Louis Poulsen Unispot Lamp

Materials: Round metal (iron) wall or ceiling mount with a white plastic lid. Aluminium lampshade holder. Adjustable white plastic lampshade. Aluminium reflector. Some metal and plastic parts. Porcelain E27 socket.

Height: 30 cm / 11.81”

Width: ∅ 15 cm / 5.90”

Electricity: 1 bulb E27, 1 x 100 watt maximum, 110/220 volt.
Any type of light bulb can be used, not a specific one preferred.

Period: 1960s, 1970s – Mid-Century Modern.

Designer: Bent Gantzel-Boysen in 1971.

Manufacturer: Louis Poulsen & Co A/S, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Other versions: This Louis Poulsen Unispot lamp exists in several colours and variations, as you can see. This spotlight is model 48500, also named Lillebror (Little brother). This lamp series received an iF Design Award in 1972.

The first Unispot was black, in 1972 white red and yellow were added to the line. Later followed up by the smaller version Lillebror.

The Louis Poulsen Unispot lamp  is described in detail in the excellent book Danish Lights – 1920 to Now.

Bent Gantzel-Boysen

Bent Gantzel-Boysen was head of Louis Poulsen’s design team in the 1970s, who stood behind lamps like the 1972 IT series and the PH 80 table and floor lamps, drawn in 1974, to celebrate Poul Henningsen’s (1894 – 1968) 80th birthday. He also designed the LamPetit table lamp in 1966. The design of the LamPetit lamp is often wrongly attributed to Verner Panton. You can find it over here.

Later in the 70s Bent Gantzel-Boysen went on to draw lamps for IKEA with his own firm. One of the more spectacular lamps from 1983 was the Duett pendant lamp with six coloured metal screens. You can find it over here. He designed lamps for IKEA in the period 1979 – 1987.

Louis Poulsen

Louis Poulsen & CO A/S is a Danish lighting manufacturer that was founded in 1874 by Ludvig R. Poulsen as a wine importing business. 4 years later the firm closed down. However, in 1892 Ludvig Poulsen opened his second business, this time selling tools and electrical supplies.

Two years later in 1896 his nephew Louis Poulsen started to work for the company. After the dead of Ludvig in 1906, Louis takes over the business.
In 1911 Sophus Kaastrup-Olsen becomes a partner in the firm and the name changes in Louis Poulsen & Co A/S. Six years later Sophus Kaastrup-Olsen becomes the sole owner of the company.

The best known designers that worked for Louis Poulsen are Poul Henningsen, Arne Jacobsen, Verner Panton, Vilhelm Lauritzen, Shoichi Uchiyama. Many other designers worked for the famous Danish company.