Poul Henningsen designed the three-shade system in 1925-1926. The first luminaires to use this system were designed by Henningsen in collaboration with Louis Poulsen for an exhibition in Paris. This partnership continued until Henningsen's death in 1967. Throughout his life, Henningsen sought to create glare-free light, direct light where it was most needed, and soft shadows, using incandescent bulbs as the light source. The PH 2/1 Table belongs to the three-shade family, which currently comprises 30 lamps, three of which are for outdoor use.