Crate coffee table by Gerrit Rietveld

“The Crate coffee table has a square top and diagonal cross-braces; it is crafted from solid pine with a water-based lacquered finish in several colors.”: HAY

Two squares, 45 or 75.5 cm per side, at 40 cm off the ground: the small one slips next to a lounge chair, the large one sits in front of the sofa. The tabletop is slatted, like the seating in the series.

Pine and water-based lacquer

Each piece is made of solid pine: HAY writes solid pinewood on all spec sheets: protected by a water-based lacquer, transparent on the natural version, tinted on the other four. HAY explains its choice of water-based lacquer: it “emits fewer volatile organic compounds than standard PU lacquer” and “has been developed to equal the durability of traditional PU finishes.” The series is rated for outdoor use, “suitable for a wide variety of outdoor environments,” and is delivered flat-packed, with standard glides. Five finishes: natural, white, London fog (a warm grey), iron red, and black.

Crate, Gerrit Rietveld’s crate furniture

In 1934, Gerrit Rietveld designed a chair using planks from shipping crates: reclaimed wood, visible joints, and an assembly plan anyone could follow. HAY summarizes the origin: “originally designed to utilize surplus wooden shipping crates.” The series was sold at the time as “weekend furniture” by the Metz & Co store in Amsterdam, notes Titus Darley of Rietveld Originals. HAY reissued it in 2023 with Rietveld Originals: lounge chair, chair, coffee table, and side table first, then the sofa, bench, and dining table in 2024. Rolf Hay, co-founder of the brand: “It is hard to imagine something closer to our design values, because Rietveld’s mission was truly to create a cool, affordable, and accessible range of furniture for everyone.”