A PEEK INTO 'HAY' - A BOOK BY PHAIDON
Earlier this autumn, Phaidon published 'HAY', a book that explores the brand's origins and trajectory since its foundation in 2002.
Learn more about HAY through sneak peeks of the pictures and the stories covered in the book.
Ever since its foundation in 2002, HAY has set out to work with the world’s best designers and creatives, and while at the very beginning it may not have always had the financial firepower to pay star rates, it has managed to entice them in other ways.
“We have always worked with the people we admire most, based on the belief that the best result is often the product of many perspectives, and multiple sets of hands, working together,” say its founders. “That’s why HAY reflects the visions of a big family of beloved collaborators, from our teams in Denmark, throughout Europe and across the globe to an ever-growing stable of brilliant international designers.”
That familial link is especially strong for Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, the esteemed French brothers who created a number of works for HAY, including its Palissade outdoor seating range. In our new book Ronan recalls Rolf Hay asking the pair to design a chair for a Danish university – just the right commission to draw him in.
“As with a lot of designers, to design a chair for a university is a sort of dream,” says Ronan. “Step by step we got to know each other incredibly well. Rolf is very passionate about manufacturing. The design was always inspiring a better minimum, encouraging us to do less with more affordable materials.”
For HAY, the Bouroullecs have designed the Copenhague series, Palissade collection, Can Sofa, Élémentaire Chair, and Balcony collection.
Jonathan Levien of the London practice Doshi Levien recalls working on their Dapper chair for Hay. “With Rolf, it is more of a conversation, rather than a project” he says. “We had this idea for a plywood chair: two shells, an upholstered pad and a steel frame. There was quiet at the other end on the phone as Rolf got out his pen and worked through the figures, and then said, ‘I think we can do that.’ That really collapsed the time-frame, allowing us to do it.” Once the plans were finalised, “HAY delivered it within six months” Levien says.
For HAY, Doshi Levien have designed Quilton Sofa, Uchiwa Lounge Chair, and Dapper Lounge Chair
HAY’s distinctive products, with their bright colours and contemporary appeal, drew in quite a few collaborators. The Italo-Danish design duo Stine Gam and Enrico Fratesi first encountered HAY while they were still in architecture school, via a local trade show. “HAY had a big stand” recalls Fratesi. “I remember exactly the moment when they opened this exhibition, because it was different from everything else. It was like seeing furniture from another planet. At the time the Danish were extremely traditional, and this felt like the first moment of a new Nordic design.”
For HAY, GamFratesi have designed Silhouette Sofa, Tulou Table, and Dorso Chair.
As HAY’s reputation grew, so other designers saw their work fitting into its remit. During the 2010s, Belgian designers Fien Muller and Hannes Van Severen distinguished themselves working with both museums and working with small, prestigious galleries, creating pieces that spanned the divide between fine art and furniture. As Muller explains in our new book, it was only after about eight years that “we were like, oh, maybe we are ready to do something for HAY.”
“We could feel that there was a younger public who couldn’t always afford a piece from us,” says Muller. “We wanted to do something for that audience too.”
For HAY, Muller Van Severen have designed the Two-Colour Table, Colour Cabinet, and the Arcs series.
Now that progressive, contemporary artistic position has enabled HAY to tap up more talent. “What makes HAY unique is that they’ve managed to stay one step ahead of the zeitgeist in terms of form, colour, language and innovation,” says the American-born, Milan based designer and HAY collaborator Shane Schneck. “They almost anticipate what the consumer will want before they know what they want.”
The couple’s relationship with HAY started in 2009, when Shane designed the Ru chair for HAY in 2009, and together with Clara designed and art directed HAY’s 2012 catalogue, which would have a major effect on the style in which other design companies would shoot and present their own products.
They both have gone on to design a number of successful accessories and furniture pieces for HAY. Clara’s contributions include HAY Play, Kaleido Tray, Ellipse Tray, and Paper Paper Bin, a wide variety of stationery, and the graphic design for the ‘HAY’ book. Shane has designed Tamoto Bed, Watering Can, Tool Box, Analog Clock, Bowler Side Table, Butler Step Stool, and Bernard Lounge Chair, among others.
Paper Paper Bins, 2018, Clara Von Zweigbergk
Ellipse Trays, 2019, Clara Von Zweigbergk
Discover all designers that work with HAY
Know more about HAY and the collaborations with the best designers in the world in "HAY, the book published by Phaidon, in HAY stores and retailers, available globally.
