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This week it's just us and we offer our candid personal opinions on the current issues of the major shelter magazines - both print and digital. We do want to make it clear that we are in awe of all the work and heart that goes into producing these publications - especially the new digital versions. Kudos to everyone. However, in addition to our praise, we also had criticisms that we share as well. We hope these will be taken in the spirit intended. And we count on you, our commenters, to maintain the same level of respect as well should you wish to offer your opinions.
Comments
Thank you for the discussion of House Beautiful changes. I know they are trying for the Y generation dollars but at the expense of good design verses trends. The format reads like a whats Hot list instead of wonderful photography/text of great design work.
Eve
I love hearing you guys... it's really fun!
xo
Luciane at HomeBunch.com
Post of the Day: Rustic Modern Barn.
I'm still struggling with the digital concept. I just don't get why I'm waiting a month or two for such long issues, as Megan said.
Oh, and, I do wonder if the economy has had an affect on the houses available. I know there are a lot of stalled projects here in town - beautiful homes that have the master or the office "on hold." It could be the kind of thing that would make a designer hesitate to submit.
By the time they load etc.they are just too long. Great call out Joni on the repeats...if these are the leaders in the design mag world there is trouble brewing!
Tina Ramer
Thanks for another wonderful show! And I wonder where Mr. Drucker may show up next?
Jan at Rosemary Cottage (an old fashioned paper magazine addict)
I do know that a lot of high end owners do not want their homes featured, however even designer do love to get the press.
As bloggers, we see so many images, I really follow blog etiquette and visit my readers sites, even those who never or rarely comment on mine. So sometimes I am overloaded, and will not buy a magazine that is not fresh, clean, and exciting!
xoxo
Karena
Art by Karena
I agree with Joni, it's too fragmented, and trying to pack in too many silly "projects" and "makeovers" like some sort of DIY magazine. I live in a one bedroom apartment and I love the scope and scale and luxury of the homes featured in House Beautiful and feel that Newell is trying to go downmarket or something (could he be copying the online shelter magazines layouts?). It's starting to feel like an IKEA catalogue (much as I love IKEA).
Traditional Home has always been a favorite and remains so.They had the prettiest Christmas issue on the market.
I do think that you ladies are more saturated with homes than the average magazine buyer and that makes a huge difference.
I'm sick of "Top Picks" features. One of them recently included a cute, but super flimsy table from Nate's HSN collection. The online reviews of that table are just awful. I can't imagine why they'd be pushing a crummy product.
Keep up the good work, ladies.
I am just like Joni and pictures are embedded in my mind. Sometimes I think I am imagining it. Just pick up an issue for DECOR magazine and you will see homes from all the mags recyled there. So it's possible to find a lost tear sheet or image there. Many are over five years old.
As far as the HB cover and content,I am in total agreement. I was beyond annoyed that a magazine I pay for a subscription is recyling recent material. It's absurd. And, it's not just people like Joni, me, bloggers and designers who notice. I actually had a friend/goverment official notice. That's bad. It's was a pink room with a zig-zag yellow chair. A bit unique for anyone to forget whether you loved it or hated it.
And, yes please enough with the product pushes and trend segments.I personally like the Veranda covers because they are not loaded up with text. Most importantly, I think shelter magazines have to give us big pictures that show the details of a room/house no matter what.
I applaud anyone who can tackle an online magazine and am trying to read them more. Personally, I think the secret to success is a great cover, a variety of interior styles and short issues. I think anything past 150 pages is hard to keep reading on a screen.
I find it easy to identify the duplications, and I don't look at decorating mags that often. It is disappointing that a publication dups it loyal readers in such a fashion. It makes one not one to be very loyal in the future.
I frankly have stopped buying decorating magazines since I have run onto the online decorating blogs.....forget the online decorating magazines.........i prefer the blogs to the decorating magazines...........
Joni....love you to pieces......and love how all three of you interact. Keep it up. You are a diverse group and I respect each of you what you bring to the discussion and how you do it.
I don’t see as many blogs and magazines as you gals do so the content in House Beautiful was new to me. So they went to the archives…OK by me. Again H.B. shows lots of kitchens so I’m happy.
Very few big high end projects in my area. That market is dead right now so you’re going to see some substandard content in the magazines and some “re-runs”. In St. Louis the kitchens winning the local design contests are from 2-3 years ago. Until the economy comes back we will see more of the same.
Rumor is that Drucker may move onto book publishing. Sad if true.
Re the Picks page, I think there is a good following, "regular" people are looking for "new" stuff. I've had very good buzz and sales when my baskets were featured.
A word about pacing. Good pacing makes good editing -- that's the reason behind the typical mag architecture of product pages, short features, then long uninterrupted interiors (we call it the Well). You build up to the really good yummy stuff -- like an ap before your main. Product pages are usually the MOST read in magazines.
House Beautiful - interesting discussion. I liked the package of pulling together pink rooms. Though we have seen many before, we hadn't seen them side by side. I enjoyed seeing them together to compare the different shades used -- the many moods of pink.
One correction to a comment above: product pages are not advertorial. Advertorials are pages that are bought and paid for by a sponsor but designed to mimic editorial. Product pages are not bought and paid for by the makers of the items featured.
They are too, too long. I lose interest after a while and one can't fold the page down and return to the issue at a later time!
The other gripe I have is particular to Elle Décor. Month after month, articles will refer to specific features, many of which are not shown in the pictures. This month is was the reference to the “funky Swedish grandfather clock” in Kit and Tim Kemp’s home. It seems like dirty pool to intrigue us with a comment like that and then not show it to us! I encounter this in every issue of ED.
Thanks for the interesting topic!