HAY is a Danish furniture and home-accessories brand known for contemporary design made for broad, everyday use.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
HAY is a Danish furniture and home-accessories company established in Copenhagen in 2002 by husband-and-wife designers Mette Hay and Rolf Hay. The brand was created around the idea that contemporary design should be commercially viable, visually distinctive, and accessible in price and everyday application. Rather than positioning furniture as an exclusive or purely collectible category, HAY developed a broad product system spanning seating, tables, lighting, outdoor furniture, storage, textiles, kitchenware, stationery, and small household objects. The founders had previously worked at the Danish design company GUBI. Rolf Hay later met Troels Holch Povlsen, founder of the clothing company Bestseller, and their discussions led to the creation of a furniture business. HAY presented its first collection at imm Cologne in Germany in January 2003. Its early growth combined a Scandinavian design identity with a willingness to work with a wide range of international designers and to use industrial production methods suited to larger-scale distribution. The company opened its first Copenhagen store in 2004 and established HAY House, its central Copenhagen flagship, in 2007. HAY’s design model is collaborative. Rolf Hay has been associated primarily with the furniture division, while Mette Hay has led the accessories side. They work with internal product-development teams and external designers, including Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, Louise Campbell, Stefan Diez, Nathalie Du Pasquier, Naoto Fukasawa, Inga Sempé, George Sowden, Sebastian Wrong, Muller Van Severen, and others. The company has often selected designers who understand industrial manufacturing and can translate strong concepts into products suitable for relatively broad distribution. This approach has helped HAY build a recognizable visual language without depending on a single designer or product category. The company expanded internationally during the 2010s. In 2014, Mette Hay introduced HAY Mini Market at the Milan Furniture Fair, a retail concept centered on colorful, design-led versions of ordinary household goods. The format subsequently appeared in locations including Selfridges in London, Le Bon Marché in Paris, and Tsutaya in Tokyo. HAY entered the United States through the MoMA Design Store in New York in 2015 and later developed its own American retail presence. Its partnerships have also extended beyond furniture, including a 2017 kitchenware collaboration with Danish chef Frederik Bille Brahe, limited-edition Sonos speakers, and the YPPERLIG collection created with IKEA. Herman Miller became HAY’s strategic partner and investor in 2018. It acquired a 33 percent equity interest for approximately $66 million and separately obtained North American brand rights for approximately $5 million. The companies worked on production localization and opened HAY stores in Portland, Costa Mesa, and Chicago. In October 2019, Herman Miller purchased an additional 34 percent for approximately $78 million, making it the majority owner. The relationship gave HAY access to Herman Miller’s international infrastructure while allowing HAY to continue operating with its own design identity. Herman Miller described the partnership as a way to reach younger and more urban consumers. HAY’s best-known products include the About A seating family, the Palissade outdoor furniture collection by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, the Prince Chair by Louise Campbell, the Rope Trick floor lamp by Stefan Diez, and a large range of accessories and household products. Its products are distributed through branded stores, online channels, design retailers, department stores, museums, and commercial interiors. The brand’s present positioning combines contemporary Scandinavian design, collaborative authorship, color, functional simplicity, and comparatively accessible pricing. It remains associated with Denmark while operating as an international design business within Herman Miller’s wider portfolio.
History
HAY was founded in Copenhagen in 2002 by Mette and Rolf Hay, who had met while working at the Danish design company GUBI. The business idea developed after Rolf Hay met Troels Holch Povlsen, the founder of Bestseller. Together they pursued a furniture company intended to bring contemporary design to a wider audience without abandoning design ambition. The first HAY collection was presented at imm Cologne in January 2003. The launch established the company’s basic formula: collaboration with designers, production-oriented design development, and products intended for both private homes and professional interiors. HAY opened its first store on Pilestræde in central Copenhagen in 2004. In 2007, it opened HAY House, which became its principal flagship and an important physical expression of the brand’s furniture and accessories range. The company’s development was shaped by the division of creative responsibilities between the founders. Rolf Hay became closely associated with furniture, while Mette Hay focused on accessories and smaller domestic objects. Their work was supported by internal designers and product developers, alongside a broad network of international collaborators. Among the designers associated with HAY are Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, Louise Campbell, Stefan Diez, Nathalie Du Pasquier, Naoto Fukasawa, Ana Kraš, Lex Pott, Inga Sempé, Shane Schneck, George Sowden, Sebastian Wrong, Muller Van Severen, Clara von Zweigbergk, Laila Gohar, and Johannes Torpe. HAY pursued international visibility through stores, department-store presentations, museum retail, and temporary concepts. The HAY Mini Market debuted at the 2014 Milan Furniture Fair under Mette Hay’s direction. It presented everyday objects such as cleaning goods, personal-care accessories, and stationery in a design-focused retail environment. The concept later appeared in venues including Selfridges in London, Le Bon Marché in Paris, and Tsutaya in Tokyo. In 2015, HAY entered the United States through the MoMA Design Store in New York. Product collaborations broadened the company’s reach. HAY worked with Danish chef Frederik Bille Brahe on kitchen products including cookware and tableware. It partnered with Sonos on colorful limited-edition versions of the Sonos One speaker and collaborated with IKEA on the YPPERLIG collection, which included more than 60 products such as sofas, tables, mirrors, trays, and bags. These projects demonstrated HAY’s ability to extend its design language into adjacent categories and reach customers beyond specialist furniture retail. By 2018, HAY’s catalogue reportedly contained approximately 180 furniture products and 350 accessories. That year Herman Miller acquired a 33 percent stake for about $66 million and separately paid approximately $5 million for North American brand rights. The two companies worked on localizing production and expanding HAY’s physical presence in the United States. In October 2019, Herman Miller acquired a further 34 percent for approximately $78 million, making it HAY’s majority owner. Herman Miller’s involvement provided additional distribution and operational resources, while HAY retained its own creative leadership and brand identity. HAY’s history is therefore defined by the combination of Danish design heritage, international authorship, consumer-oriented pricing, and category expansion. Its major products range from seating and tables to outdoor furniture, lighting, kitchenware, and small accessories. The brand continues to operate internationally under the creative direction of its founders and within the ownership structure established with Herman Miller.
