On a typical dreary Copenhagen morning, I made my way to the Louis Poulsen showroom, a company known for its innovation in the lighting industry. Now, when it’s cold and rainy and grey outside, seeing windows with the warm glow of light pouring out from them is always so endearing…so you can imagine how I felt when I finally came across Louis Poulsen.
Why was I at a lighting exhibition at 9 in the morning on a Wednesday? Well, it was a field study, of course! I went with my New Nordic Design class and our professor BB to learn more about Poul Henningsen, the founder of Louis Poulsen and a pioneer in light.
As soon as we walked in, we were greeted by the friendly staff and offered coffee that came from a faucet. Cool, right?
After wandering the showroom for a while, we were given a presentation on Poul Henningsen’s history and the history of Louis Poulsen, which started with a funny story.
Henningsen’s mother once found herself in…harsh lighting, seeing the true extent of her wrinkles, and told her son to immediately create something more flattering. He took this demand and ran with it, creating a lighting empire that has reach all over the world.
Here are some pictures from the showroom:
After Louis Poulsen, we took a scenic walk over to Statens Museum For Kunst, and on the way, saw some beautiful Copenhagen architecture!
At the museum, we looked at the power of lighting in paintings, specifically through the artwork of Vilhelm Hammershøi, who is best known for his grey color scheme. Along with that, we checked out the current exhibit, Danish Golden Age, until our time was up!
The incorporation of learning outside of the classroom in the DIS curriculum has been such a valuable element of my time here in Copenhagen, as it has shown me things that I would not have otherwise seen!
Some takeaways:
- I would like to light my entire future house with Louis Poulsen fixtures.
- That’s it.
Young in Europe 