Denmark's most popular lamp - hit or miss?

We all have dreams. One of mine - part travel, part architecture - is Scandinavia. Above all for the brilliant design of the 1950s and 60s.

It was the era of Scandinavian modernism and, with it, the birth of many inspiring designers. Scandinavian style is probably the reference our clients bring up most often when we start designing their space. After all, who doesn't like wood, a light colour palette and motifs drawn from nature?

But Scandinavian style is more than that - it is above all functionality, simplicity, lightness of form and quality. Its functionalism showed itself in a drive to simplify forms and maximise the usefulness of the objects being made.

The designer who couldn't stand light bulbs

A perfect example of this current is the lamp by Poul Henningsen (1894-1967) - the PH5. The Danish designer considered lighting design one of the hardest challenges an interior architect can face. The design process took him a long time: the prototype dates from 1926, yet production only began in 1958.

Interestingly, Henningsen grew up and studied by the light of an oil lamp, and the arrival of electricity did not impress him at all. He criticised the blinding glare of light bulbs and wanted to recreate the soft glow of the old oil lamps.

Research, geometric analysis and experiments led the designer to a lamp with three shades. Its metal construction - the shades arranged in a 3:2:1 proportion - gives the light a gently yellowish tone, close to that of an oil lamp. Each shade reduces the intensity of the light, while the white matte interior diffuses it beautifully.

That is precisely why the PH5 is one of the better-designed lamps out there: it diffuses the light falling on the table perfectly while subtly lighting the walls around it. It is a real achievement - even today, among a vast number of designs - to find a lamp that neither glares nor creates harsh contrast, yet still lights a room properly.

Poul Henningsen certainly succeeded with this design, but he owes that success to his collaboration with the Danish lighting manufacturer Louis Poulsen. In the design world these two names are inseparably linked with the PH family of lamps - table lamps, floor lamps, chandeliers and wall lights.

Lighting a room properly takes not so much money as culture.

The PH lamp has long been a must-have in Danish homes, and Henningsen's saying became a rule of thumb. We love that inspiring motto and try to live up to it in our own projects too.

A few facts about the lamp

• The prototype was made in 1926, but the first lamp reached the market in 1958 - a full 32 years later.
• Where does the name PH5 come from? PH stands for Poul Henningsen, and the 5 - actually 50 cm - is the diameter of the shade.
• Prices for PH reissues start at around 1,600 PLN, while floor models exceed 9,000 PLN.
• The most frequently bought model is the PH5 itself.
• By 1967 Poul Henningsen had designed over 100 lamps.

Hit or miss? And where to look for a bargain

If you have fallen for the PH lamps as we have, but today's prices give you a headache - all is not lost. It is worth looking for originals produced in later years. The earliest editions are very expensive and sought after by collectors. In Poland I recommend browsing Yestersen - you can find real gems there.

Although Henningsen created plenty of other designs, it is the PH5 that is truly extraordinary. It can be single-coloured or not, elegant or slightly avant-garde - it all depends on the version and colour the owner chooses. That is what makes it work in so many different interiors: not only homes and flats, but also restaurants, hotels, lobbies and design studios.