The warm glow of Louis Poulsen’s three-shade PH lamp system, first designed in 1925 by lifelong collaborator Poul Henningsen, has come to epitomise Danish design. So it’s no surprise that every year, the historic lighting brand celebrates this incredible legacy with a limited-edition reissue of one of its classic designs.
Launched in 2014 to mark the 120th anniversary of Henningsen’s birth, the highly collectable reissues have included untreated copper lamps and amber-coloured pendants. This year, it’s the turn of an unusual, music-inflected piece: the ‘PH 1/1 Piano’ table lamp. Its swirling stem, inspired by the flag of musical notes and the twirl of treble clefs, manages to steal the limelight from the famous tiered glass pendant.
‘The original 1931 design of the “PH Piano” lamp has been respectfully scaled down and refined to offer greater versatility for contemporary living, functioning not just as a piano lamp but as a table lamp as well,’ says Monique Faber, chief design officer at Louis Poulsen. The lamp, which has not been manufactured since the late 1930s, will be available to purchase only until December 2026.
An architect, designer, and critic who often signed his essays with his initials (the hallmark of the limited-edition pieces, these letters proudly appear in gold at the base of the lamp), Henningsen was also a talented composer, songwriter and jazz aficionado. In the early 1930s, he turned his attention to music, creating this distinctive lamp as well as the PH Grand Piano, whose transparent acrylic lid reveals the instrument’s strings.
Offering a precise adjustment of the lighting direction, the ‘PH Piano’ lamp’s flexible curved stem is punctuated by a round, notehead-shaped element that functions as a counterweight to ensure stability while the user is playing. The frame is crafted in aged brass with fine hairlines, carefully lacquered to preserve the patina, and is paired with a dark brown fabric cord.
As for the lamp’s three-shade set (the ‘PH 1/1’, the smallest set in the PH system), it is made from four-layered, mouth-blown opal glass in a distinctive dusty terracotta hue. ‘Each shade is finished with a glossy exterior, while the inner surface is sand-blasted to a matte white finish. This combination of layers and finishes produces a beautifully soft, diffused light, ensuring exceptional visual comfort in any setting,’ say the Louis Poulsen team.
The earthy-coloured glass adds to the organic expression of the heritage design. Like every piece in the PH collection, the ‘Piano’ lamp also offers a glare-free, soft light that feels as natural as daylight and as warm as candlelight.
This is due to the PH system’s way of distributing light in gentle layers, a method inspired by the logarithmic spiral, a natural curve also found in seashells and plants. The top shade takes care of the brightest light, the middle shade redirects and softens it, and the bottom shade shields the eyes from glare.
The ‘PH 1/1 Piano’ table lamp limited edition 2026 will be available exclusively at selected stores and at louispoulsen.com from 1 October to 31 December 2026.
