The modern furniture brand’s Portland outpost hosted a riveting discussion on the importance of design in our everyday lives.
On Thursday, January 30, hundreds of creative types braved the rain and flocked to the new Blu Dot showroom in Portland’s Pearl District for the Design At Work panel discussion.
Moderated by GRAY’s deputy editor Rachel Gallaher, the panel explored the need for design, consumer-driven design, and delved into what’s on the horizon for the industry. Panelists included Blu Dot’s cofounders John Christakos and Maurice Blanks, Waechter Architecture lead architect and 2019 GRAY Awards winner Ben Waechter, and Osmose Design founder Andee Hess.
Guests mingled amid the modern furnishings and enjoyed the rousing panel conversation, which covered themes of workplace design, accruing well-made items rather than mass-produced pieces, and career advice.
“It was a really fantastic event that saw a really large and diverse swathe of Portland’s design community come out to celebrate the Blu Dot opening,” Gallaher says. “It was one of those discussions where the panelists vibed really well together and we had the opportunity to dive into some pressing topics including the future of design and the importance of environmentalism.”
