The PH Artichoke is considered to be a modernist masterpiece. It was designed by Poul Henningsen in 1958 for the Langelinie Pavilion, a restaurant in Copenhagen (the pendants still hang there today). Henningsen was an untrained architect-turned-lighting designer, and focused his art on the relationship between light structures, shadows, glare, color, and our basic need for light.
The PH Artichoke is composed of 72 overlapping “leaves” in 12 rows, hence the namesake. This design allows for glare-free light from any angle without being able to see the light source in the center. Henningsen collaborated with Louis Poulsen Lighting to make the original PH Artichoke Pendant, and to this day they are still manufactured in Denmark by Louis Poulsen. The PH Artichoke is available in stainless steel, copper, glass, and the classic steel in white.
(Images via liever, pinterest, Copycat Chic, DWR)