Karen McCartney introduces Blu Dot's Real Good Chair, our newest Object of Desire.

It is hard not to be charmed by Blu Dot the brand because of the pleasingly idiosyncratic design and marketing philosophy that emanates from their HQ in the USA. In fact their mantra is 'Designing stuff we love. Every day, here in Minneapolis'. The business is unusual in its set up in that the founders are designers, manufacturers, marketers, retailers and distributors. They control the whole shebang, which means they can have some fun and exercise truly independent thought around the brand.

You see it at every turn – the cleverness of the catalogues, the cheekiness of the website and the ability to deliver interesting social experiments. Check out 'The Real Good Chair Experiment', a study in 'curb-mining' (when people collect unwanted furniture from the side of the road).



The Sydney home of Arran Russell and Jacqui Lewis, via Design Sponge.

Which leads me nicely to the latest Object of Desire - the Real Good Chair in copper. It is fast becoming something of a cult design with its sculptural form, which it marries with surprising comfort. It 'ages gracefully' as handling and time give it a pleasing patina that adds to its character.


Image by Blu Dot

While this version is copper plate over steel, its Real Good Chair siblings in powder-coated steel come in a range of 5 colours from a glossy black through to a summery aqua. Each colour takes on a different personality and their distinctive form means they work equally as a well-positioned single chair or as a setting around a dining table.



The chair comes flat-packed ('As skinny as a super model, yet far more sturdy' reads the blurb) and you can see how easy the assembly is by watching their video 'Mr Squirrel Assembles a Real Good Chair.' The implication being if a squirrel can do it....