PH 5 Ø320 Opal

Poul Henningsen designed the PH 5 in 1958 around a practical problem: bulbs kept changing shape and size, and every change brought a fresh risk of glare. His answer was a three-shade pyramid that lights itself and throws light both downward and sideways, so the lamp gives an even, glare-free light with any bulb placed inside it. Early versions carried red and blue tinted inner shades to correct the colour of the light, and as light sources improved these were left out. This is the compact Ø320 version, with translucent opal shades and white inner surfaces in four colourways: opal beige, opal white, opal pale rose and opal pale blue.

At 320 mm across, 173 mm tall and 1.8 kg, it is the size for smaller rooms: over a two-seat dining table, above a kitchen counter, or beside a bed. The opal shades are translucent, so the body of the lamp glows quietly along with the light it casts down and out. It hangs on a 3 m cord.

Light source: E27 socket, 1 bulb, IP20 indoor. Bulb not included.