HAY Colour Crate
26.5 x 17 x 10.5 cm
Colour coordinated storage: these boxes are a great alternative to a Colour Crate from Hay
27/8/2024
Translation: Elicia Payne
The folding boxes from Hay are real all-rounders. And I’ve found some great alternatives which are just as stylish.
Hay has started a new trend with their Colour Crate, which, according to the Danish brand, blew up during the pandemic. The colourful storage wonders are inspired by classic fruit crates from the Aykasa brand in Turkey. They’re mainly intended for agriculture and the food trade and have become a trend object that’s particularly popular on social media and among design enthusiasts.
While vegetable crates usually come in bold, basic colours with no unique design, Hay crates are much more sophisticated. They’re designed to make rooms look more aesthetically pleasing and come in soft pastel colours or bold but tasteful colours with an eye-catching, perforated design. It’s because of their design that they can be used in many spaces. Aykasa also offers fruit crates for living areas. Perfect for anyone looking for visually similar alternatives or cheaper versions of the in-demand folding boxes.
1. Dots and dashes
Made Crate boxes are a product line from Made – a famous British furniture and interiors company. They impress with their minimalist look, soft colours (except for the tomato red) and have dot and dash shaped openings.
Source: Made Crate
2. Diagonals
The InnovaGoods set, fits on shelves or desks thanks to its compact size and also keeps things tidy. It comprises three boxes in two sizes: a large one in grey and two smaller ones in green. Here, the openings are laid out like diagonal lines.
Source: InnovaGoods
3. Discreet
The foldable box series Savina from Micasa can be erected and folded again effortlessly like the Hay model – perfect for space-saving storage. Made partly from recycled plastic, Savina is available in two sizes (18.5 cm × 27.0 × 11.6 cm and 27.5 × 37.5 × 16.2 cm) and doesn’t draw any attention.
4. Labels
The Turkish brand Aykasa produces both functional and aesthetically pleasing boxes, which are available in all kinds of colours and sizes. Even a neon yellow has made it into the collection – for all those who love eclectic style. The special features of this design are the slash patterns and the small area for labelling the boxes.
Source: Aykasa
5. Stripes
With the storage boxes from the Weston series by Liewood, you have a storage aid and light protection in one. They don’t have any openings except for the handles. The linear pattern on the exterior is in the same colour as the rest of the box and makes the storage item stand out. Plus, they’re stackable, foldable, have practical grip holes and shine in muted colours such as rose, caramel and grey.
Source: Liewood
6. Big grips
The foldable crates from the Canadian brand 3 Sprouts are available in two sizes (29.5 × 21.5 × 13 cm and 43 × 29 × 17 cm) and in four colours: pink, white, green and yellow. You can combine the different shades with each other and the large handles make them easy to carry. Like all other models, these crates can be folded up and stowed away to save space when not in use.
7. Well signposted
To ensure you find the right place for your belongings, the boxes from Schou can be labelled with matching cardboard labels. For even more flexibility in what can be stored in the folding boxes, they not only have various colours but also sizes to choose from. By the way, Schou is a GRS-certified manufacturer that produces crates from 100 per cent recycled plastic.
Source: Schou
8. Elegantly perforated
Liewood has another series called Dirch in its collection alongside Weston. This is highlighted by a perforated pattern and consists of 60 per cent recycled materials.
Source: Liewood
9. Not too in-your-face
Made of robust plastic, the Exacompta model is easy on the eye with an opaque look – it’s completely sealed except for the handle openings. Ranging from pink to dusky pink to a pacific blue, the colours are visually appealing and the newly interpreted fruit crates are an attractive addition to any space.
Header image: Made Crate
Pia Seidel
Senior Editor
Pia.Seidel@digitecgalaxus.chLike a cheerleader, I love celebrating good design and bringing you closer to everything furniture- and interior design- related. I regularly curate simple yet sophisticated interior ideas, report on trends and interview creative minds about their work.