A furniture-design studio started by artists and architects in Minneapolis, Minn., in 1996, Blu Dot is known for its ingenious, cheerful and inexpensive designs.
T H E C O N C E P T
In a wireless world, the phone booth becomes a place that serves the basic, immutable needs humans have when they communicate: seclusion, shelter, a place to sit, listen and talk. Perhaps the most universal expression of such space is a tree. Grafted to the tree is a piece of technology. It's invisible; it has no keypad or screen. Simply step under the tree canopy, and new acoustic technology blocks out the noise of the street; the voice of the person talking next to you is inaudible. "What's provided is the most elusive public amenity in the wireless, mobile world," says Blu Dot's John Christakos. "Privacy."
