Mads Odgård recounts the genesis of his most iconic lamps

The Above lamp was a revolution for Louis Poulsen, just as the MO300 was a complete innovation for Carl Hansen & Søn: here’s how they were born.

Mads Odgård can be considered the quintessential Danish design: not only because his design approach is focused on simplicity and functionality, but also because, just like the great masters of the Scandinavian school, he is able to look beyond the present and identify the desires of the future. It’s not magic, but a combination of sensitivity and intuition, the ability to observe and listen to the times.

Sometimes, he finds himself having to pursue bold ideas with gentle persistence, which fortunately often come from companies that dare to broaden their horizons. Like Louis Poulsen and Carl Hansen & Søn, who, by placing their trust in Odgård’s vision, created two iconic and timeless lamps.

What was your background? How did you become a designer?

I took several paths, all more or less related to design. I wasn’t a model student, and many schools required high grades to be admitted. Fortunately, I was accepted into the Denmark Art Craft Academy—now called the Royal Academy. At the time, admission was after a week of practical tests: there were hundreds of applicants, and they only chose four or five people. After the academy, I worked for a Danish children’s toy company, the one that made the famous bricks. I worked there for a year. Then I started designing on my own, designing cutlery, for example, and everything took off from there.

Later, I felt the need to broaden my education and went to the Art Center, which has its headquarters in Pasadena, California, but at the time also had a campus in Switzerland. It was a very old-school setup: drawing lessons every morning, exercises on proportions, studying shapes. A very traditional, yet fundamental, approach.

One of your most iconic creations is the Above lamp for Louis Poulsen. Can you tell us your vision behind this project?

The idea was to create an object as simple as possible, a single shape, without superfluous elements, that would produce perfect light. It was a long process. When I introduced it to Louis Poulsen, the company wasn’t convinced at first: their tradition was based on complex lamps, like those of Poul Henningsen. I, on the other hand, proposed a single shape, a single piece. It was a small revolution.

Curiously, Above immediately had more success in Italy, Switzerland, and Germany, where the public is less attached to Henningsen’s legacy and perceived the project as a gesture of courage: “What a bold company, making such a simple lamp.” Today, it works very well. It’s difficult to copy: any imitation would be too similar to the original. My motto is: “How far can I go in making something simple?” And then I have another phrase that represents me: “Less is less.” Fewer pieces, fewer materials, less energy to achieve the right light.

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