Image source: HAY — Deville
© HAY and the respective rights holders. Quoted to accompany INTEBEE's independent design commentary and research.
Collection Story
Origin
The Deville Collection is a set of outdoor aluminium chairs, armchairs and tilt-top tables designed by the French designer Julien Renault for HAY, dating from 2026. Renault traces the idea to a September 2021 visit with his family to Maison Istas, a traditional brasserie in the suburbs of Brussels, where he liked the simple table settings and the wooden chairs. HAY introduced the collection as a modern reading of the classic bistro set, inspired by the spirit and aesthetics of iconic 1920s Thonet chairs. The brief asked for a monobloc aluminium chair that embraces the complexity of aluminium craftsmanship, with a circular sustainability profile and an outward perception of durability.
The name honours Henri Étienne Sainte-Claire Deville, the first French chemist to find a method of producing aluminium on an industrial scale. It also carries a second meaning, because in French Deville sounds like "de ville", from the city or for the city.
Design Language
Like the wooden chairs that inspired it, Deville is composed of several elements assembled with screws, which makes it easy to dismantle and so supports recycling and repair. The collection combines several manufacturing processes, including casting and bending, and the aluminium has a post-consumer recycled share of at least 60%. On the chairs, the seat and backrest are cast aluminium with 70% recycled content, and the frame is tube with 60% recycled content. Proportions are generous and the frames softly curved, balancing durability with an open, welcoming character.
The pieces are rust-resistant and have a weatherproof outdoor powder coating. They are lightweight and easy to move and rearrange, and chairs and armchairs stack up to five high. Adjustable gliders of recycled plastic and glass fibre sit under the legs. On the tables, a steel tabletop with a tilting mechanism sits on a die-cast aluminium base, and the tilting handle is mounted underneath the top. Chairs and armchairs come in five colours, the tables in three, and matching seat pads are available.
Key Pieces
- Deville Chair: width 44.5, depth 52.5, height 80 cm, with a 45 cm seat height
- Deville Armchair: width 57.5, depth 52.5, height 80 cm, with a 67 cm armrest height
- Deville Table: round tops of 55 and 80 cm diameter, a 55 x 55 cm square top and a 60 x 70 cm rectangular top, all 74 cm high
- Deville Seat Pad: a seat pad made to match the chairs
