CasaSugar

This Just In: Home Magazine Folds

CasaSugar — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 05:30:00 -0700

Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. has announced that it will pull the plug on its struggling shelter magazine, Home, due to "sharp declines in the 'mid-market home sector'," according to the Wall Street Journal. Home will join the ranks of fellow folded shelter titles, Conde Nast's House & Garden and Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia's Blueprint. In a company press release, Jack Kliger, President and CEO of HFM U.S, said, "The current economic environment is difficult, and the mid-market home sector has been particularly hard hit. When the middle market recovers, we will consider future publication of Home using the special interest publication newsstand model." Another one bites the dust. In this uncertain real estate market, this comes as no surprise. But, considering that House Beautiful had a 19 percent increase in ad pages in its second quarter, and Domino increased circulation by 82 percent to 1.1 million in the first half, it seems that only the fittest survive.
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Metropolitan Home Folds

CasaSugar — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:56:46 -0800

Another one bites the dust. Hachette Filipacchi Media announced today that it will fold Metropolitan Home with its December issue. The company plans to focus its efforts on its other shelter glossy, Elle Decor. HFMUS President and CEO Alain Lemarchand said, "We believe the best strategy in the upscale shelter segment is to boldly focus our resources and investment on Elle Decor, which is the ad-page leader within the US market. Despite the downturn in ad pages that has affected all magazines, the Elle Decor brand has multiple opportunities for growth across all platforms.” Met's longtime Editor in Chief Donna Warner and her staff will leave the company.

This closure follows a long string of folds in the shelter world, including HFMUS's own Home, House & Garden, Blueprint, O at Home, Cottage Living, and, of course, Domino. So while it's not a shocker considering the economic climate, it is still sad news indeed. But at least this glossy went out with a bang, wowing us with the Metropolitan Home Showtime House and the exquisite Modern by Design Showhouse this year.

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Cool Idea: Patchwork Wallpapering

CasaSugar — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:00:51 -0700

This feminine bedroom, styled by Bazaar Style author and stylist Selina Lake, was featured in BBC Homes and Antiques magazine.

I love how a patchwork of vintage wallpapers was used to create this feminine boudoir background. Not only does it give the room a nostalgic, period look, but since it really only requires wallpaper samples, it's also a very affordable. Furthermore, you don't have to be in love with each wallpaper because the patchwork effect overrides the dated look of the individual designs. There's strength in numbers!

What do you think?

Home Library: Majestic Metropolitan Living

CasaSugar — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:00:10 -0800

Just a week after the fold of Metropolitan Home, I've got my hands on another city-centric design volume: Sue Hostetler's new book Majestic Metropolitan Living: Visionary Homes in the Heart of Cities. The shelter and design editor for magazines like Gotham, Hamptons, and LA Confidential, and the host of Plum Homes With Sue Hostetler on Plum TV (which "targets the most active, influential, and educated audience in the world"), Hostetler has tapped her cronies for tours of their unique and luxe urban dwellings.

The American dream of retiring to the pool and tennis courts in your countryside home is squashed by this book, which showcases a range of sprawling, real-life city homes. Each has an original sense of style, a warmth that defies traditional conceptions of "cold urban modernism," spectacular views, and in several cases, an outdoor space complete with a pool or lush garden. Many of the homes were created, not surprisingly, by converting former warehouses or other nonresidential buildings, or combining apartments.

Continue reading . . .

What Is Your Favorite Home Magazine?

CasaSugar — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 04:20:13 -0700

Fresh Home Hits News Stands Today

CasaSugar — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 10:17:12 -0800

Fresh Home, a new home improvement magazine launched through Reader's Digest, hits newsstands today, and if you're a new homeowner or someone who's keen on improving their living space with minimal expenditure, I recommend picking up a copy. With a wide range of content aimed at homeowners on a budget, this is the right magazine for the right time.

The magazine will initially launch as a quarterly aimed at the DIY inclined - which is why it's also available at Home Depot and Lowe's as well as stores like CVS, Borders, and Barnes & Noble.

Neil Wertheimer, editor in chief of Fresh Home, notes that "Fresh Home is dedicated to providing readers with clever, easy ways to personalize their homes, whether they want to roll up their sleeves and do it themselves or take a shopping trip with the family on Saturday afternoon . . . There is nothing else in the marketplace today with the creativity and unique concept of Fresh Home and this magazine is perfect for the growing number of people who find some of their best design ideas and home improvement inspiration online."

I received an advance copy, and have been poring through it for the past few days. To see my review of Fresh Home, read more.

There are some magazines I covet for their gorgeous home spreads and aspirational decor, and there are others that I love because they're absolutely essential for my home library. While the pretty magazines are usually recycled, I can guarantee that Fresh Home will find a place on my bookshelf for years to come. It's full of essential home improvements, great advice, and budget-friendly projects. This magazine is absolutely practical, but that practicality is presented in sleek photo spreads and reader-friendly text that belies the magazines seemingly fuddy-duddy roots. According to Comag Marketing Group, Fresh Home is the "best-performing test concept the publisher has seen in years." This comes as little surprise to me: As a DIY-oriented reader who fits its age demographic (between 25 and 50), I loved the magazine.

