HAY (company)

Last updated
HAY
Company type Subsidiary
Founded2002;22 years ago (2002) in Copenhagen, Denmark
FoundersMette and Rolf Hay
HeadquartersCopenhagen, Denmark
Number of locations
25 in 9 countries [1]  (2022)
ProductsFurniture, accessories
Number of employees
400 [2]  (2016)
Parent MillerKnoll
Website hay.dk
millerknoll.com

HAY is a Danish furniture company founded in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 2002 by Mette and Rolf Hay. Its goal was to create and sell well-designed furniture that was accessible in terms of price as well as "design concepts". [3] As of 2019, the brand is majority-owned by U.S. furniture company Herman Miller. [4]

Contents

The cofounders serve as HAY's creative directors, with Rolf in charge of the furniture division and Mette in charge of accessories. They are closely involved in the development of HAY products, which is collaboratively done among in-house designers and product developers as well as a roster of international designers such as Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, Nathalie Du Pasquier, Stefan Diez, Johannes Torpe, and Naoto Fukasawa. [5]

History

Early years

HAY was founded in 2002 by the husband-and-wife duo, Mette and Rolf Hay, who had themselves met when they worked at Gubi, another Danish furniture company. [2] The idea for a furniture company came about when Rolf Hay met Troels Holch Povlsen, who had founded the Danish clothing giant Bestseller, among other companies, and the two decided to start making furniture together. [6]

The company introduced its first collection in January 2003, at imm Cologne, an annual furniture fair in Cologne, Germany. In 2004, HAY opened its first store on Pilestræde, in the center of Copenhagen. In 2007, HAY opened its flagship store (to this day), HAY House, also in central Copenhagen.

Global expansion and growth

In 2014, HAY debuted a pop-up store for accessories and some furniture, HAY Mini Market, at the Milan Furniture Fair in 2014. [7] Mette spearheaded the HAY Mini Market, a "small-object bazaar that sells attractive versions of mundane items like dishcloths, nail clippers, and tape". [2] Mini Markets soon popped up around the world, including at department stores Selfridges in London and Le Bon Marché in Paris, as well as the Tsutaya bookstore in Tokyo. [8] In 2015, HAY arrived in the United States via the MoMA design store in New York City. [9]

As of 2015, HAY was operating in more than 50 countries with an annual turnover of US$140 million according to the Wall Street Journal . [2]

Acquisition by Herman Miller

By 2018, HAY's catalogue included 180 items of furniture and 350 accessories, with $155 million in projected revenue for the year. [10] In June 2018, the U.S. furniture company Herman Miller acquired a 33% equity stake in HAY for $66 million, as well as the rights to the HAY brand in North America for approximately $5 million. [11]

Herman Miller and HAY worked together to localize production as well as open three stores in the United States—first in Portland, Oregon, [12] as well as Costa Mesa, California, and Chicago. Revenue for its fiscal year ending July 2019 totaled $160 million. In the context of this strong performance and growth potential, in October 2019, Herman Miller purchased an additional 34% in equity for about $78 million, making it the majority owner. Herman Miller's CEO Andi Owen observed that its partnership with HAY had helped it reach "a younger, more urban demographic". [13] [14]

Collaborations

The Creative Directors Mette and Rolf Hay (in charge of accessories and furniture, respectively) are involved in product design and development. Not only do they collaborate closely with the company's in-house designers and product-development teams, it has also been praised for working with contemporary designers from all around the world; some of them were already established (e.g., Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec), whereas others rose to prominence in part due to their collaboration with HAY (e.g., Scholten & Baijings). [15] [8] HAY's commitment to accessibility had led it to work with "designers who have an understanding of industrial production as to how things can actually be made". [16]

Some designers that HAY has collaborated with include: [17]

In addition to product or industrial designers, HAY also collaborates other companies as well as with individuals in adjacent careers, such as the Danish chef Frederik Bille Brahe, with whom they released pots, pans, sponges, cups, and other kitchenware in 2017. [18]

Some of the corporate brands HAY has worked with include Sonos (HAY launched colorful limited-edition Sonos One speakers, which are usually just black and white), [19] and Japanese shoe brand Suicoke. [16] It also worked with IKEA to release the YPPERLIG Collection in 2017 with over 60 products including sofas, tables, mirrors, trays, and tote bags. [20]

Select works

Prince chair by Louise Campbell Meubles de Louise Campbell (Maison du Danemark) (3600353997).jpg
Prince chair by Louise Campbell

