The best HAY products share a position: good design at a price that does not require a gallery budget. HAY, the Danish brand founded in 2002, is sold through specialty retailers and Amazon. This guide covers the HAY products with reliable Amazon availability — primarily accessories and storage, where HAY’s argument is most legible.
Our Top Picks
HAY’s Amazon catalog is centered on its accessories and storage line. The Colour Crate is the product with the most verified Amazon availability and the clearest expression of what HAY is arguing about color and material.
- HAY Colour Crate S (Dark Mint) (Budget–Mid Range): The small crate in dark mint, stackable, foldable, 100% recycled polypropylene, shows HAY’s position that storage is a design decision, not a utility problem to be solved with whatever is cheap.
- HAY Colour Crate M (Red) (Mid Range): The M size is the practical workhorse, large enough for A4 documents, kitchen staples, or studio supplies; the red colorway is the most direct argument for HAY’s position on color as a material decision, not a finish.
- HAY Colour Crate S (Dark Blue) (Budget–Mid Range): Same recycled-polypropylene construction as the red, in a quieter register. Dark blue against white shelving is how HAY products appear in their own Copenhagen store.
- HAY Colour Crate M (Navy) (Mid Range): The M footprint in a less assertive color, works with both HAY’s brighter accessories and neutral interiors; for buyers who want the size without the statement.
- HAY (Phaidon, 2022) by Kelsey Keith, Rolf and Mette Hay (Mid Range): The official 20th-anniversary monograph with 600 color images and the brand’s own account of its founding argument; the most direct way to understand what HAY is doing before you buy anything.
Quick decision guide
- Best desk or studio storage: HAY Colour Crate S (Dark Mint) — small enough for a desk, correct size for a shelf, the color reads clearly in almost any setting.
- Best kitchen storage: HAY Colour Crate M (Red) — large enough for kitchen staples, the red makes it a design decision rather than a utility object.
- Best for minimal interiors: HAY Colour Crate S (Dark Blue) — the quietest colorway on Amazon, still holds HAY’s material argument without pushing into the room.
- Best HAY furniture on Amazon: HAY furniture search — availability varies; Design Within Reach (dwr.com) and the HAY US store (us.hay.com) have more consistent stock for chairs and sofas.
- Best HAY book: HAY (Phaidon, 2022) — the brand monograph; worth buying before making any furniture purchase.
Full comparison
| Product | Best For | Price Range | Key Feature | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colour Crate S (Dark Mint) | Desk/studio storage | Budget | 100% recycled polypropylene, foldable, stackable | Buy |
| Colour Crate M (Red) | Kitchen/studio | Mid Range | Larger footprint, color-forward | Buy |
| Colour Crate S (Dark Blue) | Minimal interiors | Budget | Restrained color, same construction | Buy |
| Colour Crate M (Navy) | M footprint, quiet palette | Mid Range | Neutral-leaning color in M size | Buy |
| HAY Furniture (chairs, sofas) | Furniture | Mid–Premium | Not consistently on Amazon — use DWR or us.hay.com | Search |
The best HAY products reviewed — what each one actually does
HAY Colour Crate S (Dark Mint)
Pros:
- Made from 100% recycled post-consumer plastic — not just sustainable-adjacent, actually recycled material
- HAY’s color argument is most direct here: the mint reads as a design decision in a room, not a utility object
- Foldable and stackable — genuine storage flexibility, not marketing flexibility
- Danish Technological Institute testing for quality standards
Cons:
- Not every colorway consistently in stock on Amazon — dark mint availability can vary
- The foldable hinge shows wear under sustained heavy use
- Price is higher than generic storage alternatives by a real margin
Who it’s for: Design-aware buyers who want storage that earns its visual presence in a room.
Why it stands out: It is made from genuinely recycled material and still performs like a premium object — that combination is not common at this price.
HAY Colour Crate M (Red)
Pros:
- The M size is the right footprint for kitchen or studio use — A4-document depth, room for bulk items
- Red is HAY’s most assertive color position; it works in any room that can hold a color statement
- Same recycled-polypropylene construction as the S
- Foldable and stackable at scale
Cons:
- Red is not for every interior; buyers who want neutral should go to Navy or Dark Blue
- Same foldable hinge caveat as the S — heavy sustained loads show wear
- Needs other HAY objects nearby or a confident interior to avoid looking arbitrary
Who it’s for: Buyers who want their storage to do something visually in a kitchen or studio.
Why it stands out: The color is not decorative. It is HAY’s argument that color is a design material with the same weight as form.
HAY Colour Crate S (Dark Blue)
Pros:
- The most neutral of the verified Amazon colorways — works in interiors running quieter or more monochromatic
- Same recycled-polypropylene construction, same stackable and foldable function
- Dark blue against white shelving is how HAY’s own Copenhagen store photographs its product
Cons:
- Availability can be thinner than the red or mint on Amazon
- At the S size, the storage capacity is limited; buy two or go for M if volume matters
Who it’s for: Buyers who want the HAY material argument in a form that does not announce itself.
