I may be alone in this, but photography doesn't make me see differently at all -- I use how I see things to help with my photography, and it doesn't seem to work the other way around.  I've only just started taking quality photos and it hasn't effected me one bit, except for making life less boring.

As for finding interest in the seemingly mundane, I'm all for it.  It's hard to put my finger on exactly what I think makes a great shot, but one thing I like is if you can get symmetry and balance without everything having to be situated towards the exact center.  Off-center symmetry, I suppose you could call it.  I'm a big fan of leaving alot of space around the focus of the shot because it accents the subject and doesn't leave the photo feeling cramped.

I agree that just because a photo showcases an exotic place/fashion/object doesn't necassarily mean it's quality stuff, but the subject itself is still important.  The way I see it, the subject doesn't have to be fascinating, it just has to look fascinating, whether by itself or due to the talent and skill of the photographer.  I'm at the point where I can make an interesting subject into an interesting photo, but ain't quite talented enough to make the ordinary extraordinary like girsempa, tofi or TwoPynts.  Fortunately I live only a short walk away from a pond with alot of frogs and bugs living in it, so I have lots of opportunities to photograph interesting subjects there.  As for finding inspiration in the home, my family also has six cats who make for some great photo ops if I can just get them to sit still.  Here's some cat shots:

http://www.metrocast.net/~stefburk/stuff/cats/