- 2019
Herman Miller becomes majority owner
[1]Herman Miller acquires an additional 34 percent of HAY.
- 2018
Herman Miller takes a minority stake
[1]Herman Miller acquires 33 percent of HAY and obtains North American brand rights.
- 2017
YPPERLIG collection launches with IKEA
[1]HAY and IKEA release a collection of more than 60 furniture and home products.
- 2015
HAY enters the United States
[1]HAY becomes available in the United States through the MoMA Design Store in New York.
- 2014
HAY Mini Market debuts
[1]The accessories-focused HAY Mini Market concept launches at the Milan Furniture Fair.
- 2007
HAY House opens
[1]HAY opens its Copenhagen flagship store, which remains a central showcase for the brand.
- 2004
First Copenhagen store opens
[1]HAY opens its first retail location on Pilestræde in central Copenhagen.
- 2003
First collection presented at imm Cologne
[1]HAY introduces its first collection at the international furniture fair in Cologne, Germany.
- 2002
HAY is founded in Copenhagen
[1]Mette and Rolf Hay establish HAY with the aim of making contemporary, well-designed furniture more accessible.
Products and positioning
Contemporary Danish design for everyday living, combining strong visual concepts, industrial production, international designer collaborations, and relatively accessible pricing.
Seating
About A
The About A family is one of HAY’s broadest seating platforms. It includes chairs, armchairs, bar stools, and related variants built around a recognizable shell and a range of bases, colors, and upholstery options. Its modular approach allows the same design language to work in homes, offices, hospitality spaces, and educational environments. The series illustrates HAY’s preference for adaptable, industrially producible products rather than narrowly specialized pieces.
Outdoor furniture
Palissade
Designed by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, Palissade is a collection of outdoor chairs, benches, tables, and related pieces made from powder-coated steel. Its repeated curved slat structure creates a consistent visual system across multiple forms. The collection is designed for terraces, gardens, public settings, and hospitality environments, and became one of HAY’s most visible outdoor furniture lines.
Chair · 2002
Prince Chair
Louise Campbell’s Prince Chair originated in a competition brief for a chair intended for Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark. Although Campbell did not win that competition, HAY selected the design for production. The chair gained awards and entered the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art, reflecting HAY’s practice of bringing strong contemporary design concepts into commercially available products.
Lighting · 2013
Rope Trick
Stefan Diez’s Rope Trick is a floor lamp whose design makes the supporting and electrical elements part of its visible character. It demonstrates HAY’s interest in turning functional construction into a distinctive graphic feature. The lamp is also held in the Museum of Modern Art’s permanent collection.
Furniture and home accessories · 2017
YPPERLIG Collection
YPPERLIG was a collaboration between HAY and IKEA released in 2017. The collection contained more than 60 products, including sofas, tables, mirrors, trays, and tote bags. It translated HAY’s contemporary Scandinavian design approach into IKEA’s large-scale retail system, giving the collaboration unusually broad consumer reach.
Accessories and retail concept · 2014
HAY Mini Market
HAY Mini Market is an accessories-led retail concept introduced by Mette Hay at the 2014 Milan Furniture Fair. It presented ordinary objects such as dishcloths, nail clippers, tape, and other small goods as colorful, design-conscious products. The concept subsequently appeared through selected international department stores and retail partners.
Brand decisions
2019
Herman Miller becomes majority ownerM&ABackground
Following the initial investment and the subsequent international expansion program, Herman Miller increased its ownership of HAY.
Action taken
Herman Miller purchased an additional 34 percent equity interest for approximately $78 million.
Aftermath
Herman Miller became HAY’s majority owner while Mette and Rolf Hay continued to serve as the brand’s creative directors.
Equity stake purchase price. Herman Miller held 33 percent → Herman Miller held a majority position after acquiring an additional 34 percent (October 2019)
2018
Herman Miller acquires a minority stake and North American rightsM&ABackground
HAY was expanding internationally and had developed a substantial catalogue of furniture and accessories. Herman Miller sought a closer relationship with a contemporary brand that could broaden its reach among younger and more urban consumers.
Action taken
Herman Miller acquired a 33 percent equity interest in HAY for approximately $66 million and separately obtained North American brand rights for approximately $5 million.
Aftermath
The companies worked on production localization and opened HAY stores in Portland, Costa Mesa, and Chicago.
Equity stake purchase price. Approximately $66 million for 33 percent (June 2018)
Recent events
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