Poul Christiansen

Danish architect and industrial designer Poul Christiansen (b. 1947) is celebrated for revolutionizing Scandinavian paper lighting by introducing curved mathematical folding to folded lamp shades. Graduating from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in 1973, Christiansen merged architectural planning with geometric origami research. Christiansen achieved international design fame through his defining, long-standing partnership with Danish lighting house Le Klint. In 1971, he made an epochal breakthrough by discovering how to score and fold plastic and paper along mathematical curves rather than straight lines, creating the iconic Model 172 "Sinus Line" pendant. Resembling floating botanical sculptures, his hand-folded shades provide glare-free 360-degree illumination, becoming Le Klint's greatest worldwide bestseller.