Blu Dot

Profile

This Minneapolis-based furniture company was founded by three college friends with the goal of providing affordable, stylish pieces for first apartments. Today, John Christakos, Charles Lazor, and Maurice Blanks design and manufacture playfully modern chairs, tables, desks, beds, and shelves that can be found in Blu Dot stores and other high-end boutiques all over the country. A slew of New York shops carry their products, including ABC Carpet & Home, Future Perfect, and Brooklyn’s Two Jakes, but this 2,500-square-foot Soho showroom has the best selection. Among the standouts are an efficient �One Night Stand Sleeper Sofa;� a foldable-steel �Real Good� counter stool; the seemingly gravity-defying �Desk 51,� with a writing surface jutting far past the legs; stackable solid wood �Timber Chairs;� and a modular shelving system of powder-coated steel that doesn’t require hardware. — Bree Sposato