Image: HAY
Image: HAY
Home & Interiors
HAY's Founder on Why Good Design Should Never Feel Untouchable
By Anna Wise
14.10.2026
Mette Hay founded HAY with her husband Rolf in Copenhagen in 2002. The idea was simple: well-made contemporary design that people setting up their first homes could actually afford. Twenty-odd years on, the range runs from toothbrushes to sofas, and the thinking hasn't changed much.
This season, La Pittura, HAY's tableware collection with artist Emma Kohlmann, adds four new plates, a small bowl, a cup and a trivet. Every piece is hand-painted by artisans in Sri Lanka, so no two are quite alike. That is the point. We spoke to Mette about Emma's brushwork, the last meal she served on the collection, and why a self-described non-perfectionist insists the motifs on her plates face the right way.
Image: HAY
Image: HAY
Interview with Mette Hay
For anyone discovering HAY here for the first time, can you tell us what you and Rolf set out to make?
Rolf and I started HAY in Copenhagen in 2002, and from the very beginning we wanted to make contemporary furniture, lighting and accessories for everyday life. We have always worked with designers from all over the world, which is why HAY is an international company still based in Denmark today. The range goes from the smallest things – a pair of scissors or a toothbrush – to a sofa, so there is always a way into the HAY universe. We are inspired by art, architecture, and contemporary culture, and we still spend a lot of time simply observing how people live.
What does home mean to you?
Home is where Rolf and I spend most of our time with our two children, our dogs, family and friends. It's filled with our favourite things – furniture and art we have collected slowly over many years. It's where we eat, rest and gather, and where nobody has to be anything other than themselves. I like a home to feel personal and lived in; it should never look finished nor perfect.
What was missing from people’s homes when you started?
When we started HAY, there was a lot of wonderful design at the high end, but very little that was well made and still within reach for most people. We wanted to fill that space together with some of the best designers in the world, making design for people like us – our own generation, who were setting up their first homes and cared about how things looked and felt.
What does good design mean to you now, twenty-something years in?
It hasn't really changed. For me, good design is still quite simple: it has to be useful, relevant and something you're happy to keep for years. But it also needs a little something extra – a colour, a detail or just a feeling that makes you fall for it and makes everyday life a bit better.
How did you first come across Emma’s work?
I first discovered Emma's work at V1 Gallery here in Copenhagen, and I have been following her ever since. When I finally met her, I remember how charming and kind she was. Beyond her lovely personality, of course, it was the work itself – her use of colour and the freedom in her brushstrokes – that stayed with me.
What does hand-painting give a piece that nothing else can?
I love that you can see the trace of a human hand in every piece. The small differences and imperfections are what make each one unique – no two plates are ever exactly the same.
Can you tell us about the artisans in Sri Lanka who paint the collection?
Every piece is painted by hand by very skilled artisans in Sri Lanka. Emma describes them as incredible artisans who studied her work, and you can really see how closely they looked. Because everything is done by hand, nothing is ever quite perfect – a stroke is a little thicker here, a face slightly different there – and to me, that is exactly the beauty of it. I love that a line Emma would typically put down on paper or canvas can find its way all the way to our table.
What is new in the collection this year?
It's a small addition this year: four new plates, another small bowl, a cup and a trivet, all carrying Emma's painterly motifs. Every item was selected to naturally alongside the existing collection, so you can keep building on what you already have.
Image: HAY
Image: HAY
Which of the new pieces went straight into your own home?
The plates and the cups.
How do you lay your own table at home?
I mix all the different plates, but I'm quite particular about how everything is placed. The plates have to be straight, so the motifs face the right way, and the cutlery and glasses need to be properly aligned. My mother taught me to make an effort when setting a table, and I suppose it has stayed with me. I'm not usually a perfectionist, but apparently when it comes to the table, I am – I had honestly never thought about that before.
What was the last meal you served on La Pittura?
Soup, served in the wide Together serving bowl on top of the larger plates. I love layering the pieces – the collection is at its most beautiful when you mix and stack them.
What do you hope people feel when they unwrap one for the first time?
First, I hope they notice the packaging – we spend almost as much time on it as on the products, and it carries motifs from the collection, too. Then I hope the tableware becomes part of their everyday. We always aim to design objects that are made to last, that people grow attached to. And last, but maybe most important, if they don't already know the artist behind the collection, Emma Kohlmann, I hope they will follow her as her work continues to evolve.
When you are not working, what does a slow day at home look like ?
I love waking up without an alarm and taking the dogs for a long walk with my husband Rolf. Then all the windows wide open and a swim, followed by lunch with the kids. Tennis in the afternoon, and Rolf cooking in the evening – that would be a perfect day for me.
Quick Fire
A colour you’re reaching for this autumn?
Brown.
A shop in Copenhagen you always send people to?
HAY House.
The object in your home you’d never part with?
My father’s handmade Danish birthday flags.
The piece you’d give as a gift?
La Pittura Collection by Emma Kohlmann – it's personal and beautiful.
An artist you’d love to work with next?
Yto Barrada.
Plate on the wall or plate on the table?
Both!
Favourite flower?
Those picked in our garden.
The last thing you brought home from a trip?
A beautiful big vintage porcelain tray from Hydra — which my dog broke the very first night because there was some leftover food next to it.
A design rule you happily break at home?
We don’t have so many rules – but there is always room for an extra guest around our table.
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