Crate Bench by Gerrit Rietveld

“The Crate bench features a slightly angled backrest and seat, with supportive armrests; it is crafted from solid pine with a water-based lacquer finish in a variety of colors.”: HAY

Added to the series in 2024, the bench takes the Crate chair and expands it to a width of 132 cm: seating two at a table, including backrest and armrests. HAY has designed a seat cushion to match its length.

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, 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 grey), iron red, and black.

Crate, the shipping crate furniture by Gerrit Rietveld

In 1934, Gerrit Rietveld designed a chair using wooden shipping crate planks: repurposed 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: starting with an armchair, chair, coffee table, and side table, followed by the sofa, bench, and dining table in 2024. Rolf Hay, co-founder of the company: “It is difficult 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.”