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Mindful Furniture & Accessories

We

are a design firm committed to creating Mindful Home Furnishings.
value handmade traditions and the use of natural, sustainable materials.
envision fulfilling our living spaces with products that have a positive impact.

Our products...

are handmade and finished without the use of harmful materials.
are created in collaboration with artisans at home and abroad.
contribute to personal wellbeing while benefiting our local & global community.

El Dot started...

Leo and Lishu

as a small, Los Angeles based studio in 2003 with Lishu and Leonardo Rodriguez, both environmental artists and designers. Originally from Nepal and Venezuela, our interests and inspirations vary from the ingenuity and wisdom of indigenous cultures to technology and the potential of global commerce.

Moving to Kathmandu, Nepal in 2003 was a pivotal point in the development of our studio. There we were exposed to the vast potential of bamboo, and the need of the billions of people that live in poverty everyday and yet hold so much untapped potential. Utilizing Design as a Catalyst for Change, we focused our work in designing bamboo based products while providing skill development and employment opportunity to artisans of various skill level. The result is an innovative approach for creating products that truly benefit all.

When we moved to Seattle in 2007,  the economic crisis that followed made it evident that smart design with renewable materials and sustainable practices that included people of various skill levels is as necessary and beneficial to communities in developed countries as it is in developing ones.

Today we collaborate with local and global artisans, organizations and ethical businesses to create mindful home furnishings, inspired by the craft traditions and the needs of our global community.

Lishu B Corp logo Bamboo
B Corp
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El Dot is a certified B Corp, “Beneficial Corporation”, for using the power of business to help solve our social and environmental problems.  We are very proud to be part of this growing community of business working to create positive impact for our community and environment through a triple bottom line: people, planet, and profit approach to business.

See our B Corp profile