Whether you need to find interior design inspiration for your next home, or just drooling at nicely designed homes is one of your favourite past times, Pinterest and Instagram are not your only sources.
While I shamelessly plug our Living In series on YouTube as a good source, there are also many well-known ones that you probably already know of, like Dezeen, Archdaily, and Design Anthology.
But beyond these typical ones, there are also some other sources of design inspiration that you might just have not heard about. These can range from real estate sites, to even a Korean design platform (don’t worry, you don’t have to understand any Korean).
Let’s start with one of my favourites, The Modern House.
The Modern House grew a lot during the pandemic, with their Instagram account now amounting to 671k followers.
Visit their site and you’d see why I’m such a big fan. It’s super clean and has great photos of the loveliest and most unique homes from all over the UK.
But the most intriguing part of it all? The Modern House is actually a real estate agency that focuses on selling modernist, architect-designed homes. It definitely puts our local property agencies here to shame and is a great example of just how you can approach selling homes in a non-salesy, editorially-driven way.
The Modern House has a curated selection of some of the most interesting and unusual homes in the UK. Some of the types of properties that the website features include contemporary houses, mid-century modern homes, and new builds designed by renowned architects.
With each property they sell having a detailed listing, you can easily get inspiration from the multiple photos, floor plans, and information on design features. In addition, the website also has a section on interiors, featuring articles and inspiration on modern decorating and design.
For those who want to delve deeper into the world of interiors, you can also check their section called a journal, which has interesting stories and interviews related to design, architecture, and art.
If you like this, you’d also be keen to know about their sister site, Inigo, where they sell the finest historic homes all over the UK.
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Mad About the House is a blog created by UK-based interior designer Kate Watson-Smyth. It features a wide range of inspiration, design ideas, and tips for decorating and renovating homes.
Aside from sharing her own home renovation journey, Kate also includes before-and-after shots as well as information on the products she used.
The site also features a variety of styles – from traditional to modern – and focuses on projects that can be done on a budget, both large and small. You’ll also find other related and essential topics such as paint colours, furniture, and accessories, and also a section on the garden and outdoor spaces.
Mad About The House also has a section where Kate recommends products, services, and even books. You may want to bookmark this site as the blog is updated frequently with new content and inspiration, making it a great resource for those looking to decorate or spruce up their home. Her mailing list also works well to update you whenever she posts a new article.
Naturally, the styles here skew more towards British design – but there are still lots of tidbits that we can definitely take away from here for our own homes.
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Ohou.se is a Korean website so expect to experience some language barrier if you can’t read Korean, but this does not detract from its value since, as we all know, pictures can convey information better. However, if you’re still interested in what is written, you can always use your browser’s translate function.
While the site is an e-commerce store at its very core, the bulk of the inspiration most renovators will need will come from the section they aptly named “houses.” This subcategory is what we consider “IG on steroids” when it comes to showcasing home accounts.
Not only will you find photos of different interiors under this section, but they also have specific hotspots on the pics allowing you to see what particular product they used. Plus, every home design has a story behind it which can give you a better picture of why such a design was implemented.
O House also has an app that you can use on your device, allowing you to easily view unique and stylish products, including furniture, lighting, textiles, and accessories. You can also view other interior home spaces shared by users in their community with the option to filter it down by home style, whether one-room, two-room, apartment, etc.
What I like best is that the photos are all taken and uploaded by their users. This means that you get the most authentic photos that show the home in the most organic light. Sometimes the problem with photos taken by interior photographers is that you will only see the home in the best light, and it may form an impractical expectation of how your own home will turn out. As such, having a place like OHou.se may just be what you need to find realistic inspiration for your own home.
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Boutique hotels are in a different league of their own, combining the warmth of having a home-away-from-home and a trendy place that’s social media-worthy. But the best thing of all is that it can be a great source of inspiration as well.
Kobu is not just your usual hotel and real estate platform, as they curate hotel destinations highly focused on design. For us, this means we get to have an online catalogue where we can browse for inspiration for our interior.
Out of all the sites I have on this list, Kobu’s navigation setup is by far the simplest, with only three sections to choose from: Hotels, Properties, and Journal. For a visual tour of the possibilities you can have for your interior, I recommend checking out the first two categories.
If you’re also into stories behind the place, you can also check their Journal section for a delightful read, transporting your mind into the destination as well.
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Whether you just want to capture the essence of luxe living or actually have the means to implement it, you’ll find EST Living a great resource in providing news, inspiration, and product information on luxury interiors, design, and lifestyle.
The website includes a wide range of content, from interior design projects to product reviews to trend reports. Expect to see some featured works of established and emerging designers, photographers, and other creatives from all over the world.
EST Living is divided into several sections, such as interiors, architecture, design, and travel, but make no mistake, their site is simple to navigate, and you can easily find content that interests you. For instance, in the interiors section, you’ll find a wide assortment of design styles and projects, including those on high-end residential and commercial spaces.
And for what it’s worth, EST Living has a strong social media presence, where they share daily inspiration and updates on the latest design trends.
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Hunting For George has a great YouTube channel showcasing home tours in Australia.
They’ve also got great editorial pieces showcasing homes with really nice photos accompanying the text if watching videos isn’t really your thing.
Admittedly, many of the homes featured here are houses, which may not always be relevant for the many apartment dwellers in Singapore. Nevertheless, the styles and inspiration that you can adapt from here is something quite different from your typical sources.
Also, I really like how they show the before and after side by some in some pieces, along with where you can find some of the products found in the shots.
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For those who are into pure, clean, and simple design, Leibal is a great design blog that focuses on minimalistic architecture, product design, and interior design. You’ll find a good variety of projects, from residential to commercial spaces, with emphasis on functionality, simplicity, and clean aesthetics – pretty much what embodies every minimalistic style such as Scandi entails.
Leibal also features works from well-known photographers, designers, and architects around the world. Each of these projects has multiple high-quality images, a brief description, and some information on the designer, which are all very useful if you’re interested in finding out similar styles on the net.
If you’re still collecting ideas and inspiration, you’ll find a regular update on their latest and best projects very handy, which they offer via their weekly newsletter.
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Are you into contemporary design and innovation? Then you should visit this leading Australian design blog – Yellowtrace. Whether you’re looking for the latest colour trends or the newest furniture and decor styles, you’ll find this online magazine a very useful resource.
Founded by Dana Tomic Hughes in 2010, the goal of her site is to showcase the best in contemporary design and architecture all over the world. As an interior architect and designer herself for over 20 years, there’s much one can learn from her as she shares her expertise and passion for design.
Just like the rest of the other websites that I have featured here in this list, Yellowtrace also has an easy-to-navigate setup, which includes a “shop” section in case you want to purchase products or furniture directly from them. They also have a section called “Design Education” where you can have an opportunity to further your interest with their courses and workshops.
So whether you’re looking to renovate your home, office, or any other space, Yellowtrace provides a wealth of information and inspiration to help you get started.
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