HAY Revives a Piece of Danish Design History With X-Line Chair Release
Reintroducing the satisfyingly stackable piece by Niels Jorgen Haugesen in new hues.
HAY has reissued the iconic X-Line Chair, originally conceived by Danish designer Niels Jorgen Haugesen in the late 1970s. Beloved for its industrial appeal and convenient stackability, the lightweight metal chair will come back in a range of fresh colors.
In a statement, HAY co-founder Rolf Hay said “The X-Line Chair is one of the few high-tech objects that came out of Denmark.” “But in many ways, it’s one of the most intelligent designs to come out of our country. So minimal and well thought out,” he continued.
Indeed, this particular design departs from Denmark’s more organic, wood-focussed furniture from the mid-century period. The chair’s lines were sharp, simplified and rendered in chrome wire and perforated steel — functionalist in every sense. When stacked, the X shape reveals itself with prominence, a detail that relies on the piece’s practical purpose.
Having emerged during the latter end of the mid-century Modernist currents, the X-line chair contrasts with the gently curved forms and materiality of typical Danish design. After working under Anne Jacobsen in the 1960s, Haugesen started his independent practice in 1971, which later launched the X-Line chair in its original chromed finish in 1977.
Awarded the Danish ID Prize in 1987, the chair was first reissued by Danish brand Magnus Olesen in 2022 after a break from the market. However, HAY’s new launch presents never-before-scene colors co-curated by the Haugesen estate, including various shades of green, rusty red, and blue.
The X-Line Chair is available now for pre-order from official HAY dealers and is set to launch in Spring 2025.
