PH 5-4½ Pendant

With some of the most iconic lighting in modern design, it’s apropos to raise a glass to Louis Poulsen—especially as the Copenhagen lighting resource originated in the late 19th century in the after-finish of a wine-importing enterprise. Four years later, in 1878, founder Ludwig R. Poulsen was sparked by the new electricity technology hitting the city and opened a shop selling lighting and electrical supplies. Nephew Louis Poulsen joined as a shop assistant soon enough, and assumed the family business upon his uncle’s death in 1904.

With the arrival 2 decades later of designer Poul Henningsen came 2 of the most collectible and coveted Midcentury modern fixtures, the PH-5 and the “Artichoke.” The stable of now-legendary designers widened with the likes of Vilhelm Lauritzen, Arne Jacobson and Verner Panton. The output wasn’t all stunning form either. During WWII, the firm contrived a blackout lamp that allowed famed Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen to remain open in the evenings, without interfering with the fighter jets in the skies above.

That pioneering spirit extended into the new century: forays with noted Danish-British designer Louise Campbell, who designed the striking Collage group; and Olafur Eliasson, who created the sculptural pendant OE Quasi Light. Building on its legacy of innovation, design and craftsmanship, the company continues to chart its course forward with a focus on sustainability in every phase of the product life cycle.