Arne Jacobsen (1902-1971) was a leading Danish architect, renowned for his modernist designs for projects such as St. Catherine’s College in Oxford. In particular, Jacobsen is known as a proponent of a formidably comprehensive approach to architecture which incorporates every scale. In the case of the SAS Royal Hotel (now Radisson Collection Royal Hotel), that meant designing everything from cutlery to the whole building. Indeed, it was this gesamtkunstwerk, or total work of art, approach within the Royal Hotel that generated the beloved AJ Lamp.

The timeless AJ Lamp was originally designed in 1957 as a series of table, wall and floors lamps for the hotel in Copenhagen, alongside other lamps and furniture pieces. The SAS Royal Hotel opened in 1960 and the AJ Lamp has been an iconic design ever since.

The existing colours of White, Black, Pale Petroleum and Stainless Steel are now being joined by an exciting range of delicate pastels – the new colour palette includes Warm Sand, Soft Yellow, Dusty Blue, Warm Grey and Electric Orange.

While striking, the creation of the new pastel shades has been inspired by Jacobsen’s watercolour paintings. This was an activity that he continued throughout his life and through which he focused on the variety and diversity of nature and landscapes, both at home in Denmark and abroad.

Each new colour constitutes a micro-world of possibility in itself. The soothing Dusty Blue, for example, is ready to elevate interiors from residential to retail and everywhere in between with its remarkable standalone presence. Equally striking is the Electric Orange option which can even be paired with Dusty Blue for an especially heightened colour palette.

Soft Lemon, conversely, provides a subtler option for a more neutral environment or to sit withing an already colourful composition.  Meanwhile, Warm Sand and Warm Grey feel more grounded as nuanced neutral choices than can blend in with versatility in all interiors.

The pastel colours outline some very exciting prospects for interior design combinations, complementing the popular minimalistic Scandinavian style of whites, wood and stone. As such, the new colour series for the AJ Lamp can find a home as part of a heritage project, bold colour collaging, vintage aesthetics and within many more design contexts. The range provides a level of versatility that allows for a striking piece in and of itself or as a way to boost a broader whole.

With Louis Poulsen, the tradition of masterful Danish lighting design is more than just a distant memory. The legacy of great architects and designers such as Jacobsen, Poul Henningsen, Verner Panton and Vilhelm Lauritzen is well and truly alive. The wider series of releases include the reinterpretation of a number of classics, namely the new VL 56 Pendant, the Panthella 250 Portable and the PH 2/2 Luna Table Lamp.

Every lamp in the AJ series will be available in the new colour palette from autumn 2023 in stores and across Louis Poulsen Showrooms as well as online at louispoulsen.com.

Louis Poulsen
louispoulsen.com

Photography
Courtesy of Louis Poulsen

We think you might also like to read about Louis Poulsen’s Danish lighting designs.