CasaSugar

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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ELLE Decor Gears Up For the Launch of Style and Substance

CasaSugar — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 06:15:37 -0700

It's a big month for ELLE Decor. Not only is it the magazine's 20th anniversary, but Oct. 28 marks the official launch of the new book Style and Substance: The Best of Elle Decor, written by editor-in-chief Margaret Russell (below). So on Tuesday the magazine held a special event for 600 of the design elite on the third floor of Bergdorf Goodman in Manhattan. The guest list included amazing designers from interiors to art to fashion, including Bunny Williams, Michael Smith (Obama's decorator), Alexa Hampton, Jeffrey Bilhuber, and Mario Buatta. And Bergdorf's also created a special commemorative window for the event, which you can see below if you're not in the Big Apple to pass by it.

I've been collecting a giant stack of dog-eared ELLE Decor issues for the last 10 years, so I cannot wait to get my hands on this book, which condenses the best of the magazine's timeless interiors into one much more manageable volume! The book (which you can pre-order) is already number one in the interior design category on Amazon, and 240 pages overall, so I suspect it'll be worth the hype! See some more photos from the event below.

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Guess Which Magazine This Photo Starred In?

CasaSugar — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 14:00:00 -0700

This charming photo, shot by Laura Resen, starred as the cover image for one of my favorite magazines. Can you guess the mag?

Casa Quickie: Archive Your Magazines

CasaSugar — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 08:00:04 -0700

I've been stockpiling shelter magazines since before I had my own apartment to decorate. But as my beloved pubs continue to fold (RIP House & Garden and Domino), I want to protect my issues more than ever.

I was delighted to learn of a magazine binding service offered by Denver Bookbinding to aid my archiving efforts. Send the company your ole Dominos and they'll bind your mag stack into as many hardcovers as you'd like. You can choose from 20 different colors of grade F buckram material, a highly durable, acid-free, library-quality canvas, and have the title, volume, year, and months printed on the spine. Foil stamping can be done in gold, silver, white, or black. One book up to 12 inches in height and two inches thick will cost $50, but the price per book decreases when you order more books. And if you want to get fancy, you can pay extra for front cover stamping, imitation leather, or decorative lines.

This Just In: Dwell Launches New DIY Magazine

CasaSugar — Wed, 27 May 2009 09:00:58 -0700

Dwell is one of my favorite shelter magazines, in part for providing informative, thoughtful, and succinct editorial and in part for showcasing coveted modern homes. But since I'm not on the house hunt or looking to make any architectural renovations, for me it's mostly a leisure read. When it comes to DIY projects, I tend to head to ReadyMade or read websites like Craftzine.

So, I'm delighted to announce that Dwell is making its foray into the DIY world. The mag has just unveiled its first special interest publication, Make It Yours, which expands on the topics of home décor and design with tips, tactics, and small- and large-scale projects to make the look of Dwell's coveted homes accessible and replicable for its readers. The publication will draw from Dwell's extensive image archive and divide them by zone - kitchens, bathrooms, etc. - and then dissect "each image for design ideas, sustainability, cost-efficiency, and style savvy," according to editor-in-chief Sam Grawe. Beyond that, it will act as a shopping guide, with the latest offerings in furniture, products, and materials needed to achieve Dwell's style. Look for Make It Yours on newsstands Sept. 22.
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In the News: Country Living Forges Ahead

CasaSugar — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 07:00:32 -0700

While the shelter magazine category is having a hard time across the board, Country Living seems to be toughing it out best. When O at Home folded, its former editor, Sarah Gray Miller, took charge of Country Living and put its spine tagline of "Come home to comfort" on the cover, shining a spotlight on the relevancy of its crafting and home entertaining focus in this economy.

The magazine also got a boost from a contemporary face-lift, including new fonts, more product information, and the reappearance of the personal essay. As for numbers, its ad sales are only down eight percent, and its single copy sales are up 10 percent from last year. It's interesting to see which magazines stay afloat and which flounder. As we saw with Domino, despite its huge following, in the end, meager ad sales were the cause of its demise. Do you read Country Living?

Have You Purchased Anything You Spotted in Domino?

CasaSugar — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 10:00:00 -0800

Since Domino folded, I've been thinking about the mark the magazine has left on the design world, and how much it inspired people to shop. I myself purchased a West Elm Parsons Desk after seeing it on the pages of Domino. Others went nuts for this For Like Ever poster, which was featured in the apartment of accessories designer Jesse Randall. Did you ever make a purchase after seeing a must-have item in Domino?
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This Just In: Craft Magazine Closes, Lives On Online

CasaSugar — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 12:00:00 -0800

I have some more sad news today. Craft magazine has made an official announcement that its latest issue, Volume 10, will be its last.
Due to diminishing interests among advertisers and the rise in print and distribution costs, the magazine was facing more and more challenges in publishing a print issue, and decided print publishing is no longer sensible. But, there is a silver lining: The magazine's companion website, Craftzine.com, will live on. Craftzine is a thriving website, with a huge following and plenty of wonderful content. They plan "to bring the best of the magazine to the website," including more craft projects with greater frequency. As sad it is to see Craft cash in its chips, it's encouraging to see the site live on. If only Domino would do the same . . .
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Which Shelter Mag Closure Is the Saddest?

CasaSugar — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 05:30:10 -0800

Domino is the latest of our beloved shelter magazines to announce that it's shutting down. But is it the saddest in a recent string of bad news for magazine browsers?

This Just In: Domino to Close

CasaSugar — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 09:53:10 -0800

You'd better sit down for this. I came across some terrible news today that has sent me into shelter-mag mourning. Condé Nast has decided to fold its prize decorating magazine, Domino, just two weeks after sending in Senior Vice President Bill Wackermann to increase ad sales. The shelter category has seen the close of O at Home, Home, Cottage Living, and Wish this year alone, and last year we said goodbye to long-running title House and Garden and beloved newbie Blueprint. Seeing as we all named Domino as our favorite shelter magazine of 2008, this is a sad day for all of us. Hopefully, the magazine will live on in some format or another, but regardless, I'm stashing my issues away for safe-keeping.