Poul Henningsen’s “Question Mark” in limited edition

18 October 2021

“The furniture, the carpets, the style of a home are nothing compared to the importance of the positioning of the light. Lighting doesn’t cost much, but it requires culture ”. These are the words of Poul Henningsen who made a professional mission of lighting design. The Danish designer, whose career grew within Louis Poulsen‘s company, did not limit himself to designing lamps, but went much deeper. He designed the light, in a time when the LED did not exist and therefore he was bound to the incandescent bulb, with its shape, its colors and its temperature. Despite all these constraints, Henningsen experimented with daring solutions, found functional designs to improve the light which then turned into aesthetic pretexts. Just think of the Artichoke lamp in which 72 sheets distribute the light in an elegant and delicate way and at the same time create a shape that today is iconic and recognizable. Henningsen’s approach allowed him to find the perfect form through function, an element that remains at the center of his research and experimentation path.

This design culture is also found in the PH2 / 2, the table lamp also known as the “Question mark”. Louis Poulsen, relaunches the project with a limited edition that is extremely faithful to the original. The name of “Question mark” derives from the shape of the lamp: curved, almost evocative of an art deco style but declined according to the dictates of Danish rigor of the early twentieth century. The lamp was designed in 1931 and from a formal point of view it is the meeting point between ancient and modern. The base and stem have classic rounded shapes, while the lampshade is a hint of modernity. It consists of three concentric circular elements in opal glass that is glossy on the outside and opaque on the inside. This structure constitutes the main invention of Poul Henningsen: the three elements constitute as many screens that create an effect of light directed downwards and diffused upwards.

Mouth-blown opaline glass is not only a technical but also an aesthetic element, of great elegance and formal purity. The same goes for the brushed and untreated brass stem: over time it will take on a refined patina that gives personality and formal depth. Among the interesting details there is also the rocker switch positioned at the base of the stem as well as the handle which, placed in the center of the stem, allows you to direct the light. The cable is made of fabric and the initials PH are engraved on its attachment, a dutiful tribute to the author of this prestigious and elegant table lamp.

The proportions make it perfect in various environments: from the console at the entrance to the side table in the living room, from the desk to the bedside table. The height is 41cm, the base diameter is 14cm, while the diameter of the widest circle of the lampshade is 20cm. The various elements are found in a harmonious dialogue of proportions and it is precisely this that determines a discreet and classic elegance but not obsolete.

The style of this special edition of the Question Mark is modern and essential but not austere: on the contrary, it transmits warmth and beauty, welcomes and enchants, like a sculpture of light, those who experience the environment in which it is placed.

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