VL Ring Crown 1, 2, 3-5-7 and Table Lamp: Which One to Choose

Vilhelm Lauritzen's VL Ring Crown comes in six configurations, and the names tell you more than they first appear to. The number after "Ring Crown" is simply the count of opal glass shades, so the real question is how many points of light your table, wall or corner needs. This guide compares the single pendant, the two-shade wall lamp, the three, five and seven-shade crowns and the newer table lamp, and matches each to a room.

A lamp drawn for Radiohuset, finished decades later

Lauritzen drew the Ring Crown in the 1940s for Radiohuset, the Danish Broadcasting House in Copenhagen, where he designed the building and much of its interior, and developed the lighting together with Louis Poulsen. The Ring Crown was never mounted in the building. It did appear in Finn Juhl's 1947 interior for the Bing & Grøndahl porcelain factory, then waited in the archives until Louis Poulsen reintroduced it in its original form in 2019. The table lamp followed in 2025.

Every version shares the same two materials. The shades are mouth-blown, three-layered, polished opal glass, which spreads the light evenly across the whole globe so you see a soft glow rather than a bright bulb. They are held by satin-polished brass that is deliberately left untreated, so it darkens into a patina over the years. If you already know Lauritzen's other Radiohuset lamp, our story on the VL 45 Radiohus covers the building in more detail.

What the numbers mean: one shade, two, or a crown

Read the name as a head count. The VL Ring Crown 1 Pendant has one shade. The VL Ring Crown 2 Wall Lamp has two, set side by side on a brass frame that projects from the wall. The VL Ring Crown 3-5-7 Pendant is one product in three sizes, with three, five or seven shades gathered in a ring on a brass frame. The VL Ring Crown Table Lamp carries no number, and has a single shade on a brass stem.

Each shade holds its own bulb. The pendants and the wall lamp take E27 bulbs at a maximum of 40 W each, so the three-shade crown takes three bulbs and the seven-shade takes seven. The table lamp uses a single E14 bulb, also at a maximum of 40 W. Bulbs are not included with any of them. In practice this means light output scales with the number, while the character of the light stays the same: each globe is a calm, glare-free point, and more globes simply give you more of them.

The four designs side by side

A long table or a single seat

The clearest way to choose is to look at what sits underneath. The single shade of the Ring Crown 1 is only 190 mm wide, which makes a small pool of light: right for one or two places at a kitchen counter, a small round table for two, or hung low beside the bed as a space-saving alternative to a table lamp. Over a long dining table it would light the middle and leave both ends dim. A row of two or three over a counter or long table works better than one on its own.

The 3-5-7 pendant is designed for exactly that long or generous surface. The three-shade crown is 550 mm across, which suits a compact dining table or a kitchen island. At 690 mm the five-shade version begins to anchor a proper dining room, and the seven-shade crown, at 893 mm, is a statement for a large table or a double-height stairwell. All three are the same 233 mm tall, so the crown gets wider rather than deeper as you add shades, and a larger size does not hang any lower into the room. Weight rises with the count, from 11.3 kg for three shades to 21.6 kg for seven, so check your ceiling fixing with an electrician before choosing the largest.

A useful rule is to let the crown cover roughly the central part of the table, leaving the ends to catch the spill of light from the opal glass.

The wall lamp and the table lamp: light at eye level

Not every room has a table that needs a crown. The Ring Crown 2 Wall Lamp puts two shades on the wall, 425 mm wide and 305 mm deep, and gives noticeably more light than a single-shade sconce while keeping the floor and bedside table free. Mounted beside the bed it works as a reading light; a pair on either side of a hallway mirror frames the glass evenly. It comes in three versions: with a 2.5 m white cord, plug and a switch on the rear housing, or without cord, with or without a switch, for a hard-wired installation. Decide which before you plaster and paint, because the hard-wired versions need a wall box in the right place.

The table lamp is the most intimate scale of the family: 437 mm tall on a 150 mm round base, with a switch on the base and a 3 m textile cord. It sits well low on a sideboard, bedside table or windowsill, where the brass flatters wood, books and ceramics. Paired with a Ring Crown pendant over the dining table, it repeats the same glass and brass at a lower height, which is how Danish homes usually build atmosphere: several soft points of light at different levels rather than one bright ceiling fitting.

Living with brass and opal glass

Because the brass is untreated, all versions will change colour. New, it has a soft satin gleam; over the years it deepens towards a warmer, darker tone, faster where hands touch it. Leave it to age if you like that record of use, and dust it with a dry, soft cloth. The opal glass needs only an occasional wipe with a damp cloth once the lamp is switched off and cool. All the Ring Crown models are rated IP20 for indoor use, so none of them belongs in a bathroom zone or outdoors.

If you are still undecided, start with the surface. One seat or one corner calls for the Ring Crown 1 or the table lamp; a wall where floor space is short calls for the Ring Crown 2; a table for six or more calls for the crown, sized to the table. See the whole family alongside Lauritzen's other Radiohuset designs in the Louis Poulsen collection.