The name Poul Henningsen is synonymous with the best and most innovative modern Scandinavian lamps and other lighting. The Danish designer created a signature vocabulary of fixtures with tiered and layered shades in sculptural arrangements that are at once naturalistic and geometric.
Henningsen grew up in a town on the outskirts of Copenhagen and studied architecture at the Technical University of Denmark. He would become a noted art critic, journalist and screenwriter, but his first love was lighting design.
Henningsen’s childhood home was illuminated by oil lamps. When his family switched to electrified lighting, he was alarmed and repelled by the harsh glare cast by an incandescent bulb, and in his late teens he began conducting quasi-scientific experiments to measure which materials and methods best diffused or reflected light to give it a warm brightness. His work came to the attention of the lighting-fixtures firm Louis Poulsen, which sponsored the development of a prototype lamp. The design won a gold medal at the 1925 Paris Expositions Internationales des Arts Decóratifs et Industriels Modernes — from which the term Art Deco derives. The lamp, whose three-part shade is said to be inspired by the arrangement of a dinner plate atop a soup bowl atop a teacup, became the basis for Henningsen’s most successful design, the PH 4/3 desk lamp.
All told, Henningsen would design some 100 lighting fixtures in his career. Some of his most notable creations are hanging lamps, which include the Septima (1929), a pendant composed of seven graduated frosted-glass layers; the Spiral (1942), made of a single ribbon of enameled aluminum; and the Artichoke lamp (1958), whose 70 glass or metal fins in a staggered and graduated arrangement on a central steel frame resemble those of its namesake. The last is likely Henningsen’s masterwork and an icon of mid-20th-century design. Like all Henningsen lighting designs, it is striking, sculptural and — thanks to his insistence on the primacy of the quality of the light cast — superbly functional.
Find a collection of authentic Poul Henningsen table lamps, floor lamps and other lighting on 1stDibs.
PH Cabinet, Mahogany Veneer
By Poul Henningsen
Located in Copenhagen, DK
Constructed of clean lines in luxurious wood, the PH cabinet is the perfect place to display precious mementoes. The PH cabinet also features a highly pract...
Wood, Mahogany
PH Cabinet, Black Oak Veneer
By Poul Henningsen
Located in Copenhagen, DK
Constructed of clean lines in luxurious wood, the PH cabinet is the perfect place to display precious mementoes. The PH cabinet also features a highly pract...
Wood, Oak
PH Small Drawer Chest, wood legs, natural oak veneer, white ash wood drawers
By Poul Henningsen
Located in Copenhagen, DK
This small but perfectly formed storage piece is made out of wood and can be combined with soft leather on the panels. It is elegant and stylish all the way around and from all a...
Wood, Oak
PH Display Cabinet - mahogany veneer with glass doors for visual display
By Poul Henningsen
Located in Copenhagen, DK
The PH Display Cabinet presents objects with clarity in a refined, architectural form. Two variants serve different needs: Glass doors for visual display and wood doors for discreet storage. Balanced proportions and precise joinery keep the expression intentionally quiet so the room remains legible. Interiors are organised for daily use with well-resolved adjustable shelves and discreet hardware. Sits naturally in living, dining, office or gallery settings. Beautiful, strong and powerful of presence yet still light in appearance, the PH Display Cabinet is intended to be displayed as well as to display. As with PH’s Dressing Table and PH Office Desk...
Wood, Mahogany, Glass
PH Small Drawer Chest, Brass Legs, Natural Oak Veneer, White Ashwood Drawers
By Poul Henningsen
Located in Copenhagen, DK
This small but perfectly formed storage piece is made out of wood and can be combined with soft leather on the panels. It is elegant and stylish all the way around and from all angles. Poul Henningsen designed this in 1920. The PH small drawer chest...
Wood, Oak
PH Grand Chest of Drawers, wood legs, natural oak veneer, white ash wood drawers
By Poul Henningsen
Located in Copenhagen, DK
Created so it can be placed in the centre of a room, away from a wall, Poul Henningsen’s Grand Chest of Drawers features wooden panels on all...
Wood, Oak
Børge Mogensen Oak Cabinet, Scandinavian Modern Design, Sweden, 1950s
By Børge Mogensen
Located in Berlin, DE
Shelving and storage cabinet in oak by Borge Mogensen.
Wood, Oak
Natural Oak Marius Cabinet by HARTO
Located in Geneve, CH
Natural Oak Marius Cabinet by HARTO Dimensions: W 120.5 x D 45 x H 130 cm. Materials: Solid Wood, MDF wood veneer. Weight: 77.0 kg With its beautiful stature of 120cm wide and 130cm high, the Marius dresser is the king of storage. Doors, hatch and height-adjustable shelf allow you to distribute all your dishes for optimal organization. Its engraved chevron fronts and brass handles give it such a look that you can't resist displaying it in a prominent place. Made in Portugal, the Marius natural oak dresser is made of solid oak and oak veneer. The Marius dresser is a creation of Pierre-François Dubois...
Wood
IKEA ‘MTP’ Cabinet in Natural Oak, Designed by Marian Grabinski in 1963
By IKEA
Located in Beerse, VAN
Beautiful IKEA cabinet that was initially designed as a wedding gift for Ingvar Kamprad, the founder of IKEA. The cabinet is made of natural oak veneer with all edges in full oak, w...
Oak
Contemporary Cabinet with 4 Doors and Open Central Shelf In Natural Oak Finish
Located in New York, NY
This dining room cabinet combines functionality with customizable design, making it a versatile addition to any space. Featuring four doors and an open central shelf, it offers ample...
Metal
Midcentury Cabinet in Oak by Hans Wegner, Danish Design 1960s
By Hans J. Wegner, Ry Møbler
Located in Lejre, DK
Cabinet in oak, designed by Hans J Wegner for RY cabinetmakers in the late 1950s.
Oak
Cabinet, Model Lillbo, in Walnut by Carl Malmsten, 1950s
By Carl Malmsten, Carl Löfving & Söner
Located in Limhamn, Skåne län
Cabinet, Model Lillbo, in Walnut by Carl Malmsten, 1950s Additional Information: Material: Walnut Style: Mid Century, Scandinavian Cabinet Produced by Carl Löfving & Söner in Sweden...
Walnut
