Elle Decor offers some great decorating advice and ideas. Each month the magazine features glossy spreads of several fantastic homes. The homes are generally decorated in a contemporary fashion, however they sneak some conservative and traditional homes in every once in a while.
Elle Decor is very stylish and chic, even sexy. The fashions are trendy and timeless. Old surfboards become decorating items, some rooms are hippie chic. The occupants of the rooms they feature are trendy, young, thin and uniquely stylish. Some are draped across their furniture with come hither looks. Their furnishings were acquired in chic boutiques or Soho antique markets.
I don't aim to be stylish and don't have time to cruise lots of antique shops looking for just the right piece. However, this magazine has a very unique style and I really like that fact that Elle Decor isn't about pushing the latest thing their advertisers are offering.
MAGAZINE STYLE
The main thing that I love about Elle Decor is that they blend new furnishings with older antiques and random funky items. Unlike Metropolitan Home, Home and other magazines, Elle Decor isn't necessarily about going out to purchase the latest, stylish furnishings. It is also not about creating a home that no one can live in.
I remember a couple of years ago - Metropolitan Home features its home of the year. The only furnishings in the living room of the home were two sofas and a coffee table. Sure, there were stylish windows and a slate-decorated fireplace. However, even the most minimalistic people I know have more stuff in their living room than 3 pieces of furniture.
Elle Decor rooms look like they could be lived in. In fact, they look like rooms that could be home to classy cocktail parties or swank dinners as well as be overrun with a large family including kids and a dog. A lot of the homes in the magazine have pictures of kids on the furniture. It is comforting to know that there is style after children.
The magazine is about blending different styles to create your own. They also have great ideas for color schemes that you don't see in other decorating magazines. Unfortunately, I am not gifted enough to coordinate seeming random pieces of furniture and make them look like a magazine spread. However, I love the idea of buying mismatched pieces and antique finds. So, I use Elle Decor to determine the types of styles I like and to see how to fit them together. A lot of their expensive ideas can be adapted in a less expensive way. For example, I love the color schemes in one of their spreads and I am planning to adapt one of their rooms for my living room. I am taking the wall colors, carpet colors and making less expensive versions of the window treatments.
MAGAZINE CONTENT
The magazine has lots more than decorating spreads. However, Elle does not do cooking or travel as well as many other magazines. While I find some of the content interesting, the heart of this magazine is the decorating spreads. The contents are as follows:
The editor's page: One page dedicated to the musings of the editor. This should be skipped or ripped out the magazine first thing. If she has something interesting to say, it would be contained in a real article.
Our Crowd: Brief bios on the people who wrote the articles in the magazine. This should also be skipped.
Mailbox: Letters from readers. Who writes to a decorating magazine? Skip this too.
Agenda: Various happenings around the world. Something might be in your city. Worth a 5 second glance.
What's Hot: Things they are recommending you should buy including furnishings, accessories, tiles, sheets, perfumes and other sundry things. Prices range from affordable to crazy expensive. Worth a glance.
What's Hot News!: Two pages on new restaurant and store openings. One might be in a city near you - particularly if you live in NYC or LA. Worth a glance.
Trend Alert: Focuses on one color and shows furnishings, fabrics and accessories in that color. You could get some decorating ideas here. There is also a page on a particular style, for example Prarie Style.
Art: A few pages that highlight an artist and his or her work. I usually find this an interesting read.
What's In Store: Highlights a few hip boutique stores. They are probably not near you unless you are in NYC or LA.
Recipes: There are usually a couple of articles with recipes. I have never made any recipes from this magazine as they are too complicated for me. They remind me of Gourmet magazine. However, if this is your bag, they have glossy pictures of serving suggestions that will make your mouth water.
Designer's Dozen: A designer mentions a dozen things she or he can't live without. Actually, I find this interesting because the things are not what you would expect such as a particular tea or fragrance. Of course, some designers are off the wall - read at your own risk.
Surfing: A page or two on interesting web sites.
Truth in Decorating: Designers pick and recommend certain furnishings. They talk about what styles match or compliment other styles. I find this very educational and it has made me look at certain items in a new light. I also feel bolder picking things I like rather than things I think will match because Elle Decor shows you how to find complimentary pieces rather than just matching pieces. Prices for the furnishings they recommend vary, however most items can be adapted to your pocketbook by finding similar items or knock-offs.
Travel: There is usually a few pages on a particular travel destination. This is not a travel magazine, so these articles are for entertainment and not for planning a trip. They are usually well-written.
Elle Design: The heart of the magazine. Many pages on several houses featuring various decors. There is also a lot of text explaining the interior designs.
ADVERTISING CONTENT
Each magazine is over 200 pages, although a lot of that is ad content. Personally, I enjoy the ads almost as much as the content itself. There are ads for very expensive things here, but there is also Target and other, cheaper furnishings as well.
OTHER INFORMATION
The magazine is published on quality, glossy paper. The cover price is $3.95. The magazine is published 8 times a year. Subscriptions can be found for about $15 a year.
Strangely, it doesn't look like there is a web site affiliated with the magazine.
FINAL RECOMMENDATION
Elle Decor will not be for everyone. There is a definite style to the magazine which will not satisfy everyone's taste. However, if you are open to contemporary or blended furnishings, there are a lot of ideas here. While a lot of the recommended ideas and advertisements feature items that are beyond the financial reach of most consumers, there are also a lot of things that can be adapted for everyday use.
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