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)
-
12 American icons of design, from cowboy boots to the MacBook AirOur star-spangled round-up hails American icons of design and their latest iterations, from Pharrell Williams' cowboy boots to the Tiffany Lock, and a tiny yellow cab
-
The off-grid Earthship community in New Mexico is an otherworldly desert landscapeEarthship, an off-grid community where architecture 'like entering some other country', is captured through the lens of photographer Victoria Sambunaris
-
Deathmatch wrestling’s behind-the-scenes moments and bloody gloryA new limited-edition book explores the intersection between art and deathmatch wrestling at a sold-out show held in Tokyo
-
‘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
-
LA gallery Blackman Cruz celebrates 30 years of ‘beauty, oddity, and specialness’‘Beauty & Mischief: The Design Alchemy of Blackman Cruz’ is a new book that charts three decades of the LA antique and modern furniture gallery, with a foreword by Ryan Murphy
-
From the spoon to the city: the design of Gianfranco Frattini‘Gianfranco Frattini. Design 1955/2003’ is a new book chronicling the architect and designer’s work as well as his concept of designing ‘from the spoon to the city’
-
Inside Salvador Dalí’s eccentric Portlligat homeSalvador Dalí's eccentric Portlligat home is the subject of ‘Casa Dalí’, a new book by Apartamento with photography by Coco Capitán
-
A new book charts the history of Black design'Now You See Me! An Introduction to 100 Years of Black Design' is a new book by Charlene Prempeh covering fashion, architecture and design
-
Ronan Bouroullec book merges art, design and everyday life‘Ronan Bouroullec: Day After Day’, from Phaidon, is a visual inventory of the French designer’s work, artistic output and daily inspiration
-
Arnold Schwarzenegger book launch rests on a Radical Design icon reimaginedThis stand for the new Arnold Schwarzenegger book by Taschen was originally designed as a seating object, ‘Capitello’, by Franco Audrito’s Studio 65
