Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Print Design Inspiration (Mag Style!)

One of the small delights of life for me is receiving a new magazine in the mail.  Something about those glossy pages filled with inspiration and potential makes me giddy, and I just can't wait to open the pages and dive into reading it.  My mom thinks I'm somewhat of a magazine junky-- I guess subscribing to 7 (and lusting after even more) might qualify a person for that description.

Because magazines are such a big part of my design inspiration (I have binders for all of the magazine pictures that I've ripped out), I thought that I would share with you the design magazines that I can't live without.  I am so very sad to say that some of these have been canceled (the print and magazine industry is truly struggling due to the rising popularity of the internet), but many are still up and running, and they are as amazing as ever!

#1. HOUSE BEAUTIFUL:  This is truly my favorite magazine that I receive-- I look forward to it every month, and I love almost everything inside of its beautiful binding.  Even the cover never fails to inspire me!


#2.  ELLE DECOR:  A close second to House Beautiful, Elle Decor conveys a more transitional style (a mix of traditional and contemporary), which I love because it mixes classic and traditional with modern and trendy.


#3.  TRADITIONAL HOME:  As is evident from the title, this publication conveys a more traditional and elegant design style, but it is definitely still current and updated.  It should be a staple in a decorator's magazine repertoire.


#4:  MARTHA STEWART LIVING:  Good ole Martha Stewart... while I realize that she is an ex-convict, I just can't deny her creativity.  Her ideas are more attainable for the busy mother, wife, etc.... this magazine is a kind of decorating-made-easy publication.  She does come up with the most creative ideas, and I love that her magazine has a little bit of everything-- decorating, fashion, recipes, and more.


#5:  REAL SIMPLE:  Another amazing read.  Real Simple is published by Time, Inc., and as the title suggests, it is characterized by its simple and uncluttered layouts, and it is similar to Martha Stewart Living in that it shares life-made-easier ideas to inspire.  While not really a decorating magazine, I think everyone should try this magazine out simply for its amazing ideas and content.


#6:  DOMINO:  One of the most sickening magazine cancellations EVER.  I was obsessed with Domino for the longest time, but I just bought it at the store every time there was a new issue.  I had finally decided to subscribe to it, and then it gets cancelled right after I receive my first issue.  You can imagine my dismay... (sigh).  Let's observe a moment of silence in honor of this legendary publication's last cover, please.



While I know that you can't subscribe to it, I'm sharing it with you because before its cancellation, the editors came out with the Domino:  The Book of Decorating, which is an amazing book that provides an inspiration resource for every room in your house.  It is truly fabulous, and I would highly recommend at least finding it at your local library, if not purchasing it as a permanent design resource.


#7:  RUE:  Finally, the newest magazine in my lineup is Rue.  What is so amazing about this magazine is that it is solely online, so there is no need to subscribe to it, meaning that it is totally and completely free!  Because of lower overhead and operating costs, the magazine is run solely on its advertising income.  What an amazing concept!  While I still love the thrill of receiving my magazines in the mail each month, I can see this becoming the publication trend of the future, with the invent of computers, Kindles, and more.  Rue reports on a little bit of everything (design, fashion, etc.), but it is primarily a decorating magazine.  Best of all, the first issue was this month, so you can hop on this trend from the very beginning!


Here's a link to the first issue of Rue, an amazing new magazine.

Hope this has inspi-read (sorry, I had to) all of you to subscribe to some new magazines for new ideas to  turn your house into a home.

God Bless,

Julie

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