Want to explore minimalist furniture that doesn’t scream “boring”? Then look no further than HAY. This home decor shop believes that everyone should have access to good design ideas which connect fashion with practicability.
A lot of their creations would look stunning by themselves as art pieces, but they also work together to create a stylish home.
What Is HAY Furniture?
HAY Furniture is a minimalist brand, which focuses on three sources of inspiration. They are Art, Architecture, and Fashion.
Some furniture creations will forgo practicality to create beautiful but useless dust collectors, but HAY keeps function at the front of their minds.
Every piece of art they display is beautiful and would fit perfectly in any home.
When Did HAY Furniture Come Out?
HAY was first founded in 2002. It’s a Danish company from Copenhagen, created by married couple Mette and Rolf Hay.
In 2019, the company changed hands as the majority owner was no longer the Hays, but the US furniture company Herman Miller.
Due to this change of ownership, HAY has become more popular in the US.
When HAY first started, it was solely a furniture company. The couple sold their first collection at an annual furniture fair in Germany in 2003. In 2004 the couple opened their first store and in 2007 they began the chain.
In 2014, HAY really started taking off. They had a pop-up store for furniture and accessories at the Milan Furniture Fair. They were described as a “small-object bazaar that sells attractive versions of mundane items like dishcloths, nail clippers, and tape”.
From that comment and other Milan interests, HAY started making pop-ups around the world. They could be found in department stores from London to Paris, Tokyo to the US.
By 2015, HAY was in over 50 countries and had a turnover of $140 million.
What Style Is HAY Furniture?
HAY furniture can be described in 3 ways – minimalist, Scandinavian, and 50s.
The 50s element comes from the pop artwork of block colors, while the minimalist descriptor takes in the clean lines and little to no frills.
The Scandinavian style is characterized by a clean and minimal approach to beautiful yet functional furniture.
You can easily describe HAY as simply Scandinavian, but the unusual use of color and the continued connection to minimalism brings HAY to a new level.
What Are Their Prices Like?
Cheapest Sofa: Can 2-Seat Sofa $2,295
Most Expensive Sofa: Pandarine Corner Sectional $12,535
Cheapest Dining Chair: Soft Edge 45 Side Chair $195
Most Expensive Dining Chair: Pastis Armchair $995
Cheapest Shelving Unit: Shelving Unit $177
Most Expensive Shelving Unit: New Order Bookshelf $5,395
Cheapest Desk: Pier Office $595
Most Expensive Desk: Pier Office $2,396
Cheapest Dining Table: Pastis Dining Table $995
Most Expensive Dining Table: Passerelle Dining Table $2,895
Cheapest Bed: Connect Bed, Twin $695
Most Expensive Bed: Tomato Bed, King $2,395
Cheapest Outdoor Chair: Elementaire Side Chair $125
Most Expensive Outdoor Chair: Palisade Park Dining Bench $1,795
Cheapest Outdoor Dining Table: Palissade Cone Table $545
Most Expensive Outdoor Dining Table: Palissade Dining Set, 6 Chairs $3,145
Cheapest Outdoor Bench: Weekday Bench $325
Most Expensive Outdoor Bench: Palisade Park Bench $1,395
Where Is Their Furniture Made?
HAY has not released information on where its products are made. However, they suggest that their work is crafted in Denmark.
What we can say for sure, is that the furniture is designed with the age of Danish Modern in mind. Danish Modern is the Scandinavian minimalistic style we mentioned before. It’s this style which puts Denmark “on the map” when it comes to design choices.
That being said, HAY has worked with creative directors and companies from across the world. Although most of the designs come from in-house designers, HAY has also collaborated with:
- Muller Van Severen (Belgium)
- Louise Campbell (Denmark)
- Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec (France)
- Inga Sempe (France)
- Nathalie du Pasquier (France and Italy)
- Stefan Diez (Germany)
- Naoto Fukasawa (Japan)
- Lex Pott (the Netherlands)
- Ana Kras (Serbia and US)
- Shane Schneck (Sweden and US)
- Clara von Zweigbergk (Sweden)
- George Sowden (UK)
- Sebastian Wrong (UK)
- Laila Gohar (US)
This is only a short list of known designers which HAY has the world with, each of whom would have their own connections in creating their designs.
Is It Good Quality?
HAY used to be a great quality service, but as with everything that reaches the global market, HAY no longer has great control over its services.
There are issues with metal rusting, missing parts, and damaged furniture. There are even potential issue with furniture being assembled incorrectly.
Unfortunately, it seems like the customer service team isn’t great either, relying on procedures instead of human decency when the customer can clearly show that something is wrong.
Does HAY Furniture Have A Warranty?
Yes. All HAY Furniture and Lighting products come with a 2-year warranty, but accessories have no warranty.
If you need to make a claim because your item has broken during warranty, or because it arrived faulty, you can contact the customer service team through their contacts page.
If the purchase was over 2 years old, then HAY will not offer any refunds, no matter the issue.
If you need to make a claim, go to their claim page. This page allows you to add the Sales Order along with images of the issue.
When Does It Go On Sale?
HAY hasn’t released any sales dates yet, however, they always have a clearance sale for the previous season.
Right now, there are 397 items on sale. They range from 15% off to 40% off. This figure will change, however, you can expect many sale items at any time of the year.
Final Thoughts
HAY Furniture is an expensive brand with a lot of bad customer reviews, which is why we recommend buying their furniture in-store and not online. This way, if you are unlucky enough to get a poorly made chair or bed, you can send it back with no issues.
The style is minimalistic to create a clutter-free environment, perfect for a chic aesthetic.