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PH 5 Lamp - Poul Henningsen's Masterpiece

By: Richard Guilfoyle

One of the great pioneers in lighting theory and interior design (heminredning) is Poul Henningsen. He was originally trained in architecture. However, he is well known for his amazing work with lamps. He had a strong impact on lighting in both businesses and homes. His influence can still be observed today.
For insight into his unique perspective about electrical lighting (belysning), a review of his early years is helpful. Henningsen was born in 1894 and grew up in a modest but happy home lit not by electrical lighting, but rather by the soft glow of gas lighting. That of course was the norm for small town life at the turn of the century.
When he began working as an architect, he had the opportunity to see and tour many facilities with electrical lighting. He was appalled and repulsed by the design and functionality of their lighting fixtures. He disliked how they made their surroundings look and feel. The existing ways to implement and use electrical lighting seemed sorely lacking, providing lighting (belysning) that appeared ugly, harsh, glaring, and rather unpleasant to experience.
Due to his lighting nostalgia, he began experimenting to create new light fixtures to obtain a softer atmospheric lighting. He designed his first multi-shade lamp in 1924, the prototype of what later became known as the PH lamp. The 1925 Paris Exposition of Decorative Arts was where he debuted some of his designs and won the first prize in the modern lighting category. Soon, the PH 5 lamp model became very popular and went into commercial production.
Using the cleverly positioned lampshades, the PH 5 pendant lamp delivered filtered light. To obtain optimal light distribution and minimal glare, Henningsen performed extensive experiments on the lampshades. The result is a lampshade that distributes the light, and with colors on the inside of the lampshade to help soften the whiteness of that light. The end product minimizes the harsh abrupt contrast between light and dark seen at the outer edges of ordinary lighting.
Even today, you can still purchase a PH 5 that has been designed specifically for home use. The beauty and simple elegance of the original design are still evident. The lamp is still made of a series of three graduated reflector shades. The help to soften and direct light in a uniform, symmetrical manner. An atmosphere of ambience and relaxing comfort are achieved with the PH 5, which cover the light bulb and direct the light downward to provide soft illumination.

Article Source: http://www.article-voip.com

The person who was the pioneer expert in lighting (belysning) theory and its usage in interior design (heminredning) was Poul Henningsen. The ph5 lampa designed by Henningsen, functioned by filtering and distributing its light source through the intelligently designed lamp shades.

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