Someone on Quora asked about the most influential design blogs, and many of the responses had to do with professional web and product design. I have a much more colloquial view of what it means to be a design blogger, so almost none of the blogs I consider influential were on the list. I added these with a notation that I wasn’t including fashion or wedding sites, which have some overlap in the community, especially because personal sites can be so tough to classify.
I’m defining “influential” as folks with large audiences (upwards of 10,000 visitors a day or so) with dedicated readers who really care about the information presented there.
Who am I forgetting?
DesignSponge founded by Grace Bonney
Home, DIY, entertaining, products
Design Milk founded by Jaime Derringer
Design magazine on art, architecture, home, fashion, tech
Swiss-Miss by Tina Roth Eisenberg
Professional designer and aesthete
Apartment Therapy founded by Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan
Home design/products with sister sites for tech, green and kids as well
NOTCOT founded by Jean Aw
Products, fashion, tech lifestyle, with sister sites
Poppytalk by Jan and Earl (Husband/Wife)
DIY, Home, Handmade
Decor8 by Holly Becker
Home
Oh Joy founded by Joy Deangdeelert Cho
Products, fashion, interiors, inspiration
SF Girl by Bay by Victoria Smith
Photography, interior design, product
Design for Mankind by Erin Loechner
Art, fashion, home
Not Martha by Megan Reardon
A one-woman consumer reports on a range of products
Oh Happy Day by Jordan Ferney
Entertaining, diy, stationery
Making it Lovely by Nicole Balch
Home, DIY
Design Mom by Gabrielle Blair
Designer who focuses on good design for parents and kids
A Cup of Jo by Joanna Goddard
Style, products, fashionable parenting
What design sites do you love that don’t seem to have large readerships yet? There’s so much professional-level content out there right now, it’s tough to keep up.
Mighty Girl 
doorsixteen.com. Already has a large following, but Anna is totally awesome and totally deserves to be on this list!
LikeLike
YoungHouseLove. They are awesome, and so inspirational–even just in terms of how much they manage to do to their house so quickly!
LikeLike
I totally love Freshome.com …it’s a must for those of your who are addicted to interior design & architecture.
LikeLike
whoa — so thrilled to be a part of this list. i’m in fantastic company – thanks, maggie! 🙂
LikeLike
I can’t even begin to tell you how influenced I am by Reference Library (http://referencelibrary.blogspot.com), and I think it deserves a mention simply for being so different from all the others. Andy is a master curator, and always pushes the unexpected outsider edges of design inspiration.
LikeLike
Love shelterrific.com – also started by a Domino alum.
LikeLike
Aw, thanks so much for including my site!
LikeLike
DESIGNLOVEFEST! Oh my gosh, Maggie, but you HAVE to add that blog to this list. http://designlovefest.com is definitely my favorite place to go for inspiration. It’s chock full of interiors, fashion editorials, super cute style columns, and a gorgeous food column shot by Jen Gotch. It sparkles all around!
LikeLike
I totally agree with the addition of designlovefest.com – bri is fantastic. Also creaturecomfortsblog.com, bloesem.blogs.com and annesage.com. And, just discovered eatdrinkchic.com which I’m loving.
They are always inspiring, both in what they share and in their success. I can dream of one day having a similar reach, though I’m far too scattered — er, eclectic — in my tastes and persona to ever be able to drill down on such clear branding as the best design (and food and fashion and family) bloggers do. sigh. 😉
LikeLike
I love http://www.desiretoinspire.net for interior design and http://www.ohsobeautifulpaper.com for paper goods design
LikeLike
Thank you so much for including swissmiss. Honored! Waving from Brooklyn!
LikeLike
I would second Anna from Door Sixteen. She’s so inspiring.
LikeLike
Ditto on DESIGNLOVEFEST. Bri is a powerhouse!
LikeLike
http://www.desiretoinspire.net/
LikeLike
Thanks for including me, Maggie. Honored to be among such great company!
LikeLike
FAB list, almost all of my favorites are included! I’d also add Designlovefest.com, Designcrushblog.com, and CMYCbacon.com
LikeLike
These are great! Thanks so much for the list (and those with the follow up suggestions). New to the blog world, retired from architecture and ready to find joy (in lieu of immense, suffocating pressure) in design once again…
I tip my hat to y’all.
LikeLike
I really like littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com and isuwannee.com
LikeLike
Yes! I also recommend Designcrushblog.com
Thanks for the new recommedations, Maggie.
LikeLike
I love YoungHouseLove
LikeLike
Thanks for including Design Milk, Maggie!
LikeLike
I love Design Crush and Design Work Life as well.
LikeLike
I love ohhellofriend: http://www.ohhellofriendblog.com/
LikeLike
love, love, love Making It Lovely! I heart that blog fully.
LikeLike
I get so overwhelmed with all of the beautiful things being created out there – it makes me feel like I will never keep up. Thank you for sharing this list – as if my reader wasn’t already bursting to the gills with fabulous blogs!
LikeLike
A friend of mine runs this joint: http://www.ashesandmilk.com/
LikeLike
Thank you for sharing this list. It is just in time 🙂
LikeLike
indiefixx.com always has a variety of really inspiring and great ideas. It runs the gamut from cooking to designing to photography to business advice. I love it.
LikeLike
Prairie Hive is a collaboration of designers, photographers, writers, and crafty creative types based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Their website/magazine just launched – http://www.prairiehive.com/ – and they were featured on Apartment Therapy about a month ago!
LikeLike
Wow, so honoured thank you Maggie!
I love Anna from Door Sixteen too!
LikeLike
I love a good design blog. I’ve investigated half of these in previous posts and will have to look at the rest.
LikeLike
oh yeah @sarah, isuwannee.com is good one! Jamie has a great sense of humor.
LikeLike
Thanks Sugar!
LikeLike