A century of light: Louis Poulsen launches the PH Centenary Collection

Louis Poulsen PH 3/2 Table Lamp Centenary Edition in aged brass with amber upper shade and white opal glass lower shades, displayed on a weathered wooden block in a bright Scandinavian interior — Louis Poulsen presents the PH Centenary Collection as a tribute to the 100th anniversary of the iconic System PH created by Poul Henningsen.

In 1926, Poul Henningsen invented a three-shade lighting system that would change the way we experience light at home. One hundred years later, Louis Poulsen celebrates the anniversary with the PH Centenary Collection: a small group of heritage pieces crafted in aged brass, including the long-awaited return of the iconic PH Chandelier.

Edit: Design Stories

FEW DESIGN breakthroughs are as quietly profound as Poul Henningsen’s System PH. Working as an architect and cultural critic in 1920s Copenhagen, Henningsen (1894–1967) became obsessed with one problem: how to create artificial light that actually felt good.

His solution was a precisely layered system of shades, calculated to eliminate glare and wrap a room in warm, even light. The geometry was meticulous, the thinking radical, and a century later, it remains the core of everything Louis Poulsen makes.

• Read also: Poul Henningsen – Master of soft light >

Louis Poulsen PH 3/2 Table Lamp Centenary Edition in aged brass, with layered amber and white opal glass shades, styled on a rustic wooden block pedestal in a sunlit room — PH 3/2 Table Lamp Centenary Edition was originally launched in 1927.

Louis Poulsen PH 3½-2½ Floor Lamp Centenary Edition in aged brass, with tiered amber and white opal shades, standing in a minimalist interior with exposed wooden ceiling beams and diagonal tile flooring — The PH 3 ½-2 ½ Floor Lamp Centenary Edition is crafted in a heritage inspired finish in lacquered aged brass.

Floor lamp and table lamp in aged brass

The PH 3½-2½ Floor Lamp Centenary Edition and PH 3/2 Table Lamp Centenary Edition both trace their origins to 1927, and they look like they’ve earned every one of those years in the best possible way.

Finished in lacquered aged brass with mouth-blown glass shades, they combine an amber upper shade with white opal lower shades: warm light pools upward toward the ceiling while a cleaner, whiter glow falls where you actually need it. Put one next to a reading chair or a sofa and the effect is immediate.

Louis Poulsen PH 1/1 Chandelier Centenary Edition with multiple curved aged brass arms and terracotta opal glass shades, hanging in an elegant residential entrance hall — Each chandelier is carefully hand-engraved with a unique production number.

Louis Poulsen PH 1/1 Chandelier Centenary Edition with three arms in aged brass and terracotta opal glass shades, suspended above a minimalist bedroom with French doors and natural light — The PH 1/1 Chandelier Centenary Edition was part of the Louis Poulsen catalogue from 1933 until the mid-60s.

The return of the PH Chandelier

The real showstopper of the collection is the PH 1/1 Chandelier Centenary Edition, a revival of the original Bombardement Chandelier that appeared in the Louis Poulsen catalog from 1933 until the mid-1960s.

Available with 3, 6, or 9 arms, it’s crafted in aged brass with fine hairlines and fitted with small mouth-blown shade sets in a dusty terracotta opal glass that glows beautifully above a dining table or in an entrance hall with high ceilings.

Each chandelier is engraved with the Centenary Edition logo and a unique production number, and the quantities are strictly limited: 1,000 pieces with 3 arms, 400 with 6, and just 200 with 9. These are available while stocks last.

Louis Poulsen PH 1/1 Portable Lamp with white opal glass shades and chrome base on a wooden tray, on a coffee table in a contemporary living room — Louis Poulsen's PH 2/1 Portable is a cordless, rechargeable version of Poul Henningsen's classic table lamp.

Louis Poulsen PH 1/1 Portable Lamp with stacked white opal glass shades and polished chrome stem, lit on a wooden tray in a sunlit living room setting — The high luster chrome base gives the PH 2/1 table lamp a modern, sophisticated look.

The PH 1/1 Portable

The new PH 1/1 Portable Lamp is a cordless piece that shares the same 1/1 shade set making its comeback in the Centenary Chandelier.

The 1/1 is the smallest shade number in the entire System PH, and there’s something quietly charming about seeing it in this compact, go-anywhere form. The three-layered mouth-blown white opal glass shades sit on a stem and base in either high-lustre chrome or metallised brass, and with an IP44 rating, it works just as well on a terrace as it does on a bedside table or tucked inside a bookcase.

The PH 1/1 Portable Lamp is not part of the Centenary Collection, but very much part of the same century-long story!

Poul Henningsen and his wife Inger Henningsen reviewing design work in their studio, mid-20th century black-and-white photograph — Poul Henningsen with his wife, Inger Henningsen.

More to come

A second drop from Louis Poulsen arrives in fall 2026, adding the PH 2/2 Wall Lamp Centenary Edition and PH 3/3 Pendant Centenary Edition to the lineup, giving the centenary year a fittingly extended celebration.