Easy on the eyes. Poul Henningsen sought to create glare-free lighting throughout his career as a designer, and for that we're grateful. This three-shade system was developed in 1925-1926 as entry in design expo in Paris, and it looks a lot simpler than it is. His aim was to direct light where it was most needed, to creating soft shadows while using incandescent bulbs as a light source (sucks to be American, we'll have to settle for LEDs, boo hiss). Henningsen was the first person to pursue a scientific approach to light and use the logarithmic spiral as a basis. By using a design based on the logarithmic spiral, he achieved even distribution of light over the entire curve of the shade. This even light distribution, together with the diffuse reflection through the glass, made it possible to control glare and shadow. He really was on a mission.

Many of Henningsen's lamp designs include a number that refers to the size of each fixture's shades. The PH 5/5 is described as a "whole-sized" pendant. It is characterized by its appealing compact appearance with a top shade of approximately 50 cm in diameter, which corresponds to the middle and lower shades in the proportions of 3:2:1. Henningsen’s whole-sized fixtures are designed to be particularly glare-free. Therefore, they're ideally placed high up in a room where they can provide great quality lighting and a cozy ambiance. The more widely known "hybrid" sizes, on the other hand, are designed to hang low and provide optimum lighting and a warm atmosphere—for example, above a table.  Today, Henningsen’s whole-sized PH 5/5 elevates contemporary interiors with its special ray of elegant, modern, and classic Danish design—whether it is creating a cozy ambiance at home or taking high-ceilinged commercial spaces to new heights.

The fixture emits a comfortable, diffused, glare-free light that is characteristic of Poul Henningsen's reflective three-shade-system. The fixture is available with white opal glass or soft-touch black-painted metal with a white interior. The translucent shades in triple-layered, hand-blown opal glass create a warm glow around the pendant, whereas the metal shades with their white-painted interiors reflect a fine and primarily downwardly directed light. An optional translucent white diffuser (included) is easy to insert for an even softer light distribution.