Home Magazine - Great for me!

When I sold my condo and began looking for a house I started to think about decorating and homes and all kinds of interesting topics I hadn't thought of in a while. Its easy to get settled into your particular lifestyle and forget about all the possibilities. It often takes a big life change to spur you on - or at least it does me.

So I went to the library and checked out a bunch of different home magazines, hoping to get some ideas on what was popular these days in terms of interior design, colors, furniture, etc. While I don't want to jump on too many trends that will pass I don't want to make dated choices.

In looking at houses to buy, you see a lot of bad choices - or at least they appear to be bad in hindsight - why select the butcher-block laminate countertop in the mid 80's (brief revival of it's former 1970's glory)? Why the purple tile in the bath? And yet I've seen several older homes where the "right" choices were made - classics that remain in style or neutrals that are acceptable through the ages.

Anyway, the first magazine I looked at was just too high brow for me. Lots of homes in the million-dollar range, furniture in the thousands, and so on. I wanted something a step below this but still way above Better Homes and Gardens. I found that something in Home magazine. The articles in Home magazine are relevant to people of a wide income range. Of course there's plenty in there I can't afford but its good for ideas.

Home is published monthly except for July/August and December/January, giving a total of 10 issues per year. The cover price is $2.99 US (3.99 Canada). Subscription rates for one year are printed in the magazine as $24 (US). The magazine has a large cover photo on the bottom 3/4ths of the cover topped by the clear white field containing the title "Home" in black letters. It isn't as flashy as a lot of magazines. The cover reflects the subdued presentation of the magazine well. Not flashy or trendy or overdone - simple and elegant.

This magazine has lots of advertisements. The ads are mostly relating to home products - windows, flooring, faucets, fireplaces, etc, and provide me with interesting information and ideas for the future. I didn't know that this type of flooring was available or those types of windows or that kind of bathtub. Its the one time when I can say I enjoy the advertisements! They also have a section on product literature where for free or a small fee you can request literature from the advertisers.

Home magazine has a number of features monthly and they have some standard sections that they call departments. Articles span the gamut from home technology to gardening. Most of the focus is on the home and design. Chock full of photos, both types of articles are interesting and visually stimulating. The photos are of high quality in most cases. It is difficult to photograph entire rooms and if they don't have enough space for the photo it can be printed to small to really get a lot of inspiration from.

They take a novel approach with the almost obligatory recipes - they have a little article about the cook's kitchen and show a photo of it as well as a photo of the food and some recipes.

Another section they have commonly is where people can write in questions. It is interesting to see what questions are out there and how the expert designers at Home make suggestions. Most of the questions I found are common questions that provide general information.

Looking for how to update your home - The attributes of most of the beautiful homes and rooms in Home Magazine are: light, bright, simple, and airy. Skip the dark or busy wallpaper! Have larger windows or skylights put in for additional light. Choose lighter carpet with a texture, or go with wood or ceramic flooring. Skip the fussy do-dads. Kitchen and bath are the areas where time passes the quickest - avocado appliances are long gone (hopefully not to return) and did we really think that the dark gold tile on the bathroom floor was going to stay in style forever? Keep choices here simple and traditional especially since these rooms are the most costly to update.

I think I'll probably subscribe to Home soon, as I am longing to tear out page photos to save for future ideas and you can't do that with the library copy! Overall I'd recommend Home to anyone with an interest in home updating or interior design. Its both interesting and fun to read.