This special version of the PH 3½-2½ floor lamp comes with two different top shades – one made of mouth-blown opal glass and one made of polished copper. Together with the two lower shades – also made of opal glass – the opal glass top shade provides pleasant, diffuse lighting, while the solid copper top shade provides more downward directed, soft lighting.
Poul Henningsen is an integral figure in lighting design and architecture, whose revolutionary views on the utilisation of light in the home led to a number of ground-breaking designs.
Collaborating with Louis Poulsen in 1924/25, Henningsen produced the first version of the seminal PH multi-shade lamp, a classic piece of modern lighting design, featuring separate elements which are shaped and assembled in such a way that the bulb is covered and light is directed downward, creating a soft, diffused effect.
Henningsen was aware of the importance of light in urban life, but sought a way to subdue the harshness of electric light while harnessing its mood-altering properties, believing that the aesthetic of an interior is highly dependent on how light is used.