Over the long weekend, I was going through my heap of interior design magazines (I have a serious hoarding problem when it comes to magazines), and was deciding which ones to toss and which ones to keep. About 3 hours in, I had a revelation. I started to notice that the magazines I think of as the creme de la creme of decorating magazines were the ones I was tossing. You know the ones – Veranda, Traditional Home, Architectural Digest.
I began to think about why I was opting to toss these beautiful magazines and instead keeping magazines such as Better Homes and Gardens. I think it came down to the fact that while elegant and beautiful, the homes in the super high-end magazines were not approachable or livable to me. I simply had nothing concrete to take away from the million dollar New York penthouses or the vast wine county chateaus that were meticulously decorated by a team of interior designers.
The homes that adorn the inside of Better Homes and Gardens (BHG), while equally beautiful, have such an approachable, livable and do-able feel to them. I can imagine families and pets living in them, and I can imagine creating such spaces on my own, without the use of a team of decorators. BHG also has a ton of DIY ideas and is often geared toward budget decorating. I also love that you can actually FIND the sources used in the magazine and they aren’t only available “to the trade” as is the case with the high-end magazines.
I think this is one reason why decorating is mystifying and intimidating to so many. People see the museum-like images in high-end magazines and are intimidated. BHG breaks down decorating for the “rest of us” and has such a beautiful, yet livable feel to the interiors it features.
If anyone needs any glossy, high-end magazines, my recycling bin is now full!
Do you have a favorite decorating magazine? If so, why is it your go to?
I have a friend who recycles her home decorating magazines to me. I love when I get the BHG and Hgtv ones! Like you said the House Beautiful ones are usually a disappointment because they don’t seem like realistic living spaces and are usually a bit too gaudy for my taste. Great post!
I am glad I am not the only one who thinks that sometimes Tamara!