HOT MESH COLLECTION
By Blu Dot, 2012

What happens when you take the classic 1859 Thonet café chair, run it through a Midwestern design filter, and make it tough enough to handle anything from dinner parties to patio cocktails? You get Hot Mesh, a nine-piece collection launched in 2012 by Blu Dot, the Minneapolis-based design company with a mission to “bring good design to as many people as possible.” The idea started simply enough: design a chair that’s sturdy, stackable, and at ease both indoors and out. The challenge was execution. How to keep the effortless charm of its Thonet bentwood inspiration while making it durable enough to withstand the seasons? The answer: a powder-coated steel structure with a zinc primer, built to resist corrosion but light enough to move when needed. While the plastic glides on its feet to protect floors indoors, outside is where Hot Mesh belongs. The perforated seat and back aren’t just a nod to Mathieu Matégot’s classic mid-century metalwork; they let air pass through, offer slight flex for comfort, and make a case for function and form working in quiet harmony. Blu Dot was founded in 1997 by three friends — Maurice Blanks, John Christakos, and Charlie Lazor — who believed design should be democratic, useful, and unpretentious. They’ve kept their egalitarian “for everyone” approach, forgoing commissions by big-name designers and opting instead for hands-on, in-house collaboration. Hot Mesh is a product of that philosophy. Bold colors, clean lines, and an irreverent name that, like much of Blu Dot’s line, comes with a little wink. The collection includes standard and lounge seating, a settee, ottoman, counter stool, barstool, and two heights of table — in a range of up to eight colors. With so many options to choose from, Hot Mesh can either meld into a space or stand out as needed. It’s proof that great design just has to be great.