Why it stands out: Demonstrates that HAY’s position on color does not require a loud colorway — it holds in a quieter register.
HAY Colour Crate M (Navy)
Pros:
- M footprint in a color that works across more interior contexts than the red
- Same construction as all Colour Crate variants
- Pairs naturally with both HAY’s brighter accessories and neutral furniture
Cons:
- Less differentiated from generic navy storage than the brighter colorways
- Same wear caveat on the hinge
Who it’s for: Buyers who want the M size without committing to a color statement.
Why it stands out: Bridges HAY’s color ambition with interiors that are not built around it.
HAY furniture — a note on Amazon availability
HAY’s chairs, sofas, and tables, the About A Chair (AAC series), the Mags Sofa, the Copenhague Table, are not consistently stocked on Amazon. The primary US sources are Design Within Reach (the official US dealer), the HAY US store at us.hay.com, and the MoMA store. If you want to understand what HAY furniture is before buying, the Phaidon monograph is the right first step. If you are ready to purchase, go to Design Within Reach or the HAY US store directly.
Why HAY sits where it does in Danish design history
HAY’s founding argument in 2002 was a correction. The golden era of Danish furniture, Jacobsen, Wegner, Mogensen, had calcified into a reproduction-and-heritage industry. The designers were dead; the brands holding their licenses were selling nostalgia at gallery prices. HAY’s response was to work with living designers at prices that did not require a gallery budget. The Colour Crate is the product that most legibly makes this argument. It is made from 100% recycled post-consumer plastic, a material decision the 1950s designers could not have made, in a color range that treats storage as a design position. The recycled polypropylene is not a sustainability marketing claim. It is the current equivalent of what the Scandinavian democratic design project was always doing: using the best available material at the best available price to solve a real problem. For the full brand profile and more detail on what HAY has built, see the HAY Danish design brand article.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are HAY products available on Amazon?
Yes, selected HAY products are on Amazon — primarily the Colour Crate accessory line in multiple sizes and colors. The Colour Crate is available on Amazon in multiple sizes and colors, including S (Dark Mint, Dark Blue) and M (Red, Navy). HAY furniture (chairs, sofas, tables) is not consistently stocked on Amazon; for furniture, use Design Within Reach or the HAY US store at us.hay.com.
What is the best HAY product for a small apartment?
The Colour Crate S is the best HAY product for a small apartment — it is small enough for a desk or a kitchen shelf, made from recycled polypropylene, foldable when not in use, and available in colors that work as design decisions rather than background objects. For HAY furniture in a small apartment, the About A Chair (AAC) is the brand’s most space-efficient seating option, though it is not consistently stocked on Amazon.
Is HAY furniture sold in the US?
Yes. HAY arrived in the United States in 2015 through the MoMA design store. The primary US retailers are Design Within Reach (the official HAY dealer for the US), the HAY US store at us.hay.com, and select specialty retailers. Since Herman Miller acquired majority ownership of HAY in 2019 and the subsequent MillerKnoll merger, HAY has expanded its US distribution network.
What makes HAY Colour Crates worth the price?
The Colour Crate is made from 100% recycled post-consumer plastic — not recycled-content plastic, but fully recycled post-consumer waste. It is foldable, stackable, and available in a color range that treats storage as a design decision rather than a utility problem. HAY designs are tested by the Danish Technological Institute. The price premium over generic storage alternatives corresponds to a real difference in material sourcing and design investment.
How does HAY compare to MUJI for home accessories?
HAY and Muji are different arguments. HAY uses color as a design material — the Colour Crate exists in an aggressive range of colors because HAY believes color is a design decision with the same weight as form. Muji’s polypropylene storage is semi-transparent and unbranded — emptiness is the position. If you want storage that makes a color statement, HAY is the right choice. If you want storage that recedes into use, Muji is. For more on that comparison, see the best Muji home products.
Where is the best place to buy HAY furniture in the US?
Design Within Reach (dwr.com) is the primary US dealer for HAY furniture. The HAY US store at us.hay.com ships directly. For in-person viewing, Design Within Reach has physical showrooms in major US cities. Amazon is not a reliable source for HAY furniture — the Colour Crate accessories are well-stocked there, but chairs, sofas, and tables are not.
For the broader context of this work, see the Design Brands & Ateliers hub — a guide to the brands and studios driving contemporary design.
About Zoe Post
Zoe Post holds a BFA and a Master of Architecture from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She now works as a product marketing leader at an architectural product design firm, bringing hands-on industry perspective to everything she writes. At ADI she covers contemporary artists, textile and pattern design, and the design objects that sit at the boundary of art and function.
