Its a virtual page-turner, eh. Finally, somebody got it right, and its the Canadians. The September issue of Canadian House & Home is out now, and its their Great and Small small spaces issue. And good news: their small is actually small, even by NYC standards six uber-stylish but totally approachable interiors, with an average area of 690 square feet. The interiors range from (on the high end) 950 square feet, all the way down to 180 square feet.
But thats just half the story: Canadian House & Home is now offering an electronic version of the magazine, and there is a FREE preview, online now...
Its the virtual-catalog model, where you flip through spreads, but images are crisp and print-gorgeous, it loads fast, a zoom feature lets you get all up in it, all text is totally legible even without zooming (even in the ads, advertisers rejoice!).
This is a great development for those in the States who found it hard to track down this shelter mag favorite, or didnt want to pay for the somewhat pricey subscription. US prices are $24.95 for digital only, $65.95 for both print and digital.
On the small-scale front, some things not to be missed are the 525 square foot abode of Montreal shop co-owner Roy Caro (his shop is Celadon Collection) on page 136, where old standards of Murphy beds (from Limuro) and mirrors are elevated to stylish new heights, the sleek glass table with tuck-under benches on page 149 in the home of the dashing Michael Sheehy (president of blinds manufacturer Faber Canada), and the boutique hotel-inspired pocket size home-ette of Thomas Smythe, cast member of HGTVs Design Inc.
There are also features on using large-scale accessories for big-impact small thinking; the master-magician of small spaces, the room screen; tips on how paint can counter small space issues from Farrow and Ball; and hard-working multi-function and fold-down pieces to give the tiniest home Swiss-Army efficiency.
All just more reason to love this monthly mag that never fails to impress, paper, or now "plastic."
It's true, this is a pretty great issue. And if you do decide to subscribe, I'm happy to say this mag is ALWAYS on time (for me at least). And my Domino is always late. Maybe it's another US/Canada thing.
view Angie in Montreal's profile
did i click the wrong link? the preview i saw on the site had only select pages. i was looking forward to reading the whole great and small article!
view chickpea's profile
Whoops, chickpea, you are correct. The preview is not the full issue.
view patrick (the other one)'s profile
Great preview! It makes me hungry for the whole issue.
Re Smythe's apartment: I wouldn't have thought of doing "dark" like that, but the way he did it, it works.
view Melinda's profile
i live in the u.s., but this is probably my favorite shelter mag. the issues are always chock-full of inspiration. i can get it at any of the big-box bookstores in my town.
view mrs_p's profile
This is funny that Maxwell and I both posted about Canadian Shelter mags...ha.
view aaron's profile
I bought my first Canadian House and Home about 2 years ago and really fell in love with the type of interiors they show. I don't know how to explain it but it's like the coolness of Dwell but with the warmth of House & Garden. It brought me out of my mid-century modern/industrial phase...
view Michael W.'s profile
I cancelled my subscription when I read "This wallpaper is very reasonably priced" at $387.00 per roll. Perhaps that's OK for some, just my opinion and it was about 3 years ago.
view bobbin's profile
Bobbin -- I have been reading it for some 20 years, and that does not sound like Cdn H&H. While not what I would call "frugal", is is aimed at the Canadian market, which is rather more conservative in its spending habits. Can't see Canadians (and I am one) going for wallpaper at that price point...
And speaking of prices... it's funny, but I am having my subscription sent on to my new European address, and it is nowhere near as expensive as the US subscription cost.
view monika1's profile
p.s. the Small Issue is an annual thing.
view monika1's profile
Bobbin - that sounds like the Canadian "Style at Home" mag... they do a "low-high" thing, where I can rarely afford a single thing on the low side...
view ChzPlz's profile
Nice link to a free preview of a lovely mag, eh. But the Canadians' don't exactly have a tech leg up on us; this publication viewing program looks identical to the one used by many other magazines in the U.S. (I subscribe to Craft; it uses this technology for it's digital edition.)
Many older sample issues (Domino, Blueprint, Cottage Living, etc.) show off their magazine's digital edition here:
http://texterity.com/services/magazines/examples/
view cevec's profile
Funny Maxwell should post about this, as I just picked up this very issue on Monday when I was in Canada (for the first time!). It's a really nice magazine. Not everything is cutting edge, per se, but it's true that the small range from a couple hundred square feet to about 900, and they're all good for ideas.
view kate's profile
Nice to see the magazine get some compliments, but funny how i thought this issue was just OK. They've done better; especially their small spaces annual. They seem to fail to give a composite overview of the space so you can "get" the concepts. Rarely floor plans. i think AD does it best. Luscious big photos too. I read Dwell, I love Azure, and I find Wallpaper now kind of laughable.
Now that i've got your attention...I'm designing a "house' for my island -getaway property. Narrow 50 x 150 viewless lot that steeply drops about 45 degrees into the tall trees below. I already have some convincing ideas.
Potential neighbor right next door too. This place is off-the-grid so smart living solutions are required as well. It's a beach paradise otherwise. Any suggestions of sites, sources to look at?
Thanks in advance.
view paulmuscat's profile
True, Lynda Reeves thinks $387.00 is very reasonable for wallpaper. I guess it's all relative.
view bobbin's profile
Um, paulmuscat, there are floorplans for every single one of the small spaces shown in this issue.
view patrick (the other one)'s profile
...yeah, I knew that.
view paulmuscat's profile
Ah, your "rarely floorplans" threw me.
view patrick (the other one)'s profile
Last year they did a tv special with the EIC to go along with the small space issue. She visited several of the spaces featured to see for herself. That was pretty awesome.
view Lady J's profile