HAY collaborates with some of the world's best designers to make good design more readily accessible. The company was founded in 2002 by Rolf and Mette Hay, a husband-and-wife team passionate about designing and producing a wide range of home design items intended to brighten everyday living.
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Rolf and Mette Hay’s eponymous Danish brand has a cult following for its versatile, accessible range. Save up to 30% on select HAY designs – from bestselling sofas and storage to outdoor favorites like the Palissade Collection. TERMS + EXCLUSIONS
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What is Modern Danish Design?
A part of modern Scandinavian design, Danish design builds on that foundation and adds details that set it apart. As with Scandinavian design, the defining features of Danish design are minimalism and practicality. Because of this, the craftsmanship found in Danish furniture is vitally important, with the intention being pieces that last for many years. And while the color palette still contains blues and browns that reflect the natural world, it also includes pastels, particularly pink and green. This adds quirky, unexpected elements to an otherwise sleek and simple design scheme.
Danish Lighting
As with other aspects of Danish design, Danish lighting is largely minimalist with eye-catching design features. These features can range from a quirky and charming form to a pastel-colored lampshade, making it possible to create a sleek, modern lighting scheme that’s also original and interesting.
Types of Danish Lighting
Table Lamps + Floor Lamps
Danish table and floor lamps take sleek minimalism and add a playfulness to create unique lighting accents in your office and living spaces. The best examples of this are the Pao Portable Lamp and the PC Portable Lamp, which are simple in silhouette but charming in their mushroom-like design. Similarly, the Neon Tube LED light has the most minimalist form but provides fun colorful lighting in any room. As much as fun, functionality is a vital part of any modern Danish piece. The Marselis Table Lamp exemplifies this idea, featuring a touch-controlled diffuser that can tilt 180 degrees left or right, rotate 360 degrees around, and emit both ambient and task lighting.
Ceiling Lights + Pendant Lights
Because Danish ceiling lights come in a wide range of forms and colors, they can fulfill a variety of needs. This includes as simple, well-placed lighting or as a vibrant centerpiece in a room’s design scheme. Danish pendant lights work for both casual and formal environments, with pieces like the Rice Paper Shade offering lovely minimalist lighting. For a more striking, architectural option, each Bonbon Shade is one of a kind and made of hand-wrapped yarn in classic Danish pastels. Splitting the difference, the Matin Flush Mount Lamp is a colorful ceiling light with a pleated shade that provides a beautiful modern design accent.
Danish Seating
By far, the most important feature in Danish seating is craftsmanship. Danish sofas, sectionals, lounge chairs, and dining chairs all have in common that they are built to be comfortable and to last. Additionally, Danish seating usually features classic minimalist lines and deep colors chosen to reflect nature.
Types of Danish Seating
Sofas + Sectionals
Because of their functionality and versatility, sectionals are a staple in Scandinavian design. Danish sectionals typically come in neutral colors such as grey, cream, and black, but are also often designed in reds, blues, and greens. The Quilton Sectional is a classic example of a Danish sectional, with five available configurations and a wide range of colors and fabrics that can fit into any living room design scheme. More traditional sofas are also available. Two- and three-seater sofas like the Mags Soft Low One Arm Sofa are reminiscent of sectionals but are better suited for a smaller household.
Dining Chairs + Side Chairs
Danish dining chairs and side chairs are defined by their simplicity. A minimalist’s dream, Danish dining chairs tend to feature a clean, harmonious design that supports the rest of the dining room. Made of solid wood with screwless connections, the Rey Chair’s integrated construction and classic form make it a great option and potential pop of color for any room. Similarly, the About A Chair 12 Side Chair has an elegantly curved seat atop solid walnut or oak legs and is an excellent addition in rooms that need a little extra seating.
Lounge Chairs
Defined by their open structure and high quality, Danish lounge chairs are a striking feature in any living room. Typically upholstered in neutral, natural colorways, as well as blues, reds, and oranges, lounge chairs like the About A Lounge 82 Armchair are a hallmark of Danish modern design. These lounge chairs are also known for being both comfortable and sculptural. The Chisel Lounge Chair and the Bernard Lounge Chair have unique structures with design interest but also provide a relaxing place to sit.
Danish Storage
In Danish modern design, storage and organization pieces aren’t just functional—although they are certainly built for functionality first. They’re also striking design accents that add to your home or office’s overall atmosphere. The Recycled Colour Crate is a stackable storage option that is made extremely versatile by its playful design and variety of sizes and pastel colors available. Colour Storage, on the other hand, is the ultimate in storage minimalism. Colour Storage is a simple rectangular storage box that comes in both bold and pastel colors. Sets of these boxes can be stacked on top of one another or stored like books on a shelf.
Danish Shelving
When it comes to Danish shelving, the key is pieces that emphasize the objects they’re storing or displaying rather than the shelves themselves. While some Danish shelves have charming design features such as unusual coloring or shelf shapes, the focus tends to be on high-quality, stylish pieces that can fit into any room. Shelves like the Pier Library, the New Order Bookshelf, and Woody Shelving are variations on this theme—their minimalist elegance highlights the beauty of their surroundings. The Color Cabinet is truly modern Danish shelving in that it’s also minimalist but has a multicolored design that makes it pop.
Danish Tables
From design accent or centerpiece to simple place to gather, Danish tables come in a wide variety of forms. While Danish tables still follow the general principles of Scandinavian design, their degree of simple vs. architectural shape and neutral vs. vibrant color scheme depends entirely on individual needs.
Types of Danish Tables
Dining Tables
One of the central gathering places in any home, a Danish dining table tends to fall on the simpler end of the spectrum of Danish tables. However, these pieces also often feature elements that set them apart. Both the Two Colour Table and the Pyramid Table 02 are classic, high-quality designs with colorways or sculptural legs that make them striking to look at. Café-style tables are similar, in that they often have smaller round tabletops, but pair that with a stunning nature-based color or angular, unusual legs. The Copenhague 20 Dining Table exemplifies this, with its pyramidal legs and eight color choices.
Coffee Tables
Because coffee tables tend to act as living room accent pieces, there is more freedom in Danish coffee table design. From simple silhouettes in vibrant colors to iconic shapes, Danish coffee tables come in a wide variety of forms. Inspired by paper origami, the Slit Table has a simple round or oblong surface atop three joined panels. In addition to coming in the classic Scandinavian white, black, and moss green, there’s also the option to have eye-catching mirrored surfaces. Similarly, the Tray Coffee Table is a square coffee table with slim minimalist legs and a removable top, making it both functional and attractive in any space.
Side + End Tables
Extra surface space with charm, Danish side tables are an excellent option for fans of modern design. Classic forms with clean lines, the Bella Side Table and the Rey Stool are lovely accent pieces that can add a pop of color to any room. Both more practical and more unique in shape, the Don’t Leave Me Side Table has a simple handle protruding from its top, making it easy to move on a whim. The Bowler Side Table is a more compact piece with a semicircular handle that extends from its solid granite base, giving it a distinctive, stylish profile.
Danish Decor
From stunning vases to minimalist clocks and sculptural candleholders, pieces of Danish decor serve a purpose in a stylish way. The Flare Candle Holder is blown glass art that comes in classic Danish pastels, while the Column Candleholder is a simple earthenware piece in nature-based colors, but both provide an attractive and sturdy place to put a candle. The Arcs Vase is a stainless-steel vase with a scalloped silhouette that is a lovely place to display flowers, but also works as sculpture on its own. And the Table Clock, Wall Clock, and Analog Clock are all variations on the same idea—a classic clock façade that fits into any room design scheme.
