MYTHILO Vol. 6 // LOUIS POULSEN // VL 38

The table lamp VL 38 was originally designed in the late 1930s by Vilhelm Lauritzen (1894-1984) in collaboration with Louis Poulsen for the Danish radio building "Radiohuset" in Copenhagen (today it houses the Royal Danish Conservatory of Music). The name of the table lamp - which is also available as a floor lamp - is derived from the initials of Vilhelm Lauritzen (VL) and the year of creation 1938. We will encounter this name logic at Louis Poulsen even more often.

But who on earth is this Vilhelm Lauritzen? Even if you have probably never heard of him, VL was one of the most important Danish architects and a pioneering representative of Danish functionalism. Many of his buildings, such as the Nørrebro Teater (1931-1932), the Daells Varehus department store (1928-1935), the Radiohuset broadcasting house (1936-1941) or Copenhagen's first airport (1937-1939) represent the essence of the modern world. The Radiohuset Broadcasting House, which is a listed building, and thus also the specially designed table lamp VL38, are today considered unique monuments of modernism in the history of European architecture and design.

Thank you VL 38, that you exist - I love you!