In the beginning of the 1930s he began to experiment with metal and wire as an autodidact, applying these techniques to the design of furnishings, industrial products and sculptures. He was closely associated with the artists of Dada and the Concrete Art movement in Zurich, a circle including Max Bill, Verena Loewensberg and Hans Fischli.

In the summer of 1938, Hans Fischli, who had studied at the Bauhaus, encouraged him to develop models for the official chair of the 1939 Swiss National Exhibition – designs that 'should be new in every way', light, graceful, and friendly in expression. Over a short period of time, Hans Coray developed two prototypes for 'an all-aluminum chair that can be stacked vertically'. As the first of Coray's seating designs to enter production, the Landi Chair became a milestone in design history. Due to it's unique innovation, it was reissued by Vitra 75 years later.  An adherent of humanist values, Coray continued to create furniture into the 1950s, turning his attention in the later years of his life to painting and sculpture.