The AJ Oxford table lamp by Louis Poulsen was designed by Danish architect Arne Jacobsen in the 1960s. It was originally created for St Catherine’s College, the largest college within Oxford University, as part of Jacobsen’s “Gesamtkunstwerk” of the college’s architecture and interior in 1962. This modernist yet tradition-inspired project marked Jacobsen’s main international breakthrough.

The AJ Oxford table lamp was designed specifically for the college’s dining hall, whose long rows of oak tables are still, to this day, illuminated with Jacobsen’s pin table lamps. Combining a slim metal base with an opal glass shade, the luminaire emits a pleasantly diffused, glare-free light that is filtered through three layers of mouth-blown glass. The light is mostly directed downwards, but the milky opal glass also creates a softly glowing halo that shines around the lamp.

To honour Arne Jacobsen’s original design from 1962, this fixture is table-mounted, which means that you will need to drill a hole through the table to install it. The luminaire is therefore ideal for public spaces like hotels and restaurants – or for university dining halls, like it was originally intended.