lighting company,’ writes Chan in the book.
Finally, the tome looks at how Louis Poulsen is using the legacy of Poul Henningsen’s and Verner Panton’s design to engage a new generation of designers, such as Louise Campbell, Øivind Slaatto, Nendo and GamFratesi, and how the company has been promoted both locally and abroad through publications, catalogues and exhibitions.
A close-up of the original PH Artichoke at Langelinie Pavilion. Its copper leaves were lightly brushed and lacquered on the outside, and coated with a reflective layer of pale pink paint on the inside, to achieve a rosier glow that would complement the skin tones of Langelinie Pavilion’s guests.
Beautifully designed by Studio Claus Due and featuring the pale pink colour from the original Artichoke both on the cover and as chapter dividers, the publication features more than 300 illustrations and photographs. This really is a treasure trove of information, shedding light on one of Denmark’s most iconic design brands.
Louis Poulsen: First House of Light by TF Chan is published by Phaidon, £59.95, available at Waterstones
The original PH Septima in white, with alternating clear and frosted stripes radiating from the centre of each shade. Frosted stripes always cover clear stripes underneath in order to better diffuse the light and minimize glare.
SAGA Space Architects’ LUNARK in Moriusaq, far north Greenland, where founders Sebastian Aristotelis and Karl-Johan Sørensen spent sixty days for a behavioural study.
Vilhelm Lauritzen’s VL45 Radiohus pendant, reintroduced into Louis Poulsen’s catalogue in 2016 and photographed at the Radio House, for which it was initially designed. Underneath is the VLA75 Foyer bench, also by the architect.
Louis Poulsen: First House of Light by TF Chan is published by Phaidon, £59.95 (Phaidon.com)
-
Fendi celebrates 100 years with all-out runway show at its new Milan HQIn the wake of Kim Jones’ departure, Silvia Venturini Fendi took the reins for a special co-ed A/W 2025 collection marking the house’s centenary, unveiling it as the first act of celebrations within Fendi’s expansive new headquarters in Milan
-
‘Leigh Bowery!’ at Tate Modern: 1980s alt-glamour, club culture and rebellionThe new Leigh Bowery exhibition in London is a dazzling, sequin-drenched look back at the 1980s, through the life of one of its brightest stars
-
Inside the unexpected collaboration between Marni’s Francesco Risso and artists Slawn and SoldierNew exhibition ‘The Pink Sun’ will take place at Francesco Risso’s palazzo in Milan in collaboration with Saatchi Yates, opening after the Marni show today, 26 February
-
Rooms with a view: a new book celebrates the Italian approach to interior designLaura May Todd's survey of Italian interiors is the perfect antidote to January gloom, taking a look inside 50 distinctive Italian homes
-
Discover the alchemy of American artists Philip and Kelvin LaVerneThe work of Philip and Kelvin LaVerne, prized by collectors of 20th-century American art, is the subject of a new book by gallerist Evan Lobel; he tells us more
-
20 pairs of bookends celebrate contemporary Scottish design and Dundee’s literary heritageAs Dundee Design Week gets ready for its fifth edition, a bookish commission shines a light on two pioneering female journalists from the city’s storied past
-
‘You’ve got to hang out with Judd furniture… you learn something’: Rainer JuddAs new book ‘Donald Judd Furniture’ lands, the artist’s children Rainer and Flavin discuss their father’s legacy
-
Discover London’s lesser-known design gems with ‘an opinionated guide’‘An opinionated guide to Design London’ by Sujata Burman and Wallpaper’s Rosa Bertoli is a carefully curated tour of intriguing design spots across the capital
-
Well hung? We interview Martino Gamper about his new book of (around) 1,000 hooksItalian maverick designer Martino Gamper doesn't hang around. He has a new book featuring 1,000 hooks made by hand. We ask him how and why...
-
‘What We Keep’: 50 creatives on the objects they collect and use in their homes‘What We Keep’ is a new book by Jean Lin, founder of the New York City design gallery Colony, an ode to objects and the people who obsessively collect them
-
Sir Kenneth Grange’s influential industrial designs are chronicled in a new book‘Kenneth Grange: Designing the Modern World’ explores the life and work of the pioneering British industrial designer
