A black-and-white portrait of Poul Henningsen seated in soft light. © 2026 Louis Poulsen.

Poul Henningsen

Poul Henningsen’s (1894-1967) revolutionary shade-system changed the perception of lighting, both functionally and aesthetically. His idea of shaping light to enhance everyday living became a global design philosophy.
A legacy that, due to their life-long collaboration, became an integrated part of Louis Poulsen’s design heritage.

“Once you have experienced good lighting, life is filled with new values”

Poul Henningsen

PH 3-2½ Bollard lights the Tivoli Gardens pagoda at dusk. © 2026 Louis Poulsen.

Poul Henningsen was a highly productive and highly influential public figure.

As a designer, architect, cultural critic, inventor, and poet, his works span wide, yet he became primarily renowned for his exceptional lighting design, which came to adorn and illuminate both private households, as well as public buildings and spaces spanning from the more prominent Tivoli Gardens (1941) and the Langelinie Pavillon (1958) to factories, offices, hospitals, and more.

Poul Henningsen inspects an early PH outdoor pendant on a street in Copenhagen. © 2026 Louis Poulsen.

Master of light


It all started in the 1920s, when electricity was still in its infancy in Copenhagen, Poul Henningsen met the then CEO of Louis Poulsen, Sophus Kaastrup-Olsen. The two innovative minds instantly connected, forming what would turn into a life-long collaboration and the distinctive lighting philosophy solidifying Poul Henningsen’s legacy as the Original Master of Light, putting him at the very centre of Danish design.

Poul Henningsen examines an early PH table lamp in a showroom. © 2026 Louis Poulsen.

“Here I met a man who was just as crazy as me, and a lot of good came out of it.”

Poul Henningsen