Blu Dot
| Industry | Furniture |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1997 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Founders |
|
| Headquarters | Minneapolis, MN , U.S. |
| Website | BluDot.com |
Blu Dot is a modern American furniture retailer based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It operates 17 retail locations[1] across the United States, Mexico, and Australia.[2] The company employs nearly 200 worldwide, with the majority based at its Minneapolis headquarters.[3]
History
Blu Dot was founded in 1997 by John Christakos, Maurice Blanks, and Charlie Lazor with $50,000 of capital.[2] The founders met as undergraduate students at Williams College in Massachusetts and conceived the idea for the company during a backpacking trip across Asia in 1988.[2][4] The founders cited their struggle to furnish their first post-college apartments as the catalyst for the company.[5] They found that options for furniture were either unaffordable or undesirable.[6]
In 2018, Blu Dot was awarded for Product Design at the Cooper Hewitt National Design Awards.[7] In the same year, the founders published a memoir detailing the company's history, titled "Less Is More (Difficult): 20 Years of Design at Blu Dot.[2]"
Development process and products
Blu Dot has a unique product development process insofar as they control the product from its design through its retail life, via an in-house team.[4][5] The company emphasizes co-ideation during the design process instead of a designer's individual ownership of a product's design. Design ideas are put up in their early stages for critique by the larger design group to refine the idea instead of the initial designer working through the product’s creative and practical challenges alone.[8] Blu Dot does not put its designers' names on the products they sell.[9]
Blu Dot's product offerings include indoor/outdoor dining chairs, glass nesting tables, plastic lounge chairs,[10] storage ottomans, pillows, as well as living room staple sofas.[11]
References
- ^ "Blu Dot Store Locator".
- ^ a b c d Studach, Mel (26 November 2018). "Why Blu Dot wants to make good design democratic". Business of Home. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
- ^ Lagorio-Chafkin, Christine. "How Two Architects and a Sculptor Built an Enduring Furniture Design Firm". Inc. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- ^ a b Kenefick, Courtney (2017-05-09). "How It's Made: Blu Dot". SURFACE. Retrieved 2025-06-30.
- ^ a b Felensthal, Julia (16 August 2011). "John Christakos and Maurice blanks, Blu Dot". Slate. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
- ^ "Blu Dot". Grid Furnishings. Archived from the original on 2014-01-10. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
- ^ "The year's best design firm according to Cooper Hewitt". Business of Home. June 2018. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
- ^ Bronson, Lynn. "Connecting the Dots". Sherwin Williams.
- ^ Jow, Tiffany (8 May 2018). "Blu Dot Keeps Turning Furniture Design on Its Head". Surface.
- ^ Beall, Kelly (13 February 2023). "Get Ready for Spring 2023 With New Furniture From Blu Dot". Design Milk. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
- ^ Hollowood, Kate (26 March 2023). "4 tips for having throw pillows on a couch while keeping the room calm and uncluttered". Living Etc. Retrieved 28 March 2023.