The next step is a tricky one...I have to state what 'Design Democracy' means to me...
For me, its a little confusing and a little contradictory but I think 'design democracy' is the fact the everyone has the right to an opinion on design. In terms of the way you decorate your home, I think design is very much a democracy; the decision of how to decorate, is yours to make. Personal taste can make a house a home and as a consumer you are both, the designer and the client. Magazines, fashion, and design blogs, should be used as tools to inspire, not dictate your view of what is 'cool'. There is no right or wrong answer. If your heart skips a beat when you see the latest collection of Farrow & Ball glossy paint colours, IKEA's Saralisa printed fabrics or Bisazza's glitzy mosaics; by all means, go forth and create!I think that aspiration and society have a huge influence on domestic decoration. Your home is a projection of how you would like your lifestyle to be viewed by others...but that's a whole other blogpost. As a qualified Interior Designer, I won't deny my training, and say that everyone is a designer. I think qualified designers, be it interiors, graphics, products, furniture, fashion, or even architecture, approach design in a different way but in your home you can do whatever makes you happy. I post images and products that inspire me as both, a designer and a consumer on my blog. Images that make my heart skip a beat, products I'd be ecstatic to receive as gifts (or be able to afford). I don't preech or dictate what others should like and I'm open to constructive comments, good or bad...how you take it is up to you...after all...it's democratic!My advice is: Open your eyes, change your perspective, look up, every now and again, when you walk down the streets you know so well at eye level, and...vote for me, but only if you want to of course... (voting opens on 1st August so i'll post a link then)
Thanks ximage: looking up in The Guggenheim, NYC, designed by the legend that was Frank Lloyd Wright