20 Shelter and Design Websites That Inspire Us

Flagrantly admitting to our not-so-secret blog crushes.

Sometimes it can be hard getting up in the morning, especially if your job is to wake up (literally and consciously) and produce clickable, provocative, enlightening, relevant, visually evocative content about sustainable design, travel, culture and ideas. We love it, no doubt, especially when our brain machines finally kick in with a mighty roar. But like some rely on coffee to get their motors running, we rely on inspiration. Lots of it. Mug after mug, after mug.

Funny how the topic of coffee can segue into just about anything. From A Cup of Jo with Design Milk to a Bloesem of Freshome air, here are twenty websites we mainline for design news, ideas, eye candy, expertise and – straight from the tap – inspiration.

Blog Stars: 

A Cup of Jo

If you’re not a reader already, you should be. Joanna Goddard’s lifestyle blog covers fashion, babies, motherhood, weddings and design in a way that’s both beautiful to behold and approachable to enjoy.

Oh Joy!

Designer and blogger Joy Cho delivers inspiration on her favorite topics: design, fashion, and food.
Decor8

Founder and Editor Holly Becker is a best-selling author and interior design consultant who ditched her 9-to-5 to live a life more beautiful.
Design*Sponge

Brooklyn-based Grace Bonney of Design*Sponge started her blog in 2004, and has since grown it into an empire of sorts.  She’s got a book, a scholarship and mentors other women on achieving it all.

Goop

We love Gwyneth Paltrow’s newsletter loud and proud. Dish it out on the go or at home. Sometimes luxe, and occasionally refreshingly down to earth. All around, we’ll bill it aspirational.

Essential Reading: 

Fast Company Design

Essential, daily reading for cutting edge design news and way “outside of the box” concepts and ideas.

Houzz

A real nuts and bolts site for home design professionals, renovators, and enthusiasts.

Design Milk

Trust us, Jaime Derringer knows how obsessed we are with her art and design blog.

It’s Nice That

“It’s Nice That has one main mission in life,” they say: “to champion great creativity.” Sweet.

Colossal

He knows how massive our crush is.

Nuts & Bolts: 

Remodelista

Your sourcebook, your city guide, your everything for “considered living.”

Freshome

Their philosophy is “a calm, healthy, beautiful home is a necessary foundation for happiness and success in the world.” We couldn’t agree more.

Core 77

A go-to resource for industrial design related intelligence.

IKEAHackers

Personalizing and repurpose IKEA products into that one perfect thing? We’re always up for a good hack.

Eye Candy:

BloesemLiving

Ideas for design and leisure, “for the love of handmade” and “soul-soothing interiors,” BloesumLiving keeps it all streamlined and simple.

Bright.Bazaar

Self-described “young guy from the UK in my twenties who kinda has a thing for colour.” We kinda have a thing for you.

Sweet Fine Day

Jenna & Mark helm a blog that is pretty and personal, and own a Brooklyn confectionary called Whimsey & Spice.

The Selby

Photographer Todd Selby captures the character of our personal spaces, post after post.

Pinterest

More and more, a daily resource (make that hourly) for all things beautiful and inspiring. When not surfing, find us pinspotting.

Image: Black_Kat

K. Emily Bond

K. Emily Bond is the Shelter Editor at EcoSalon and currently resides in southern Spain, reporting on trends in art, design, sustainable living and lifestyle.