When it comes to outdoor furniture, you'd be hard-pushed to find designs that have been copied as many times as HAY's green Palissade collection. Designed by French design duo Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, it broke the mold when it first launched back in 2016. Now, after 10 years in production, it has gained cult status among architects, interior experts, and garden designers alike.
In the Bouroullec brothers' own words, the pieces are "strong without being bulky; elegant without being fragile." The pair drew inspiration from the hardwearing metal furniture found in the parks and pavement cafes of Paris for the powder-coated steel collection, where a distinctive geometric silhouette allows wind and rain to pass through its slatted surfaces, while it's weighty enough tocored stay put whatever the weather throws at it.
If you're on the hunt for new garden furniture, I can attest that making timeless, weather-proof pieces is something HAY does incredibly well. I have HAY's Hee chairs in my coastal garden — they've been left outside uncovered for the last six years and look as good today as they did when I bought them. Unsurprisingly, the same can't be said of the Fermob-inspired bench I found on the high street... So, while you might be tempted to snap up one of the many copycat designs out there, I'd highly recommend saving up for the real thing if you want your pieces to last.
Vladimir Krastev, project lead at Bradley Van Der Straeten Architects, is in little doubt that the Palissade designs have earned modern-classic status. "The collection hits a sweet spot that's hard to find in outdoor furniture: it's well-made with a distinctly pared-back style," he says. "It strips things down to just what's needed, and that restraint gives it a versatility that works across almost any setting."
And, after poring over countless images of Palissade furniture in situ while writing this, I'm completely in agreement. The designs slot seamlessly into rambling country gardens, tropical poolside terraces, leafy courtyards, and everything in between. "This collection works really well in compact gardens, thanks to a minimal design that doesn't compromise on ergonomics," adds Vladimir, who notes how comfortable the seating is, with or without the optional cushions.
While the architect understands the enduring popularity of the classic green colorway, he also loves seeing the other shades being embraced. "Green is a natural fit — literally," he says. "There's something instinctively right about it in a garden setting. That said, we'd always encourage people to consider the bolder options too. The cream-white and iron red are genuinely beautiful, and outdoor spaces should be just as joyful and personal as the interiors they connect to."
When renovating her 1960s townhouse in Lambeth, Corey Hemingway, co-founder of design-led estate agency Hemingway+K, selected a Palissade dining table with matching chairs and a bench for the garden, opting for the iconic green shade. "Either iron red or olive green could have worked for me; in the end, I chose green because I wanted the subtlety against a mostly green backdrop," she explains.
Drawn to the collection's easy elegance, it comes as no surprise to Corey that the market is flooded with semi-successful lookalikes. "Doesn’t that happen to all the great, lasting designs?" she muses. "It’s a compliment of sorts. But when I look at a client’s garden for the first time, and I spot Palissade pieces, I can see an appreciation of quality that extends outside the home. The pieces work really well in both historic and contemporary settings, and avoid being ubiquitous, because they're a considerable investment for most of us."
Not a brand to rest on its laurels, HAY built on the collection's success in 2025, when it launched Palissade Cord. Taking cues from 1960s plastic-woven chairs, the pieces are made from recycled polyester cord that has been handwoven onto steel frames for a more relaxed alternative.
"It's something that we've worked on from the very beginning of Palissade," says HAY co-founder Rolf Hay. "By wrapping the cord around a steel structure, it keeps the profile unchanged, but it adds texture. It’s almost like an upholstered version."
Palissade Cord is available in shades that match the existing variants, so the two styles combine beautifully. "From the start, it was a conscious decision to choose colors that blend into their environment,” adds Rolf. "Green is the color of the forest and nature; black and gray are the two colors of the city, of concrete and asphalt. Terracotta is the color of red brick. All these shades are intentional and gentle on the environment they’re situated in."
If, like me, all these sun-drenched shots of stylish outdoor spaces have left you with a desperate urge to overhaul your garden in time for the warmer weather, then it's worth noting that now is the best time to buy new outdoor furniture. And to make it easy, I've selected my favorites from the Palissade collection for you.
But if HAY's Palissade collection isn't on the cards for you — and that's fair enough — then make sure you scrub up on the latest outdoor furniture trends before you shop, to make sure your garden doesn't feel like a garden, but like a stylish outdoor 'room'.
