Low ceiling, small table or no socket: which PH 2/1 to choose?
Stem Fitting for low ceilings, the 200 mm Pendant over a small table or bedside, the cordless IP44 Portable where there is no outlet or for a balcony.
Short answer: Under a low ceiling, choose the PH 2/1 Stem Fitting, which carries three shade sets on a frame 551 mm tall. Over a small table, counter or bedside where you have a ceiling outlet, hang the 200 mm PH 2/1 Pendant. If there is no outlet at all, or you want the same light on a balcony, the cordless PH 2/1 Portable Lamp is the only one of the three that works.
All three use the smallest shade set in Poul Henningsen's three-shade family, which he developed with Louis Poulsen in the mid 1920s. In a PH name the first figure refers to the top shade and the second to the lower shade, so 2/1 sits below the 3/2 and the larger sizes. What separates the three versions is power, size and where they can go.
The three PH 2/1 versions side by side
We built this table from the product data; the last row is our reading of it.
| PH 2/1 Pendant | PH 2/1 Stem Fitting | PH 2/1 Portable | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Size (W x H) | 200 x 140 mm | 596 x 551 mm | 200 x 360 mm |
| Weight | 1.6 kg | 7.7 kg | 1.7 kg |
| Fitting or power | Ceiling outlet, 3 m fabric cord, 1 x E14, max 20 W | Ceiling outlet, 3 x E14, max 20 W each | Rechargeable LiPo battery, USB-C or Qi wireless charging |
| Light source | Bulb not included; E14 LED 4–4.5 W, 470 lm suggested | Bulbs not included | Built-in LED, 3.5 W, dim to warm 1800–2700 K |
| Shade material | Mouth-blown white opal glass, sandblasted undersides | Mouth-blown white opal glass | Mouth-blown three-layered white opal glass |
| Finishes | Brass metallised, black metallised, high lustre chrome plated | Bright chrome-plated frame only | Brass metallised, high lustre chrome plated |
| Rating | IP20, indoor | IP20, indoor | IP44, indoor and outdoor |
| Best for | Small dining table, kitchen counter, bedside | Low ceilings, entrances, compact bedrooms | Rooms without an outlet, moving between table, bed and balcony |
Two rows decide most cases. The stem fitting is almost five times as heavy as the pendant, so it needs a ceiling fixing that will carry 7.7 kg. And only the portable is rated IP44; the two ceiling lamps are for indoor, dry rooms.
Low ceiling: how much headroom the stem fitting leaves
The PH 2/1 Stem Fitting Pendant brings back a format Henningsen's fixtures often took in interwar housing, when rooms were low and lamps sat close to the ceiling. Louis Poulsen reintroduced it in 2003. It gathers three sets of 2/1 shades on one chrome-plated frame.
The useful number is its height. Subtract 55 cm from your ceiling height and you have its lowest point:
- Ceiling 240 cm: lowest point about 185 cm.
- Ceiling 250 cm: about 195 cm.
- Ceiling 260 cm: about 205 cm.
Our own rule for a walk-through space such as a hallway is a lowest point of at least 200 cm, which means a ceiling of roughly 255 cm or more. Below that, we would still choose the stem fitting, but place it over a bed, a dresser or a table where nobody walks directly underneath. It is also 596 mm wide, so in a narrow corridor check that the shades clear the walls.
On light output, three E14 sockets change the picture. If you fit the same 470 lm LED suggested for the pendant in each socket, you get around 1,410 lm from one ceiling point, roughly three times the single pendant. That makes it the one PH 2/1 that can light a small room on its own.
Over a table or bedside: the corded pendant
The PH 2/1 Pendant is the classic arrangement: one 20 cm top shade with smaller shades below, all in white opal glass sandblasted on the undersides so the light comes out evenly. With 3 m of fabric cord, height is set by you rather than by the ceiling, so it suits a small dining table, a kitchen counter or a bedside where the stem fitting would be too wide.
One bulb at max 20 W is enough for a spot, not a room. For a counter or a longer table we would plan two or three in a row, possibly at staggered heights. For how far above the table to set the shade, see our piece on how high to hang a PH pendant over a dining table.
It is also the only version in three finishes: brass metallised, black metallised and high lustre chrome plated.
No outlet, or outdoors: the portable
The PH 2/1 Portable Lamp puts the same shade size on a 360 mm stem and base, with the switch on the stem and a white indicator on the base while it charges. Its built-in 3.5 W LED dims to warm, from 2700 K down to 1800 K, with stepless and four-step dimming.
Battery life is easy to plan with. It gives about 5 hours at full output and up to 120 hours at 5%. A three-hour dinner at full brightness uses roughly three fifths of a charge; dim it for a bedside and a charge stretches across many evenings. The battery is replaceable. With IP44 it is the only PH 2/1 we would take onto a balcony.
Which PH 2/1 we would choose
- Ceiling under 250 cm, one light for the whole room: the Stem Fitting, placed over a bed or table rather than a walkway.
- Hallway with a ceiling of 255 cm or more: the Stem Fitting again; its lowest point then sits at around 200 cm.
- Small dining table, counter or bedside with a ceiling outlet: the Pendant, singly for a bedside, in twos or threes for a counter. Choose black metallised if you want the suspension to disappear.
- No outlet where you want light, or a balcony in summer: the Portable. Expect around 5 hours at full brightness, far longer dimmed.
If we could buy only one, we would start with the portable: it does the bedside and the table, and goes outdoors, without an electrician. Add the pendant or stem fitting once you know which spot needs fixed light. The rest of the family is in our Louis Poulsen collection.
