POUL HENNINGSEN
MESTER OF SOFT LIGHT
Craftsmanship, the choice of fine materials and attention to detail are indissociable from Scandinavian style. Firmly rooted in this tradition, the House of Epice has opted to present its AW21/22 collection in an iconic setting for Danish design, the quirky PH’s eget hus built in 1937 by the architect designer and pioneer of indirect light, Poul Henningsen, known as PH.
Iconic Danish frame
Located in Gentofte, a residential suburb north of Copenhagen, this family home stands out due to its industrial style and red windows, a snub to the bourgeois conservatism of the time. The interior, designed as a functional and warm living space, is bathed in daylight. The green, blue and yellow walls are evidence of PH’s research on the interaction of warm and cool colours, while the wallpaper with nude women, drawn by the painter Albert Naur, seems to be a nod to the designer’s provocative spirit. A protected building since 1995, the house purchased by Realdania By & Byg in 2014, has been restored to its original state.
Electric lighting
will be beautiful
Art, science and design according to PH
The incandescent light bulb which became widespread in the early 1920s introduced a harsh, unflattering light into homes. This modern lighting contrasted with the soft light of oil lamps or gas lighting.
From 1924, Henningsen developed his PH System with the aim of restoring a flattering, soothing light, closer to daylight and glare-free. His starting point was the campfire which he described as humanity’s first light and which produces a warm, soft light from bottom to top. The first model of the PH lamp was a set of three separate shades, based on scientific calculations; the even light distribution and the reduction of glare dictated the size, shape and positioning of the shade.
In 1925, Henningsen won the gold medal at the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris with his invention presented in as a pendant ceiling light, renamed the Paris Lamp, produced by Louis Poulsen. Six reflective and overlaid shades surround the filament bulb to produce an indirect light.
Fin décembre 1925, Poul Henningsen et l’éditeur Louis Poulsen déposent le brevet de la Lampe PH, future icône intemporelle de l’art du luminaire. La demande d’enregistrement intitulée « Réflecteur pour lampe incandescente » précise qu’il s’agit d’une invention et d’une œuvre d’art. Lorsque les ampoules en verre dépoli remplacent les ampoules transparentes, le rayon lumineux se disperse sur toute la surface et devient difficile à diriger.
Henningsen est contraint de revoir son système. Il rajoute un abat-jour et des réflecteurs peints en rouge ou bleu qui corrigent le défaut jaunâtre du spectre lumineux des ampoules modernes.
Le designer consacrera sa vie à l’amélioration de sa Lampe PH dans le but de créer une lumière parfaite. Il atteindra cette perfection avec son bestseller, la PH 5 aux 5 abat-jours, éditée en 1958 par Louis Poulsen. La PH Artichoke (1957) le PH Grand Piano (1930) ou la PH Snake Chair (1932) figurent parmi les créations cultissimes du design danois.
Le poète Otto Gelsted rend hommage à son ami avec le poème Til en PH-Lampe qui se termine ainsi : Observe a PH lamp on a grey December day You’ll see the old pact between spirit and light in a new way
