During NYCxDesign, furniture brand Blu Dot partnered with design collective Dudd Haus to curate an exhibition of quirky objects informed by the 20th anniversary of its Strut table.
The exhibition, titled This is Not a Strut, featured 21 works created by Dudd Haus members based on the meaning of the word strut – either as a noun used to describe the engineering technique for creating a rigid structure, or as a verb meaning to walk with swagger.
On show at Blu Dot‘s Manhattan shop, the responses to the open brief were varied and often distinctly personal, with outcomes ranging from furniture and lighting to fruit bowls, filing units and a lazy Susan.
Blu Dot, which is known for its functional, modern and somewhat irreverent designs, became established through its presence at the ICFF trade fair and New York design week in the 1990s and early 2000s.
This year, the company decided to use its platform during the festival to support young designers in the early stages of their careers, chief creative officer Sam Grawe explained.
“Now that we’re a little more grown up, this is a great time for us to extend that opportunity to a new generation of designers and to demonstrate our commitment to inspiring creativity in everyone,” said Grawe, who joined Blu Dot at the end of last year following stints at the Eames Insititute and Herman Miller.
Among the designs on show is the Cubist Stool by Brooklyn designer Steven Bukowski, which offers one of the more literal interpretations of a strut, with stacked aluminium cubes forming a structure that balances stress and strain.
Detroit-based Nicholas Tilma looked back at the history of the tripod when creating a table light that resembles a moon-landing spacecraft, with double-strut legs supporting a light-emitting rock.
Industrial designer Scott Newlin developed a table light featuring a base made from a square extruded steel profile similar to the one used to construct the Strut table.
The Trust Stool by UK-based Californian designer James Burial challenges the user to take a leap of faith by tilting the six-legged stool so it rests on its central pillar and any two of the outer legs.
A filing unit by Mark Dineen recreates the Strut table’s profile in solid bronze. The designer used a hand-sculpted mould to create its irregular surfaces, contrasting with the table’s crisp, clean lines.
Other participating designers include Baltimore-based Realm, Malcom Majer and Koba, Portland studio Spacecraft, Korean duo Beeep, Philadelphia designers Carl Durkow and Henry Merker, plus Brooklyn’s Jordan Maurice and Hannah Bigeleisen.
Also featured are Keith Holser’s homeware company Overt Cove, Pennsylvania furniture design studio East Otis, Minnesota’s Mothership Studio, craftsman Mike Newins, Montréal’s Jean-Michel Gadoua, New York duo Normalcy and Donut from Detroit.
Alongside the group show, Blu Dot presented the Strut table in a range of new colours released to mark its anniversary. The table features a simple powder-coated frame with angular struts supporting a laminated wood surface.
The exhibition was curated by Chris Held, the co-founder of design-based exhibition platform JonaldDudd, which has showcased work by more than 250 artists and designers since it was established in 2015.
Held, who worked with creative director Charles Constantine on the project, suggested that the collaboration with Blu Dot was based on shared values and the desire to bring the work of its members to a new audience.
“It’s clear that we share an irreverent approach to design and place creative expression above all else,” he pointed out. “Partnerships with like-minded brands are a great way to increase visibility for our designers.”
The Dudd Haus design collective and storefront was established in 2025 in Philadelphia as an extension of the annual JonaldDudd exhibition.
The organisation is committed to showcasing emerging designers who use design as an expressive medium rather than focusing primarily on the commercial value of their creations.
Other highlights from this year’s edition of NYCxDesign include furniture made from Mercedes car parts by design collective MSCHF and an “infinitely expandable” 3D-printed light.
This is Not a Strut is on show at Blu Dot Manhattan from 17 to 26 May 2025 as part of NYCxDesign. For more events and showcases during the festival, visit our dedicated guide on Dezeen Events Guide.
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