Blu Dot

I'm excited to present a post from one of my favorite sites, Stylelist Home!

Here's your chance to switch up your furniture without spending a penny (seriously). The Minneapolis, MN-based furniture company Blu Dot is bringing back its popular "swap meet," an online auction that the company launched last year. The concept is that anyone can "swap" a personal collection, homemade craft, or yes, even a unique talent that a person may have in exchange for one of Blu Dot's modern furniture pieces. The contest just kicked off and runs through March 19.

How do you get in on this? To start, offer up something (a "bid") that you want to swap, and post it on bludot.com/swapmeet. Then pick out any piece of furniture from Blu Dot's website that you would like in exchange. If Blu Dot decides that your bid is reasonable, you'll get the furniture piece as long as you uphold your end of the bargain. To give an idea of what has been swapped previously, last year's bids included items as simple as artwork and sculptures to more unusual things such as offering GMAT/GRE tutoring lessons and providing a full-on Texas BBQ feast.

We're pretty excited about the return of the swap meet this year, since there's no money involved and, well, we can definitely use some Blu Dot furniture in our homes. Also, we just love the concept and how it's such a great way to encourage creatives to show off what they've got, be it a quirky collection of things or a fascinating skill that they have.

We have a few things we can think of for the swap meet — how about you? What would you swap for a brand-new couch? Get started at bludot.com/swapmeet and let us know your bid in the comments below.

Minneapolis-based furniture company Blu Dot is known for creating some out-of-the-ordinary promotions, including the very cool incident two years ago when they dropped 25 Real Good chairs around New York City. This time, the company is encouraging fans to swap a talent or collection for a piece of furniture. Confused? Check out this video featuring local music star Har Mar Superstar for the details.

Here's how it works: First, pick out any Blu Dot item you want, then add an interesting offer in exchange for that item — taxidermy collections, bizarre self portraits, and balloon animal parties are all fair game. Then, upload your offer to the site between now and March 11. You can also submit an under-five-minute-long video to help promote your offer. Be sure to check the site to see the status of your bid.

No minors are allowed, and nothing overly weird or disturbing, please (in Blu Dot's words, "be creative but don't be stupid"). Interested in adding your talent or item to the online swap meet? Find out more information about this promotion on Blu Dot's Swap Meet page or Facebook page

If you think that green homes equate to rustic, traditionally decorated cabins, then you're in for a surprise. The Aspen, CO, family home featured in this photo is full of eco features yet also maintains a distinctly modern sensibility.

The home's most obvious eco feature is that it's a Flatpak design house. Helmed by architect Charlie Lazor (who is also one of the founders of Blu Dot), Minneapolis-based company FlatPak designs homes and then ships the home to its location much like transporting a piece of Ikea furniture — unassembled, in a box. This method reduces construction waste and also reduces the cost of the home while allowing clients to design their homes to their specifications.

The built home features high-performing thermal glass, soy insulation, sustainably-sourced wood, a white metal roof, and low- and no-VOC finishes. And while those features are the most important for ensuring that the home stays at a comfortable and cozy temperature while maintaining a reasonable heating bill, the interior design also makes a difference in expressing the home's cozy, family-friendly personality.

Check out more photos of this home!

Live in New York? Want to grab a Blu Dot chair for free? You're in luck, because today and tomorrow, Blu Dot's dropping 25 Real Good Chairs around New York City. Some of the chairs have been enabled with GPS, so you can trace the chairs' progress on Blu Dot's site. You can also follow each chair's progress on Blu Dot's Twitter feed.

Blu Dot explains the inspiration for this project thusly:

When we opened our SoHo store in 2008, we became surrounded by the resourceful culture of "curb-mining": the act of finding furniture and art on the street. Now that a year has passed, our friends at mono approached us with a way to conduct a curb-mining experiment of our own: What would happen if we left a bunch of Real Good Chairs all over New York, free for the take? Who will grab them? Where will they go? How will they get there? What will their new homes look like?

Do you live in New York? Have you spotted any Blu Dot chairs today?