PH Artichoke
in Black
In 2020, Louis Poulsen extends its PH Artichoke series with a version in black. The pendant’s perfect matte black finish consolidates a bold look for those wanting interiors with an edge without compromising on either design or quality of light.
The particular form and workmanship of PH Artichoke ensures completely glare-free light regardless of from which angle it is viewed. This was the brief given to Poul Henningsen in 1958 when he was commissioned to design a pendant for the Langelinie Pavilion, a modernist restaurant in Copenhagen. Today, the pendant continues to enchant the restaurant's guests, and it is globally regarded as a design icon.
PH Artichoke’s refined lighting is due to its 72 carefully-placed leaves, which have also inspired the name of the pendant. The pendant continues to be partly assembled by hand to ensure high quality. After all, it’s the leaves that define the exceptional design of this pendant.
And yes, it is true that a PH Artichoke requires space. The pendant expresses an elegant and strong look, emitting invaluably perfect lighting, providing its surrounding space with a very special ambiance. Still, sometimes, a little "extra" is required – and this is exactly what the new black version of the PH Artichoke delivers.
The PH Artichoke in black has a matte surface, and its black suspension cord and fixtures complete the look from above. The underside of the matte black leaves is white to ensure that the light is reflected perfectly. The PH Artichoke in black comes with LED bulbs in all four sizes (Diams: 480 mm, 600 mm, 720 mm, and 840mm). It will be available in stores from February 2020.
About Poul Henningsen
Poul Henningsen, the son of the famous Danish actress Agnes Henningsen, was born in Cppenhagen. He never graduated as an architect but studied at The Technical School in Frederiksberg, Denmark from 1911-14, and then at the Technical College in Copenhagen from 1914-17. He started practicing traditional functionalistic architecture, but over the years, his professional interests changed to focus mainly on lighting, which is what he is most famous for.
He also expanded his field of occupation into areas of writing, becoming a journalist and an author. For a short period at the beginning of WWII, he was the head architect of the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen. Like many other creative people, he was forced to flee Denmark during the German occupation but soon became a vital part of the Danish colony of artists living in Sweden.
His lifelong collaboration with Louis Poulsen began in 1925 and lasted until his death. To this day, Louis Poulsen still benefits from his genius. Poul Henningsen was also the first editor of Louis Poulsen's company magazine “NYT." The CEO of Louis Poulsen at the time, Sophus Kaastrup-Olsen, gave the magazine to Henningsen as a gift because he had been terminated from the Danish newspaper he worked for (his opinions were too radical).
Poul Henningsen's pioneering work concerning the relations between light structures, shadows, glare, and color reproduction—compared to humans' need for light remains the foundation of the lighting theories still practiced by Louis Poulsen.
About Louis Poulsen
In 1924, Poul Henningsen created his influential Paris lamp for Louis Poulsen. The origin of how we still design to shape light can directly be traced back to his views on the dualities of design and light.
Founded in 1874, Louis Poulsen is a Danish lighting manufacturer born out of the Scandinavian design tradition where form follows function. The function and design of our products are tailored to reflect and support the rhythm of natural light. Every detail in the design has a purpose. Every design starts and ends with light.
We believe in passionate craftsmanship that produces quality lighting, and we design products that are both pleasing to the eye and to the light.
In close partnership with designers, architects, and other talents like Poul Henningsen, Arne Jacobsen, Verner Panton, Øivind Slaatto, Alfred Homann, Oki Sato, and Louise Campbell, we have established ourselves as one of the key global suppliers of architectural and decorative lighting. Our products defy traditional product categories, serving and spanning the professional and private lighting markets for both indoor and outdoor applications.
Our means are simple and beautiful design. Our purpose is to create an attractive ambiance that affects people and spaces.
We design to shape light.