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Louis Poulsen PH 5 500
Poul Henningsen at his best!The PH 5 500, created by legendary designer Poul Henningsen in 1958 in response to a pressing need, went on to become an immortal design classic. The PH 5 500’s innovative three-shade system, which directs the bulk of the light downwards without causing any glare, became a hallmark not only of Poul Henningsen but also of the Louis Poulsen design brand.
Louis Poulsen PH 5 500 – buy the original
The PH 5 500 lamp – variations on a classic
A timeless tribute to the SixtiesThe classic Louis Poulsen PH 5 500 lamp has a diameter of 50 cm and is finished in an elegant matt white. Today, this design icon is available in a wide range of luxurious finishes, such as copper or brass, as well as in rich colours like blue and red, to create striking colour contrasts in the living room.
The PH 5 500 was designed by Poul Henningsen in 1958 and is a prime example of Scandinavian design from the 1950s and 1960s. This style, shaped by design giants such as Arne Jacobsen, Eero Saarinen and Alvar Aalto, sought to achieve a design that was functional, understated and, at the same time, aesthetically pleasing. The aim was to create a timeless design that would endure beyond short-lived trends – an ambition that the PH 5 500 continues to fulfil to this day with its enduring aesthetic appeal.
With his design, Poul Henningsen pioneered the use of light, shadow and reflection. His work still forms the theoretical basis of Louis Poulsen’s philosophy of light today.
The contemporary PH 5 500 reinterprets the original concept with a modern, fresh colour scheme, thereby appealing to a new generation of design-conscious users.
Only high-quality materials are used in the manufacturing process: the canopy segments and struts are made of aluminium. Louis Poulsen brings decades of experience in the production of designer lamps to the table, which is reflected in the rigorous quality control and exceptional durability of its products.
Glare-free light and striking design
for every room)
Available in classic matt white or in a choice of colours, ∅ 50 cm
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A smaller version with the original proportions, but ∅ 30 cm
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A design statement, modern and luxurious, ∅ 50 cm
The PH 5 series’ characteristic multi-layered shade system ensures uniform, glare-free light distribution across all model variants.
Synonym for glare-free
This is the PH 5 500 by Poul HenningsenThe PH 5 500 was created in 1958 in response to the inconsistent sizes of traditional light bulbs at the time. Designer Poul Henningsen expressed his frustration that lamp manufacturers were not acting in the users’ best interests – he wanted to create a light that would always provide optimal lighting, regardless of the size of the light source.
He thus developed the PH 5 500, a pendant light which, thanks to its innovative, multi-part shade design, produces completely glare-free light. The design is based on the logarithmic spiral – a natural principle that ensures an even distribution of light. The light is mainly directed downwards, whilst the trumpet-shaped upper section also reflects it sideways – creating a soft, indirect light. The colour-coated inner surfaces of the lower segments also have a positive effect on the colour temperature and create a particularly pleasant lighting effect.
To this day, all variants are based on this iconic design. This is due not only to its formal elegance, but also to its well-thought-out functionality, which reflects Henningsen’s pioneering work in the use of light, shadow and reflection. His insights still form the theoretical foundation of Louis Poulsen’s philosophy of light today.
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Designer
Poul HenningsenPoul Henningsen (1894–1967) was born in Denmark and grew up in an unconventional, artistic household – his mother was an author and his father a well-known satirist. He developed an interest in painting and architecture at an early age. At the age of 18, he began studying architecture at the Frederiksberg Technical School and the Technical College in Copenhagen (1911–1917), but he dropped out after six years to return first to painting and eventually to lighting design.
From the early 1920s onwards, he began his close collaboration with the Danish lighting manufacturer Louis Poulsen – a partnership that lasted for decades and had a decisive influence on modern lighting design. His first lamp designs gained international recognition at the ‘Exposition internationale des Arts Décoratifs et industriels modernes’ in Paris in 1924. Henningsen’s primary aim was to design lights that produced completely glare-free, pleasant light – a principle that runs like a common thread through his work.
Among his most successful and best-known designs are the PH 5 500 lamp (1958) and the Artichoke light (1958), both created in collaboration with Louis Poulsen. Over the course of decades spent exploring light structures, shadows and reflections, Henningsen developed a philosophy of light which remains the foundation of Louis Poulsen’s approach to design to this day.
More classics by Poul Henningsen
The innovative three-shade system featured in the Louis Poulsen PH 5 500 was also used in some of his other lights, each of which went on to become a classic in its own right.
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About Louis Poulsen
Louis Poulsen, founded in 1874 by Ludvig R. Poulsen as a wine import business, is now a world-renowned Danish design brand that has adopted the Scandinavian design principle of ‘form follows function’ as its guiding principle. The range features major designs by classic and contemporary lighting designers such as Poul Henningsen, Arne Jacobsen, Verner Panton, Øivind Slaatto and Oki Sato.
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