HOW TO DESIGN A BLOG

With their encyclopedic sources, up-to-the-minute
product news, and fiercely opinionated reader
reviews, these sites have become a must-read for
the design-obsessed.
To people of a certain age, the word "blog"
probably conjures up images of celebrity
gossipmongers and lonely heart teenagers
posting their diaries online. While the Web offers
plenty of blogs in those categories, it also has
more professional sites that are legitimate sources
of inside information on a given subject. Following
the recent explosion of Web sites devoted to
politics and food, design blogs are now all the
rage among savvy decorators and home-obsessed
consumers.
Design blogs are online journals written by people
who are passionate about the home-design world.
Often they work in the industry as interior
designers, architects, and stylists, and their sites
are an outlet for their boundless energy and
knowledge of home decor. Grace Bonney, the 26-
year-old behind Design Sponge
( designsponge.blogspot.com), best known for its
coverage of undiscovered artists, used to work for
a design public relations company before her site
took off. Shelterrific ( shelterrific.com), my own
home-decorating blog, is written by a handful of
magazine editors and writers whose professional
lives spill over into our shared personal obsession.
And in 2004 Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan and Oliver
Ryan started Apartment Therapy
( apartmenttherapy.com), which caters to those
living in small urban spaces, as an extension of
their interior consulting business. "Most visitors
log on during the day, multitasking at their
desks," explains Gillingham-Ryan, who has
launched six other blogs—including city-specific
versions of Apartment Therapy in Los Angeles,
San Francisco, and Chicago—over the past three
years. "You can’t read a magazine or watch TV
from your desk. But you can quickly click over to
a new window and look for something you need
for your bathroom."
As shopping tools, blogs can be incredibly useful.
New York-based TV personality Jules Asner began
browsing Design Sponge and Decor8
( decor8.blogspot.com) for inspiration after she
and her husband, director Steven Soderbergh,
bought a second home in Los Angeles. "I was
overwhelmed with having to furnish a house while
living on the opposite coast," she says. "I started
checking the sites a few times a day and found
the boutique recommendations really helpful
when I was in Berlin for a film festival."
Like magazines, blogs provide photos, product
reviews, and how-to-buy information. But they go
one step further, encouraging audiences to write
comments about postings, opening up
conversations that are often just as valuable as
the original content. And as many interior
decorators have learned, such sites can be
essential sources for hunting down hard-to-find
objects. Celerie Kemble, who runs the New York
office of Kemble Interiors, reads blogs to search
for rare pieces—from antiques to new designs—
for her clients. "Even though I go to all the trade
shows, I still think it’s helpful to read the blogs,"
Kemble says. She raves about finds like the Sir
Elton headboard from Myrica Design in
Stockholm, which she spotted on Decor8. "I e-
mailed it to all the girls in my office because I
thought a Plexiglas headboard was an ingenious
idea," she says. "How else would I have known
that there was a designer in Sweden doing this?"
Still, most readers get hooked on these blogs for a
single reason: to find the next hot product. For
example, collectors of Vitra chairs should visit
MoCo Loco ( mocoloco.com) to learn about one of
the company’s latest creations, the Worker by
Hella Jongerius. Architect-designer Basil Walter,
whose firm has created spaces for prestigious
events such as the Vanity Fair Oscar party,
regularly visits the green-lifestyle site TreeHugger
( treehugger.com) to keep up on the latest
environmentally friendly materials, such as Kirei
board, an attractive plywood substitute made
from sorghum. Both MoCo Loco and Design
Sponge cover many of the major furniture shows,
allowing their audience a first look at the newest,
most coveted pieces.
For a small company, a mention on a well-
trafficked blog can cause a firestorm of media
attention and consumer sales. One minute an
artist is quietly slaving away in a studio in
Brooklyn and the next, The New York Times is
calling. That’s exactly what happened to Lite Brite
Neon Studio. "Prior to the blogs talking about our
chandelier, no one knew about it," says owner
and designer Matt Dilling. "That’s the great thing
about these sites—they become a catalyst for
awareness." Even established de-signers can feel
the effects of the blog world’s affections.
Decorator-designer Jonathan Adler notes that
"when Design Sponge featured our Hollywood
bedding pattern, we sold a hundred sets that
day."
With thousands of design blogs currently up and
running, the choices may seem overwhelming for
the novice Web surfer. "A starting point could be
your favorite decorating magazines’ Web sites,"
advises Kemble, noting that many now have
blogs of their own. Most also include a hefty list of
links to other like-minded sites, so once you find
one that suits your tastes, an entire digital
universe unfolds at your fingertips. As Gillingham-
Ryan points out, "While the world of decorating is
very elite, blogs are democratic. We like to share."
OBJECTS OF DESIRE
Apartment Therapy
Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan’s crew blogged about
the Stack Stool by Hivemindesign. A new spin on
the famous Time-Life stool by Charles and Ray
Eames, it’s made of multiple pieces that can be
recombined for different looks. $1,000;
hivemindesign.com
MoCo Loco
Montreal-based blogger Harry Wakefield covers
modern contemporary design and posts updates
on artists such as David Wiseman. Known for his
chandeliers, Wiseman has a new collection of
organically shaped vases. $360. At Cooper-Hewitt,
212-849-8355.
Design Sponge
Grace Bonney, who scours the Web for the best
international objects, fell in love with this Duchess
chair from Parisian company Etc Creations. Each
vintage frame is rebuilt by hand and
environmentally sensitive. $1,880. At Etat de
Siège, 33-1/43-29-31-60.
Treehugger
The folks at this eco-site liked the idea of New
Yorkers purchasing these recycled-glass rooster
tumblers, thus becoming more responsible
shoppers. Crafted of mouthblown glass, they take
green dining to a new level. $48-$54 for four;
bergdorfgoodman.com
Shelterrific
Woodland creatures are all the rage in tabletop
design, but as the editors at Shelterrific point out,
this oval découpage Lapin platter will outlast the
trend. It’s pretty enough to hang but functional
enough to use on the table. $200. At John Derian,
212-677-3917.
If this has helped you, you can comment in the comment box.