In good company after a big move
Set aside the day when visiting the new Blu Dot store on Beverly Boulevard in West Hollywood. Not only is it the largest in the brand’s portfolio at 6,600 square feet, it also happens to be smack dab in one of L.A.’s most design-centric areas.
The Minneapolis-based label designs, produces and sells accessibly priced pieces with a modern American aesthetic: $39 for powder-coated steel letter holders, chairs that start at under $200, smaller couches at around $2,000.
The store is the company’s fifth (others are in New York, San Francisco, Minneapolis and Austin, Texas). It relocated to near the intersection of Beverly and Robertson Boulevard, leaving a space on Melrose Avenue that was half the size.
In its expanded new home, it shares real estate with the international glitterati of furniture design, including Minotti, Ligne Roset and Roche Bobois.
“Some of the best design brands in the world are our neighbors,” said Blu Dot co-founder John Christakos.
The shop officially opened on Wednesday and is a light-filled temple of modernity: white walls, concrete floors, the bow truss ceiling remaindered from the original
structure. The merchandise is thoughtfully laid out, with high vertical slats separating one category from another.
“We like to show our work in a realistic setup as opposed to singular design objects,” said Christakos. “We won’t make it too literal. It’s not like you’ll see fake mantelpieces and crown molding in the living room section.”
Nonetheless, the easy-tonavigate layout is all the better for bouncing on beds, sinking into an armchair, perching on a Blu Dot signature item like its Real Good perforated metal chairs.
“It’s an infrequent purchase, and it’s a considered purchase,” said Christakos. “We might not be for everybody, and our neighbors might also not be for everybody. Where we are, it makes it convenient for customers to shop the whole district.”
Blu Dot, 8751 Beverly Blvd., West Hollywood. home@latimes.com