When Poul Henningsen Met Axel Salto

In the years just after the First World War, Denmark’s young artists and designers were searching for a new language — one that could bridge tradition and modernity. Among them were two figures who would later become central to Scandinavian Modernism: Poul Henningsen, with his pioneering approach to lighting design, and Axel Salto, whose ceramics became some of the most expressive works in 20th-century Danish design.

When both men achieved international breakthroughs at the Paris World’s Fair in 1925—Salto with his ceramics, Henningsen with his award-winning lamp design—their shared vision of modern design had already taken shape. Out of this partnership came one of the most intriguing examples of Henningsen’s work: the PH 5/5 pendant lamp.

Unlike many of Henningsen’s strictly functionalist lamps, which sought to strip away ornament, the PH 5/5 reveals Salto’s influence. Its surface treatment evokes natural patterns, almost like frozen waves of light, bridging PH’s geometry with Salto’s organic sensibilities. It was a rare moment when Henningsen bent his own rules, allowing decoration to enter his functionalist vocabulary.

For Salto, the goal was never to imitate nature, but to capture its vitality. His well-known “fluted,” “budding,” and “sprouting” styles gave ceramics the sense of perpetual growth. The PH 5/5 pendant embodies this same spirit: a lamp that illuminates not only space but also the idea that design can feel alive, shaped by both logic and organic rhythm.

Seen together, the works of Henningsen and Salto illustrate the breadth of Nordic Modernism. Henningsen’s pursuit of clarity and functionality, and Salto’s fascination with nature’s forms, met in the PH 5/5 pendant — a rare collaboration between two giants of Danish modern design, where light and surface came together in a poetic balance.