Élémentaire
A plain chair of moulded polypropylene for indoor and outdoor use, designed by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec and made by HAY since 2018.
- Designed by
- Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec
- Made by
- HAY
- First made
- 2018
Pictures © HAY, from hay.com.
Why it is renowned
Dezeen covered its launch at Milan design week in 2018, where HAY showed it with Sonos and WeWork in the Palazzo Clerici.1 The brothers set out to make a low-cost plastic chair that did not look like one; Ronan Bouroullec compared it to a white T-shirt or blue jeans.12
The story
The chair grew from the aluminium Hole chair that the Bouroullecs drew for Cappellini in 1999.1 Its polypropylene structure has no visible joins.1 HAY now makes it in Denmark from 80% recycled polypropylene and 20% fibreglass, with a matt, slightly textured surface.3 The material resists UV light, so the chair can stand outdoors as well as in.32 It comes on four legs in several colours.3
Sources
- Bouroullec brothers design low-cost Élémentaire chair for Hay, Dezeen. dezeen.com, read 1 October 2026.
- The Bouroullec brothers and HAY discuss the Élémentaire Chair. hay.com, read 1 October 2026.
- Élémentaire Chair, HAY. hay.com, read 30 September 2026.
Last checked 1 October 2026, against the maker's own pages.