28 January, 2008
PH 5 - A revolutionary light from a revolutionary designer
Poul Henningsen was a pioneering expert in lighting theory and its use in interior design. Although he was formally trained as an architect, he is probably best remembered for his work with lights. His impact on home and office lighting can be seen today.
To get insight into his unique perspective on the electrical lighting, it is helpful to examine his early years. Henningsen was born in 1894 and grew up in a modest but happy home, lit by the soft glow of gaslights instead of electric lighting. This was of course the norm for small-town without electricity at the turn of the century.
When he started working as an architect, he received the opportunity to see and visit many buildings with electric lights. He became frightened and rejection of form and function with these lights. He disliked how they got their surroundings look and feel. He felt that his time lighting appeared to be ugly, hard, brilliant and quite unpleasant to experience.
As a result, he experimented until new lighting variations to create a softer, atmospheric lighting to satisfy their nostalgia for lighting GAS-LIGHT. 1924 designed the his first multi-nuanced light, the prototype for what later would become known as PH-lamp. He debuted with some of his designs at the 1925 Exhibition of Decorative Arts in Paris and won first prize in the category of contemporary lighting. PH-model became very popular and put into production shortly thereafter.
PH-5 disseminated chandelier and light filtered through his clever positioned lampshade. Henningsen had experimented extensively with lamp shades to produce the optimal combination of diffuse and minimal glare. The light spread inside the lampshade, and his use of color on the inside of the lamp shades also helps to soften the whiteness of the light. The end result, minimized the harsh, abrupt contrast between light and dark one finds the edge of normal, globular chandeliers.
You can still buy one today PH 5 lamp which have been scaled to the ideals of home. One can still marvel at the beauty and the simple elegance of his designs. The remains of a series of three screens reflecting the aim to both soften and direct the light in a uniform, symmetric distribution. People love to this day how his five-PH lamp shades hide the bulb and sends the light down in a way that creates true enlightenment and an atmosphere of relaxed comfort.
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Comments on the PH 5 - A revolutionary light from a revolutionary designer »
Hi
We have a ph5 PENDULUM CLOCK that I cared tenderly for over 20 years. Now the color has begun to drop from the metal. Is it a common phenomenon? I thought that this lamp would hold my lifetime.
How do I prevent further decay?