VL 38 Table Lamp

The VL 38 Table Lamp, designed by Vilhelm Lauritzen in the late 1930s for Copenhagen's Radiohuset, entered Louis Poulsen catalogues after WWII. Relaunched in 2016 with LED technology, it keeps its retro charm in white/brass and a 2017 black version with a bolder outline that preserves the original's soft curves.

Vilhelm Lauritzen was a defining figure of Danish functionalism, and Radiohuset — the broadcasting house he created for the Danish Broadcasting Corporation in Copenhagen — remains one of the movement's landmark buildings. Lauritzen treated the project as a total work of design, shaping everything from the interiors down to the lighting, and the fixtures he developed with Louis Poulsen for its studios and foyers form the basis of today's VL series. Where Poul Henningsen, the brand's other great collaborator of the period, pursued mathematically layered shades, Lauritzen favoured soft, organic silhouettes. The VL 38's gently rounded shade and slender curved stem capture that warmer, more sculptural side of Danish modernism — a table lamp with a direct line back to a single, celebrated building.

As a working light, the VL 38 is remarkably easy to live with. The shade throws a calm, glare-free pool of light onto a desk or side table, while the lamp itself reads as a small piece of sculpture even when switched off. The built-in LED keeps energy use modest and suits everyday reading, writing or quiet evening wind-down lighting. It is compact enough for a bedside table, yet distinctive enough to anchor a console, a windowsill or a reading corner entirely on its own.

In smaller homes — including the compact apartments typical of Seoul, Tokyo, Hong Kong and other dense Asian cities — a characterful table lamp often works harder than any large fixture. Place the VL 38 on a sideboard to soften an open-plan living area, or use a pair to frame the bed in place of bulky bedside fittings. It pairs naturally with the matching VL 38 wall version from our wall lamps collection for a coherent scheme, and sits comfortably alongside other Scandinavian classics in our table lamps range. For more ideas on lighting tight floor plans, see our guide to designer lighting for small apartments.

Light source: built-in LED, 9.6 W. IP20, indoor.