Totally Addictive Websites For Design Junkies

Thursday, May 1st, 2008

Totally Addictive Websites For Design Junkies

So, you’re officially obsessed with design. Now, where can you go buy the coolest, most exclusive limited-edition objets and get the skinny on must-see exhibits so you can stay a few steps ahead of everyone else? Read on!

1. Charles & Marie

This site bills itself as “global lifestyle navigator,” so of course I was a bit dubious when my mad-genius designer friend (and 100% Design Shanghai curator) Tobi alerted me to it. But it’s exactly as advertised. You will waste a lot of time here. Brilliant blogs on food, fashion, design, etc. Global listing of eating/shopping hot spots. Fab home accessories. And–this is the best part–a section called “soupe du jour,” which sells only one item a day, starting at midnight. (Today’s pick [top] is the clever 2 Carat Cup, with a “ring” for a handle.) Plus: an invite-only VIP section where you can hob-nob with other members and get the chance to snap up limited-edition design objects. So deliciously exclusive! (Here at GlamNest, the only thing we love more than a high-concept website is a secret design society.)

2. 20 ltd

So simple, so smart. True to its name, 20ltd sells just 20 design objects, exclusive to the site and produced in extremely limited editions. Like Charles & Marie, 20ltd emphasizes that it’s a design community, not just a store. But, of course, it sells great stuff: A swooptastic chair by Based Upon, Bisazza murals, china collections by Marcel Wanders and Barnaby Bradford, Christophe d’Aboville’s groovy suede pillow for David Hicks (below), and exclusive fashions, too.

3. The Curated Object

I just discovered this site and I’m already hooked. Devoted to the decorative arts, it has a comprehensive international calendar of design goings-on (like the Mint Museum’s cut-glass show, below), great reviews of said shows (with tons of photos, just in case you can’t see in person), and a bazillion links to indispensible design resources. I even love the shout-outs from esteemed designerati on the site’s left-hand nav! It’s a juicy gallery guide–and so much more.

4. Deeply Madly Living

Awesome, expensive furnishings and accent pieces (pistol paperweights, gold brick pillows) curated by a jet-setting couple–he’s a former investment banker, she’s an interior decorator. This insanely decadent metallic-leather couch pretty much sums it up:

5. Decorati

Founded by a New York designer, this new site offers one-stop shopping for all things pertaining to home decor: access to portfolios of top interior designers like Amy Lau to Thomas Fuchs (plus links to purchasing select items depicted) and hundreds of top manufacturers’ online catalogs, from Clarence House to Atlas Industries and Studio Printworks. And the whole thing is smartly searchable by style, room, or keyword. Shopping and inspiration rolled into one.