Where can I find pictures of pretty objects?

May 8, 2008 10:25 AM

I really like looking at pictures of beautiful/clever/interesting products. What are some frequently updated blogs that feature good pictures of really cool stuff? I'm talking about pictures of clothing, gadgets, prints, handmade goods, kitchen implements...pictures of almost anything tangible, and the featured items don't have to be for sale.

I like making things and I frequently find inspiration by looking at stuff that other people have made. Plus, for some reason I find joy in looking at well designed things.

I already visit a few sites that scratch my product design itch, but I'm always looking for more. A few of my favorites are:

Grain Edit
Readymade Blog
Dress A Day
Etsy (although I would love to see any blogs that attempt to distill the best of Etsy)

posted by Alison to media & arts (32 comments total)

Design*Sponge?
posted by bcwinters at 10:37 AM on May 8 [1 favorite]

Two of my favorites:

Trendir - product design, specifically for interior design products

inhabitat - green design, mostly architectural
posted by caddis at 10:40 AM on May 8

Best-of-etsy-type blog here - I love looking at all of the pretty things!
posted by moxiedoll at 10:43 AM on May 8

the link didn't work! ok - second attempt at the pretty blog.
posted by moxiedoll at 10:44 AM on May 8

Crib Candy and Cool Tools. Lovely stuff.
posted by Cobalt at 10:45 AM on May 8

Mighty Goods.
posted by barchan at 10:45 AM on May 8

Notcot
posted by grateful at 10:48 AM on May 8

Cool Hunting
posted by Daily Alice at 10:48 AM on May 8

NOTCOT

On preview, grateful beat me to it.

Uncrate is another decent one.
posted by nitsuj at 10:51 AM on May 8

Swissmiss is pretty good for that kind of thing, but there's a fair amount of stuff that doesn't match what you've described as well (all still interesting...).

Joey Roth mostly blogs about his own things, and they might not be quite the type of product-design you're after, but they're very cool.
posted by gregjones at 10:55 AM on May 8

I think you would get a lot of inspiration from Not Martha.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 11:07 AM on May 8

oh my that's awesome, outblush, making it lovely,
posted by heartquake at 11:15 AM on May 8

Better Living Through Design.
posted by notyou at 11:24 AM on May 8

Not so beautiful, maybe creative, but ... well really strange ... at Strange New Products.
posted by mfoight at 11:31 AM on May 8

The stuff at Popgadget isn't (usually) handmade, but there are tons of clever, interesting, well-designed gadgets--very cool.
posted by Ms. Informed at 11:43 AM on May 8

thisNext is more focused on things you can buy (and some stuff is high end) but is constantly updating and fun to browse through.
posted by shownomercy at 12:05 PM on May 8

The Carrotbox is like a ring box full of candy.
posted by cmyk at 12:25 PM on May 8

Dooce posts a Daily Style picture, of various objects she finds attractive.
posted by SuperSquirrel at 12:25 PM on May 8

DeZeen
posted by Large Marge at 12:32 PM on May 8

Modish is mostly jewelry, clothes, and prints. Updated once or twice a day.
posted by monkeygenius at 1:23 PM on May 8

Lots of interesting objects here.
posted by Space Kitty at 1:28 PM on May 8

Seconding Uncrate for a good mix of technology, clothing, and everything else [it's "The Buyer's Guide for Men", partnering with the previously-mentioned Outblush with stuff for the ladies (their stereotypes, not mine).

My other faves that oo one's mentioned yet: gizmodo for gadgets or Boing Boing -- "A directory of wonderful things". Also, Treehugger is always good for a few enviro-friendly design posts.
posted by bah213 at 2:07 PM on May 8

This might work for you: the die line . com
posted by wittgenstein at 2:14 PM on May 8

Cool Tools has a couple of clever products and gadgets.
posted by ddaavviidd at 2:45 PM on May 8

Yes, Dooce.
posted by wafaa at 2:46 PM on May 8

Seconding Coolhunter.

And NotMartha frequently lists products, crafts, and other interesting things on her blog.
posted by GardenGal at 4:02 PM on May 8

Supermarket is like a high-end Etsy.
posted by dropkick queen at 4:07 PM on May 8

Flickr search for "pretty"
posted by softlord at 5:22 PM on May 8

Here's the contents of my google reader folder that's this sort of thing:
Browner Brown
all over print
design-milk
ellmania
SF girl by bay
fine little day
midcentury modernist
emma's design blogg
more ways to waste time
and, possibly most appropriately,
etsy pick of the day.
posted by zusty at 11:38 PM on May 10

(etsy pick of the day is on hiatus, but there's a good backlog there, by the bye.)
posted by zusty at 11:39 PM on May 10

Both have been mentioned, but someone should point out that Cool Hunting and The Cool Hunter are distinct and AFAIK unrelated sites.

The Cool Hunter is slickly commerical and not terribly informative, and the things showcased there are utterly irrelevant to my life. But the photos there are sometimes amazing.
posted by Western Infidels at 6:49 AM on May 12

I rather fancy Oh Joy! and Creature Comforts.
posted by numinous at 11:46 PM on May 12