Layout Armchair: transparent, comfortable, and surprisingly compact
The Layout Armchair is one of the newest additions to HAY’s seating range. Designed by Julien Renault, a French designer based in Brussels, it is conceived as a coherent family of chairs built around comfort, functionality, and long-term use.
Its defining feature is the open backrest: a structural detail that improves comfort and, above all, lightens the chair’s visual presence. It is an armchair, yet it feels transparent in the room. Light and sightlines pass through it, making it easier for even small or already busy spaces to breathe.
In terms of materials, the shell (and, in the plastic versions, the seat as well) is made with at least 96% post-consumer recycled polypropylene. The whole chair is designed with a very practical idea of circularity in mind: separable components, replaceable parts, removable upholstery, and the possibility to renew rather than discard.
The shell is a single, universal piece, with pre-set mounting holes to fit the different bases in the collection. It is an inherently more sustainable choice, because it reduces structural variants and increases compatibility and longevity over time. It is the same principle HAY uses for its flagship AAC range, conceived as a system where one shell can be paired with multiple bases and configurations.
It is also contract-certified, suitable for both private and public settings, with a 10-year warranty and spare parts available throughout the warranty period (as is the case for all HAY products).
Why it works so well with our tables
La sedia resta più esterna, i passaggi si stringono, e negli spazi ridotti la cosa si sente subito. So much for theory. There is also a very practical reason we brought it into the selection of seating we keep in store. Armrests are wonderful, but they are often the very thing that prevents a chair from sliding fully under a table. The chair sits further out, circulation becomes tighter, and in small spaces you feel it immediately.
With our tables,slim and built without any additional underframe beyond the tabletop itself, that issue is drastically reduced. There is no crossbar or frame to catch the armrest too soon. The Layout Armchair slides completely under the top, even with armrests. It is a simple, major advantage: real comfort, a compact footprint, and more freedom of movement around the table.
Configurations: four ways to be Layout
The 211–214 family offers four clear, well-judged setups:
- 211: polypropylene shell and seat
- 212: polypropylene shell with plywood seat
- 213: polypropylene shell with upholstered seat
- 214: fully upholstered, shell and seat, with removable upholstery and a wide choice of fabrics and leather
Bases and legs: one chair, different roles
Beyond the slender tubular steel legs (chrome or powder-coated), there are many base options: solid wood legs, a 4-star swivel base, a 5-star swivel base also available with castors and height adjustment, arc base, and arc base with castors. This range of options is what allows Layout to move naturally from home to contract projects, without changing its language.
Final note
We had barely grown attached to Layout’s armrests when the armless version arrived. Layout Chair has just been launched: the same open-back idea and lightness, in an even more essential line.
