PH 5-4½ & PH 6½-6

Poul Henningsen designed his four-shade system in 1931 to do something the classic PH lamps did not: wash light outward as well as downward, onto walls, bookshelves and the faces of people standing. In 1979 architects Sophus Frandsen and Ebbe Christensen reworked the design for the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, keeping Henningsen's logarithmic-spiral geometry while adding a blue glare ring and matte-white shades; the smaller PH 5-4½ followed for the Aarhus Concert Hall in 1980, joined by the grand PH 6½-6.

Choose the PH 6½-6 for generous spaces — a long dining table, stairwell or double-height room — and the PH 5-4½ for the same broad, room-filling light at domestic scale. Because so much light travels horizontally, these Louis Poulsen pendants leave no dark corners. Compare silhouettes in our pendant lamp collection or read the PH pendant buying guide.

Light source: PH 5-4½: E27, 1 bulb, max 70 W (bulb not included). PH 6½-6: integrated LED, 96 W, 2700 K, Bluetooth dimmable. IP20, indoor.