See also

Related Research Articles

MillerKnoll, Inc., doing business as Herman Miller, is an American company that produces office furniture, equipment, and home furnishings. Its best known designs include the Aeron chair, Noguchi table, Marshmallow sofa, Mirra chair, and the Eames Lounge Chair. Herman Miller is also credited with the 1968 invention of the office cubicle under then-director of research Robert Propst.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eames Lounge Chair</span> Chair designed by J. Christian Baggett & Charles and Ray Eames

The Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman is a lounge chair and ottoman manufactured and sold by American furniture company Herman Miller. Introduced in 1956, the Eames Lounge Chair was designed by Charles and Ray Eames and is made of molded plywood and leather. It was the first chair the Eameses designed for the high-end market. The Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman are part of the permanent collection of New York's Museum of Modern Art.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jasper Morrison</span> British designer

Jasper Morrison is an English product and furniture designer. He is known for the refinement and apparent simplicity of his designs. In a rare interview with the designer, he is quoted as saying: "Objects should never shout."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vitra (furniture)</span> Swiss furniture company

Vitra is a Swiss family-owned furniture company with headquarters in Birsfelden, Switzerland. It is the manufacturer of the works of many furniture designers. Vitra is also known for the works of notable architects that make up its premises in Weil am Rhein, Germany, in particular the Vitra Design Museum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Dixon (industrial designer)</span> British designer and creative director

Tom Dixon, OBE is a self-taught British designer. He is best known as the Creative Director of the eponymous brand "Tom Dixon", which specialises in the design of lighting, furniture, and household accessories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knoll, Inc.</span> American furniture company

Knoll is an American company that manufactures office systems, seating, storage systems, tables, desks, textiles, and accessories for the home, office, and higher education. The company is the licensed manufacturer of furniture designed by architects and designers such as Harry Bertoia, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Florence Knoll, Frank Gehry, Charles Gwathmey, Maya Lin, Marcel Breuer, Eero Saarinen, and Lella and Massimo Vignelli, under the company's KnollStudio division. Over 40 Knoll designs can be found in the permanent design collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naoto Fukasawa</span> Japanese industrial designer

Naoto Fukasawa is a Japanese designer, author, and educator, working in the fields of product and furniture design. He is known for his product design work with the Japanese retail company Muji, as well as collaborations with companies such as Herman Miller, Alessi, B&B Italia, Emeco, Magis, and HAY.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yves Béhar</span> Swiss-born American designer (born 1967)

Yves Béhar is a Swiss-born American designer, entrepreneur, and educator. He is the founder and principal designer of Fuseproject, an industrial design and brand development firm. Béhar is also the co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of August Smart Lock, a smart lock company acquired by Assa Abloy in 2017; and co-founder of Canopy, a co-working space based in San Francisco.

Louise Campbell is a Danish furniture and lighting designer. She is a leading figure in contemporary Danish design and experiments with free, unconstrained forms and new technologies. She has won several awards and her products are produced by many renowned producers like Louis Poulsen, Zanotta, HAY, Muuto and Holmegaard. She was born to Danish father and English mother.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stefan Diez</span> German designer

Stefan Diez is a German industrial designer whose Munich-based studio, DIEZ OFFICE, develops furniture, accessories, and exhibition designs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danish design</span>

Danish design is a style of functionalistic design and architecture that was developed in mid-20th century. Influenced by the German Bauhaus school, many Danish designers used the new industrial technologies, combined with ideas of simplicity and functionalism to design buildings, furniture and household objects, many of which have become iconic and are still in use and production. Prominent examples are the Egg chair, the PH lamps and the Sydney Opera House (Australia).

The Forum AID Award was a Nordic architecture and design award, given annually by the Swedish magazine Forum AID. AID is an acronym for the three subject-matters of the magazine - Architecture, Interior design and Design - and it is also the three categories of the award. It is given to the designers of the "Best Building [interior design and design in the Nordic Countries" that year. The award was founded in 2004 and is presented at a ceremony in Stockholm

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kvadrat (company)</span> Danish textile company

Kvadrat is a Danish textile company that produces and supplies textiles and textile-related products to architects, designers and private consumers in Europe and worldwide. Kvadrat was established in Denmark in 1968 with deep roots in Scandinavia's design tradition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giulio Cappellini</span> Italian design entrepreneur

Giulio Cappellini is the founder and art director of the eponymous Italian furniture company Cappellini based in Milan. In 2004 the Company became part of the Poltrona Frau Group. In 2021, it was acquired by the American office furnisher Haworth Inc.

Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec are brothers noted for their design work, which has been featured in publications and museums globally — and spans a wide range from tables and chairs to tableware, rugs, textile walls, office furniture, ceramics, art objects and urban projects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolf Fehlbaum</span> Swiss businessman

Rolf Fehlbaum is chairman emeritus and active member of the board of directors of Vitra, a family-owned furniture company with headquarters in Birsfelden, Switzerland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">École cantonale d'art de Lausanne</span> Art school in Renens, Switzerland

The École cantonale d'art de Lausanne (ÉCAL) is a university of art and design located in the Renens suburb of Lausanne, Switzerland. It was founded in 1821 and is affiliated with the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Western Switzerland (HES-SO). The designer Alexis Georgacopoulos is the director of ÉCAL.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moooi</span> Dutch interior design company

Moooi is a Dutch furniture, interior, and lighting modern design company. It was founded by Marcel Wanders and Casper Vissers in the Netherlands in 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emeco</span> American furniture manufacturing company

Emeco is a privately held company based in Hanover, Pennsylvania. The Emeco 1006, known as the Navy Chair, has been in continuous production since the 1940s. Today, Emeco manufactures furniture designed by notable designers and architects such as Philippe Starck, Norman Foster, and Frank Gehry.

Inga Sempé is a French designer and constructor of technical items, who designs furniture, lamps and other design objects for manufacturers like Ligne Roset, Alessi und Baccarat. She was awarded the Red Dot Design Award in 2007.

References

  1. ↑ "HAY Stores". HAY. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Rachlin, Natalia (15 June 2016). "A Day in the Life of Mette & Rolf Hay". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  3. ↑ HAY Brand Book 2020. HAY Denmark. February 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  4. ↑ Koellner, Amanda. "Herman Miller + HAY: A look inside the Danish design brand's partnership with Herman Miller Group". HermanMiller. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  5. ↑ "HAY Designers". hay.dk. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  6. ↑ Vaija, Mikko (13 August 2018). "Rolf and Mette Hay: "We want to make products that people truly care about"". Design Stories. Finnish Design Shop. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  7. ↑ Fitzherbert, Teresa (10 April 2014). "Hay pops up in Milan with miniature marketplace". Dezeen. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  8. 1 2 Treggiden, Katie (2 April 2015). "Hey Hey Hay!". Design Milk. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  9. ↑ Kurutz, Steven (12 August 2015). "HAY Mini Market Hits New York". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  10. ↑ Ro, Lauren (7 June 2018). "Herman Miller acquires stake in Danish furniture brand Hay". Curbed. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  11. ↑ Burns Olson, Katherine (18 June 2018). "Herman Miller acquires big stake in this Scandi brand". Business of Home. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  12. ↑ Riley-Adams, Ella (1 November 2018). "This Cult-Favorite Danish Design Brand Is Finally Launching in the U.S." Vogue. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  13. ↑ Turner, Grace (9 October 2019). "Zeeland's Herman Miller Acquires Majority Interest in Copenhagen's HAY A/S". DBusiness Magazine. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  14. ↑ Wear, Anne Flynn (14 October 2019). "Herman Miller acquires majority ownership of Danish brand Hay". Furniture Today. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  15. ↑ "The humble beginnings of HAY". Indesign Live. 29 March 2019. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  16. 1 2 Bourton, Lucy (26 July 2021). "Democratic design: How Mette and Rolf fell in love and founded Hay". It's Nice That. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  17. 1 2 3 "HAY & MoMA Design Store". MoMA. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  18. ↑ Morby, Alice (23 August 2017). "Hay collaborates with Danish chef to create range of kitchen accessories". Dezeen. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  19. ↑ Morby, Alice (17 April 2018). "Hay and Sonos join forces on range of colourful speakers". Dezeen. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  20. ↑ Xie, Jenny (2 October 2017). "Ikea, Hay launch long-awaited collaboration—and it's gorgeous". Curbed. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  21. ↑ "Louise Campbell, Prince Chair (2002)". MoMA. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  22. ↑ "Prince chair by Louise Campbell for Hay". Retail Design Blog. 25 August 2011. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  23. ↑ "Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec". HAY. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  24. ↑ Hitti, Natashah (24 April 2018). "Bouroullec brothers design low-cost Élémentaire chair for Hay". Dezeen. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  25. ↑ Howarth, Dan (20 April 2018). "Hay, Sonos and WeWork display living and work environments at Milanese palazzo". Dezeen. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  26. ↑ Fuso, Laura (21 January 2021). "HAY's democracy: good design is for everyone". Design Wanted. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  27. ↑ "About A Chair AAC 22 by HAY". Really Well Made. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.