A Midwest furniture store chain headquartered in Minneapolis has opened its first store in Dallas. Called Blu Dot, the store is at 4447 McKinney Ave., in a stark white and black building where the former Knox Street Pub once sat.

Blu Dot was established in 1997 by three college friends — two architects and a sculptor, very artsy people — who set out to democratize good design by making beautifully crafted furniture and accessories based on modernist principles.

Their merchandise includes furniture for living room, bedroom, dining room, office, outdoor, storage, and lighting. In addition to their online shop at bludot.com, they have retail stores in the U.S., Mexico, and Australia.

The 9,600-square-foot Dallas store features a selection for home and office displayed in vignettes, allowing customers to envision their designs in real settings. Two patios showcase Blu Dot's growing collection of outdoor furniture.

They've been described as disarmingly down-to-earth and have a history of making their own rather than commissioning name designers. Signatures include their $400 "hot mesh" stackable metal chair and their "Laika" pendant light, made of strips of rattan wrapped around a metal frame, priced from $400 to $800. Democratic but not cheap.

Dallas is the 11th store in the U.S., following recent openings in San Francisco and Miami. They also recently launched a bedding collection, a "carefully curated line of sheets and bed coverings." How do you carefully curate a sheet?

In a statement, CEO John Christakos reminisces back to the time 25 years ago when they brought Blu Dot's first prototypes to New York. You know what they say: If you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere.

"Since then, we've steadily grown over time attracting some loyal fans along the way, while most importantly, remaining true to our purpose of inspiring a more creative way of living through good design that's good to everyone," he says. "We can't wait to make new friends in Dallas!"