Don't pick up a copy of Fresh Home if you want to stare at opulent, multimillion dollar homes. However, if you want to learn how to build a beautiful stool for $30, design a front garden for maximum curb appeal, or learn the best ways to paint your home (and how to best choose colors), pick up a copy of Fresh Home. It's a resource you'll likely refer to for years to come.

Home Library: Domino: The Book of Decorating

CasaSugar — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 06:15:18 -0700

Domino is one of my favorite shelter magazines simply because it offers so much to so many people. From approachable DIY ideas to luxurious furniture options, the magazine manages to mix styles and budgets while always looking effortlessly chic. Continuing in that tradition, the magazine's new book, Domino: The Book of Decorating: A Room-by-Room Guide to Creating a Home That Makes You Happy ($32) offers something for everyone. Impressively, the decorating guide accomplishes this while never seeming over-generalized or out of touch. Whether I was reading about lighting arrangements for a kitchen or choosing the best bed frame, everything felt relevant.

To see some sneak peeks of the inside pages, read more.

The book is written in an approachable, friendly tone that anyone can relate to, whether she's decorating her first apartment or her 15th. Chapters take on different rooms, with basic information on furniture and decorating pieces, ideas to steal, explanations of why real-life rooms work, and gorgeous photos and helpful illustrations. Taking readers from room to room, and style to style, you'll learn about proper curtain length, table heights, and ways to get a masculine or modern style (or a "sophisticated froufrou" or "rustic zen" look). One of my favorite features of the book is the "Story of a Room" section of each chapter, which takes you through a Domino employee's room.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book for anyone interested in home decorating. It was inspirational for me as well, as I'm currently dealing with rearranging our entryway. Whether you're tackling an entire home or a single room, Domino: The Book of Decorating will provide inspiration and advice for your home decorating dilemmas.

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Casa Interview: The Good Wife's Stephen Hendrickson and Beth Kushnick

CasaSugar — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:00:28 -0800

As I've mentioned in the past, I'm a huge fan of the new CBS series The Good Wife. In particular, I adore Alicia Florrick's (Julianna Margulies) apartment. With classic styling and great use of color, it's definitely a look I'm currently coveting. Luckily, I recently had the opportunity to chat with the two people responsible for the look of that very apartment. The Good Wife's production designer, Stephen Hendrickson, and set decorator, Beth Kushnick, answered my questions about the look of Alicia's home.

CasaSugar: How did the production designer and set decorator define Alicia (as a starting-over mom, lawyer, etc.), and how did this play into their concept of her new apartment?

Hendrickson and Kushnick: We defined Alicia as a working mom who wanted to make a comforting life for her kids as they had to downsize from a large house in the suburbs to a much smaller apartment which she purchased and had renovated. We kept some furniture from the old house like the kids' beds and the dining room furniture. In addition the show creators wanted to keep Alicia's king size bed as a visual - that it was too big for her new bedroom and show that one side of it was now empty. We also created a maid's room in the back of the apartment for all of her husband's belongings.

CasaSugar: How did Alicia’s style as a North Shore mom change when she moved into Chicago proper?

Hendrickson and Kushnick: Her new apartment had a sophisticated color palette . . . Alicia's apartment also has more contemporary living room furnishings and an upgraded kitchen.

Read the rest of the interview, and check out photos of the set.

This Just In: O at Home Folds

CasaSugar — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 12:00:30 -0800

Oprah Winfrey's shelter magazine, O at Home has folded, according to a Hearst press release. The publication's content will be consolidated back into its flagship, The Oprah Magazine, under Editor in Chief Susan Reed. The last issue, Winter 2008, will hit newsstands Nov. 25. Former editor in chief of O at Home, Sarah Gray Miller, has been named the editor in chief of Country Living magazine. Sadly, another shelter magazine bites the dust. Clearly, Wall Street isn't the only one suffering these days.
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Wallpaper Magazine's 2009 Design Awards Winners

CasaSugar — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 12:00:32 -0800

Wallpaper magazine, which focuses a discerning and design-savvy eye on topics such as travel, design, entertainment, fashion, and media, has just released its Design Awards 2009 issue, which goes on sale today. The 2009 Design Awards, which include recognition for everything from best grooming product to best women's fashion collection, also showcases a number of home and interior design items as well. The judges, which included Kanye West, had their work cut out for them, but I have to say they came up with some great choices. Definitely check out the current issue (W* 119) of the magazine for the full portfolio of judges' portraits and full explanations of the winning entries. To see some of the home-related award winners, check out the slideshow. Source

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