AJ Eklipta Wall Lamp

Designed by Arne Jacobsen in 1956 for Rødovre Town Hall, the AJ Eklipta is a hemispherical mouth-blown opal-glass lamp available in Ø220, Ø350 and Ø450. Originally used indoors on stairways and outdoors as wall lamps, it remains a global favourite for its timeless, versatile appeal.

The Eklipta comes from the period when Jacobsen worked as a total designer, shaping his buildings down to the smallest fitting. For Rødovre Town Hall he wanted a luminaire that read as pure geometry — a luminous circle on the wall — and the design has hardly changed since. When he later designed St Catherine's College in Oxford, a smaller version was added to the family. The lamp is produced by Louis Poulsen, the Copenhagen lighting house founded in 1874, which also manufactured the celebrated AJ series that Jacobsen created for the SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen between 1957 and 1960.

The secret of the Eklipta's glow lies in its double layer of opal glass: the outer layer spreads the light evenly across the surface, while the inner layer creates a soft halo — a gentle 'eclipse' — where the glass meets the wall. Lit or unlit, it remains a calm, sculptural presence, which is why it feels as natural in a contemporary apartment as it did in Jacobsen's mid-century architecture.

Wall lamps are one of the smartest choices for compact city homes, adding light at eye level without claiming floor or shelf space — a real advantage in Seoul, Tokyo or Hong Kong apartments where every square metre counts. Mount a single Ø220 beside the bed in place of a table lamp, or hang a pair symmetrically around a mirror or above the sofa for a quietly architectural effect, and layer its soft glow with a reading lamp when you need focused light. Explore more wall lamps and the full Arne Jacobsen collection, or read our guide to designer lighting for small apartments.

Light source: E27 (E26 compatible), 1 bulb, max 60 W. IP20, indoor. Bulb not included — we recommend an E27 LED (8–10 W, 1055 lm), 2700–3000 K.