The Friday Edit #5: a bloglove special

I check my blog stats and I know that somehow I've gathered quite a staggering number of readers, but until I get feedback I never really believe you're actually there. 

So it's always really nice to discover that other people are enjoying these daily posts, whether via comments here, tweets or Facebook interactions. And this week I got a tweet saying I'd made a Top UK design bloggers list, which is exciting. And it's prompted me to share some of the blogs I really enjoy reading too.

I have written about blogs I love before (check out some old favourites in my Independent column, with passing reference to the giants including Decor8, whose founder Holly Becker wrote a guest post here a while back.

1. Ida Interior Lifestyle

Ilaria is an Italian freelance photographer and craft nut based in Eindhoven. She is the only blogger on this list to post in two languages.

But I'm even more inspired by her recent patio sprucing post, left. But what first – and only recently – got me into this blog was her hall makeover, pictured above. Isn't it great? Love the speckled floor and 1970s door.

2. Daisy Fay Interiors

I'm a longtime fan of this blog by Londoner, Amy Silvester.

I'm particularly fond of her simple but effective Monday are for Mugs slot (left, for example) and am loving the look of her new home. Especially its new shoe storage. I'll probably be nicking that, Amy, hope you don't mind.

3. A Year Above the Shop

Miriam, a teacher, artist, designer and crafter, and I are comment box buddies and I love her gentle blog set in the converted shop she lives in. I liked her recent post about the lament of a day spent not achieving much, and the pleasure that managing to at least rearrange her scissors gave her, pictured above.

4. Deardesigner.co.uk
This was another of the blogs in the top ten and a new one to me. It is run by interior designer Carole King and this week she has reinforced my belief that black walls in kitchens, top image, are very good things.

She also shared Abigail Ahern's new range of fake plants, left you can see an unreal fig tree. Marvellous if you're as bad at keeping plants alive as I am.

5. Brigg

The story I wrote about Brigg in 2012 has sporadically but resolutely remained in my most popular posts spot ever since.

I know very little about the stylish Norwegian behind it, except that she has very good taste in lamps (see above) and a very photogenic French bulldog.

6. Dog Milk

And while we're on that theme, you probably know about the popular Design Milk blog... but did you know they had a little sister site devoted entirely to canine interests? It is fantastic (if you don't hate dogs, of course) and full of things to improve your dog's life (debatably, actually, especially going by the image on the left). But it's also full of non-twee dog-themed homewares. Which regular readers might guess I am rather partial to.

But this is but a scratch on the surface of the inspiring blogs I love to read. And my Good Blogs list on the site is woefully in need of an update, though there are some gems worth exploring there too.

And if you know of a fantastic blog that I might not know about, please do tweet it over, send me an email or post it on the Facebook page or in the comment box below. By the way – I'm always signed in and so it's easy to leave comments. But is it easy for others? If not, do email and let me know as I'm having a bit of a look at how to improve various bits of the blog again and that might be on the list.

Meanwhile, happy weekends all.