Crate side table by Gerrit Rietveld

“The Crate side table features a square top and an additional storage shelf; it is crafted from solid pine with a water-based lacquer finish.”: HAY

The only piece in the series with a low shelf: 49.5 cm wide, 45 cm high, two levels. This is the Rietveld end table, reissued in 2023 along with the armchair and chair.

Pine and water-based lacquer

Each piece is made of solid pine: HAY writes solid pinewood on all product sheets, protected by a water-based lacquer, which is transparent on the natural version and tinted on the other four. HAY explains its choice of water-based lacquer: it “emits fewer volatile organic compounds than conventional PU lacquer” and “has been developed to match the durability of traditional PU finishes.” The series is rated for outdoor use, “suitable for a wide range of outdoor environments,” and is delivered flat-packed, with standard gliders. Five finishes: natural, white, London fog (a warm gray), 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 that 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, recalls Titus Darley of Rietveld Originals. HAY reissued it in 2023 with Rietveld Originals: first the armchair, chair, coffee table, and side table, then the sofa, bench, and dining table in 2024. Rolf Hay, co-founder of the brand: “It is hard to imagine anything closer to our design values, because Rietveld’s mission was really to create a range of cool, affordable, and accessible furniture for everyone.”