Top Design For Your Home
Posted by DécorDrama on April 30, 2007
April 29, 2007
If your home is in desperate need of some “Top Design,” don’t fret. These websites offer excellent ideas, from cool products and buy to easy do-it-yourself craft projects to the skinny on local design events and the random recipe to cook in that finally-lovely kitchen.
Apartment Therapy: Chicago
Prepare to get addicted to this daily blog focused on “helping people to make their apartments better places to live.” The Chicago portal keeps you up-to-date on local design-related events, scavenges sites like Craigslist and posts the best furniture, linen and accessory finds, and compiles Top Ten lists on everything from bedside clocks to design magazines. Its annual smallest, coolest apartment contest proves that tiny spaces don’t have to stink.
design*sponge
This site is a favorite among editors of design mags ranging from Metropolis to Domino to The Oprah Magazine, and it’s easy to see why. Sneak peeks take you into the most creatively decorated homes you can imagine (prepare to drool), and plenty of product spotlights offer a tiny bit of hope that your home can become as beautiful.
shelterrific
The site “where people who love their homes click” makes for great daily reading in the vein of Apartment Therapy. Written by contributors who have worked at Budget Living magazine, the site houses advice on decorating dilemmas, showcases neat products and highlights other great blogs and sites. But it cuts all that design stuff with other fun topics, with recipe (along with cool aprons to cook them in) and craft project posts.
Martha Stewart: Home & Decorating
If you dream of the day when you can whip up cupcakes like Martha in your oh-so-perfect home, a stop at her site is a smart first step. Bypass the cupcakes section and focus on your interior, where you’ll learn how to dress a window, hang wallpaper and paint your ceiling. Photo galleries, message boards and videos make for an interactive experience.
HGTV: Design
Considering HGTV brings you everything from “Design on a Dime” to “Room by Room,” it’s only natural that its website would offer helpful design advice. You’ll find plenty of color advice, tips on small spaces and decorative paint techniques, enhanced by a ton of illustrative photos (check out the photo-heavy 25 decorating mistakes section for an easy way to learn what not to do).
Inhabitat
A green-focused blog devoted to the future of design, this is the place to go to learn about the next big thing—in regards to technology, practices and materials. You’ll find everything from the practical (a post on recycled billboard birdhouses will make you want to buy one of the hip creations) to the simply interested (a post on a Finnish-designed inhabitable cardboard room).
Style Chicago
Another site that keeps it close to home, Style Chicago is light on the design advice—you’ll find a small Design Trends & Tips section—and heavy on the where to buy. It feels pretty advertising-driven, but that doesn’t mean it’s not helpful: You’ll find listings of antique fairs, floor and sample sales and listings of events like a talk about the roots of Mission-style furniture. Join the free VIP list to get the skinny on private sales and events.
PLiNTH & CHiNTZ
If you’re a) considering a career in interior design b) part-way through studying for said career or c) neck-deep in the professional world of ID, check out this spunky site determined to “demystify the industry.” Expect a collection of student and professional “close-ups,” advice on landing your dream job, business etiquette tips and product spotlights.
