Vintage danish lights blog

We know that Lyfa produced the lighting for some important buildings during its existence, including Arne Jacoben’s Aarhus town hall – a commission that it won by undercutting Louis Poulsen and offering to produce the lights free of charge! But could it be that the company was involved in what some might consider an even more prestigious project?

A few years ago we received an email from someone wondering whether we could identify a very large light he’d bought. It was made of metal sheets bent like sails, he told us, had a Lyfa label on it, and measured approximately 53cm high and about 70cm at the widest point at the top. He enclosed some snaps including the one below.



We had no record of such a light, but its large scale suggested that it might have been produced for a specific, non-domestic building. Rotating the picture about 45 degrees we were struck by its likeness to the Sydney Opera House, and suggested that as a starting point for research.

Interestingly, our correspondent replied that Australia was in fact where he had found the light. But as far as we know he has to date been unable to establish any connection with the Opera House despite subsequently featuring the light on Australian tv programme Show and Tell, in which experts attempt to identify antiques, and the question remains unanswered.

If anyone can reveal anything at all about this intriguing Lyfa light, do let us know by leaving a comment (click on the title of this post and scroll down the page for the comments form) or by email.

Related posts: