While the final decision on which blogs and bloggers would make the cut was decided by you people, we at Home Rejuvenation also did some semi-scientific research of our own to 'validate' the findings. We referred to notable blog ranking sites like Technorati, The Truth Laid Bear and Alexa, and found that the amount of traffic and number of back links to a blog largely coincide with how influential that blog or blogger is. Many of the design blogs we've come to term 'the big boys and gals' showed up on our list.
At the same time, we are happy to see some of the 'small boys and gals' garnering a pretty impressive amount of votes and have come to believe that every blogger can indeed have a certain extent of influence on others, whether the number of readers ranks in the hundreds, thousands or millions. If enough people appreciate what a blogger is doing, he or she can equally be regarded as influential (and inspirational) to those within a little community.Nevertheless, a poll is a poll – we respect the decision of all those who have voted here. Though you might not like every single blog that's listed here, just treat it as a guide to the best in design blogging. Also, it is never the purpose of this poll to demean any bloggers or blogs which aren't on this list. As echoed by Holly Becker from Decor8 in our email conversation earlier on, “a blog should be a personal space where a person shares whatever it is they are either for or against and should be authentic and from the heart. When people start thinking that their blog isn't good enough, they lose their passion and I see this time and time again and feel really bad”.
Enough said. Here's a rundown on the 10 most influential design bloggers:
9. Sfgirlbybay (http://www.sfgirlbybay.blogspot.com/)
Pegged as 'a visual filtration of ideas + aesthetics + amusements', this blog is, in the words of voter Melina, “contemporary leaning and highly stylish”. The musings here cover all aspects of creative design in a tasteful manner. No big surprise, considering that the 24 year old founder Jean Aw holds a Masters Degree in User Experience Design where she focused on both conceptual and visual design and usability research.
Without trying to sound unfair, this is one blog I thoroughly enjoy reading every single time I visit.
7. Swiss Miss (http://www.swiss-miss.com/)
I'd say we have the hardworking ladies at Desire To Inspire to thank for introducing us to so many talented designers and architects along the way.
Original content is obviously on the mind of many when they cast their votes, as displayed by Sarah. She says, “A lot of bloggers write about things that have already been covered on other blogs... but most of Holly's posts are original. For that alone, it beats other blogs hands down!”. Woah.
3. MoCo Loco (http://www.mocoloco.com/)
2. Apartment Therapy (http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/)
The blog that first introduced me to design blogging. While this blog is not always about design – it dishes out posts on home improvement regularly – Apartment Therapy possesses all the elements to keep its wide base of readers happy. From monthly contests to product review to free classifieds where readers can trade their second-hand furniture, the blog is committed to “connect people to the resources they need to redecorate their home, while reducing their reliance on stuff”.
Voters generally think that AT deserves a spot in the top ten as they have not across another blog which focuses on providing so much useful information and ideas on small space design. The opportunity to 'peep' at other people's houses (without breaking the law) is another big draw. Readers love to chip in freely with their personal opinions and tips on décor problems posed by other readers here, making it one of the most interactive of all blogs around.
Furthermore, contests like The Smallest, Coolest Apartment and the publication of the book Apartment Therapy: The Eight-Step Home Cure also cemented Apartment Therapy as a brand (on home-related resources) rather than as a conventional weblog.
1. Design*Sponge (http://www.designspongeonline.com/)At long last.
The only blog that surpasses Apartment Therapy in terms of sheer influence (and votes), Design*Sponge is written by Brooklyn-based writer Grace Bonney. Launched in August of 2004, her weblog features store and product reviews, sale and contest announcements, new designer profiles, trend forecasting and store/studio tours.
Having worked as a freelance writer with top publications like House and Garden, New York Home and The New York Post, nobody would doubt her credentials and influence. With a knack for uncovering indie designers, Grace's writing style is “always fluid and witty”. Many people also find her sneak peeks and guides very helpful, and adore the “extremely practical and useful ideas” she offers.
While you might think being positioned number 225 on Technorati's own ranking system (at last check) is nothing to shout about, you'll start to be very impressed when you find that D*S, with Apartment Therapy at number 234, are about the only design-oriented blogs on their Top 500 list.
There you have it - the 10 most influential design bloggers at the moment. Are you surprised by the findings? Or do you have anything to say about the blogs on this list? We'll love to hear from you!
Next week, we'll roll out our special feature '3 questions that matter', in which some of the most influential design bloggers will share with us their views on this global phenomenon called blogging. Keep your eyes open.
Meanwhile, hop on over to Laissezfaire for their '10 new design blogs to watch'.
Stan
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I love design sponge! So excited it's ranked number 1!
Thanks for the hard work doing this guys!
I think your list is pretty accurate. Most of the blogs which I expect to be there are there.
Once again, great work!
Great job on this article. I know that this took a lot of work.
Kudos to you all at Home Rejuvenation for the tremendous task of tallying all the votes.
Like what I've said, it's worthwhile doing this, if only to find out who the movers and shakers of the design blogging community in the readers' minds are.
As well, the fact that you people appreciate the HARD work that went into this research makes all the lost sleep even more justified!:)
This is so exciting, you guys have created a design blogs bible for the rest of us!!
Thanx for the effort!
FYI- the Swiss Miss link is not correct. It takes you to the Swiss Miss hot chocolate site.
Thanks a lot for the tip-off, anon. We've since corrected the mistake.
Congrats to the winners. Well deserved!
The SwissMiss link is wrong!!!
It's working fine over here. SwissMiss will be relocating their blog to the URL www.swiss-miss.com. You will be directed to their current URL at www.swissmiss.typepad.com when you click on the link as shown.
Congrats to the winners!!!
Thanks for such a great list Stan!
SO many great sites, can't decide which is my new favorite...
Many links from us! ;)
thanks for emailing about this!
LOVE the winners!
The cream of the crop with cherries on top! Wonderful selection! Bravo brava winners!
Thanks Stan and KUS for all your hard work through all this. Jo and I are soooooo honoured to have made your list.
thanks so much guys! i'm really honored and flattered to be on this list!
-joy
Excellent list. I love all those blogs.
here's another of my favorites..
www.ifitshipitshere.com
U guys are smart to think of doing this! We really would love to find out which are the better blogs around...I hope u run this kinda poll every year! I'll be voting!
Of all the winners I think Mocoloco are doing their job most professionally and they have been for years my best source of information for the latest and most interesting in design. And I think there are other blogs like Dezeen that are missing. But it depends on the criteria used, ofcourse.
Agress with trendoffice.I think there are a whole lot more blogs that are missing from this list. But since there can only be ten of them to be voted by the public, there has to be cut-off at some point.
The list here seems quite reflective of the public opinion at large, since these blogs are mostly very famous. I only found a few of these blogs like decor8 too feminine-oriented(sorry ladies I don't mean anything) for my taste.
I am so flattered and honored to be in such great company and to have made the list at all. Such a nice surprise - thank you so much! victoria
THANKS! Thrilled that NOTCOT, NOTCOT.org, TasteSpotting, and NotCouture made the list~ you have definitely made my weekend ~ and you made me blush with your note! We thoroughly enjoy having you as a reader
=)
Just got back from a long weekend in Vietnam and this morning I read my emails...WOW...such an amazing honor for me and for Bloesem to be mentioned among these very professional and talented design bloggers! Thank you very much for organizing this and you certainly made my day a very special one! Irene
To correct something I said on this post, there is in fact one other fantastic design blog ranked in the top 500 list on Technorati - Yanko Design at no. 300 at last check. It's a popular weblog dedicated to introducing the best modern international design, covering from industrial design, concepts, technology, interior design, architecture, exhibition and fashion...
Thank you Stan!
A well deserved list. Thank you for the hard work. Please give us more! Is there an 11-20?
ah I'm glad to see 4 of my 5 votes have gone into the list. Much deserved! congratulations to all! :)
Hi Perfect Bound, I'll love to present the 11-20th blogs. But I'm sure people will start asking for the 21st to 30th spots. So we'll just keep it at 10, ha!:)
Your main goal should be to make your room or home as comfortable and attractive to your taste as you can. The creation of theme groups of art images is a great way to decorate your walls and your home decorating. These theme groups can be done with any combination of sizes and subjects as long as they match or contrast nicely with your wall and environment colors. http://decoration-ideas.blogspot.com .
During Apartment Therapy's Homie awards I caught on to a blog called The Estate of Things, www.theestateofthings.com and bunches of other blogs like ramblingrenovators.com which I also liked.