If there was any company whose founders were consider royalty amongst today's contemporary furniture designers, the guys behind Blu Dot would surely be kings. Or princes. Dukes at the very least. Around for over 10 years now, Blu Dot does two very important things: provide awesome and gorgeous furniture at remarkably accessible prices, and do so without taking itself too seriously. Gorgeous designs and a good sense of humor? If we could marry a furniture company, we'd be proposing to Blu Dot. I personally have a connection to Blu Dot--I had the opportunity to sell their wares while working in a hip downtown Austin furniture store a few years ago. It was always a pleasure to talk about their products, and it was never very difficult to close a sale. Blu Dot's furniture has spanned some of the most original and fun designs to come out of the contemporary modern furniture movement, and their commitment to high-quality means that these pieces can become investment pieces you own for years. At the store I used to work at, we always used to describe Blu Dot's prices as above IKEA but way below Design Within Reach, but Blu Dot is more than just the attention-grabbing middle child of the furniture industry--their tongue-in-cheek sense of humor shows they are smart, sassy and know that it's more fun to buy furniture from people who have fun. We had the awesome pleasure of speaking with Maurice Blanks, one of the founders of Blu Dot. It was clear from the start where Blu Dot gets its personality from.

1. Exclusive Interview: Maurice Blanks of Blu Dot

31. For more information about Maurice Blanks and Blu Dot, visit bludot.com. For more podcasts, design posts and design advice, check out the blog at 2modern.com