Louis Poulsen PH 3/2 Academy Pendant Light

Manufacturer: Louis Poulsen | Designer: Poul Henningsen

Poul Henningsen's partnership with Louis Poulsen began in 1925, when he designed his first lights for an exhibition in Paris. The principle he pursued throughout his life — glare-free light, directed precisely where it is needed, with soft shadows — found its fullest expression in the three-shade system. The PH 3/2 Academy is part of that family, which today numbers thirty lights. It was relaunched in its current form in 2000.

PH was the first designer to apply a scientific approach to light distribution, using the logarithmic spiral as the basis for each shade curve. With the light source placed at the spiral's focal point, light is distributed evenly across the entire shade surface. The three shades relate to each other in a ratio of 3:2:1, each reducing the amount of light equally according to its distance from the source. The result is a pendant that produces no glare and casts no hard shadows — only a calm, enveloping light.

The PH 3/2 Academy uses 30cm top shades paired with lower shades from the 2/2 model — a 'hybrid' configuration introduced to allow the pendant to hang at lower heights without sacrificing the quality of light. The shades are mouth-blown in white opal glass, which diffuses the light further and allows the pendant to illuminate the room as well as the surface below.

• Shades: Mouth-blown white opal glass
• Frame & suspension: High lustre chrome-plated extruded brass
• Canopy: Chrome | Cord: Black fabric, 4m
• Light source (not included): 3 × max 40W E14

Also available as the Louis Poulsen PH 2/1 Stem Pendant Light and the Louis Poulsen PH 3/2 Pendant Light. Part of the Louis Poulsen PH Lights collection.