apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I agree and can't wait for the next issue - I think it's out in either August or September. Then, they're rolling it out bi monthly and in '07, monthly (from what I heard from a Blueprint staffer, I'm sure that's subject to change).

I was impressed by the many font types and the layout - the photos were absolutely beautiful. It reminded me a lot of Real Simple and Living rolled into one.

By the way, is it me or is Real Simple getting better and better all the time? The August issue ROCKS, the photos are stunning.

Yes, that stool is so very impressive - love those curves. I'm so glad you mentioned it, and Blueprint, here. I'm eager to see what others at AT have to say about the magazine.

Holly

Holly, I mentioned it on an open thread, but did you see Maxwell's feature in August's real simple? He helped a woman turn her cramped quarters into a really lovely home. I thought it was fantastic!

I would rather have budget living back. Domino and budget living would rather do good together.

Blue print - like other MSLO magazines is all phu-phu ( with glamooorous pictures) and great layout )

content wise budget living and Domino is far better.

If one rates Blue print on a scale of 1 to 10 where 1 is the least and 10 is the highest I would give

blue print 3
budget living ( which is no more i guess ) 7
Domino 8.5

i am very sure blue print will have many more ads than content in the future.

When I read my sample issue of Blueprint, I suddenly felt a lot older at 40 than I had before. The extremely busy layout seems to be aimed at a rather younger demographic, even though they say their target is up to 45.

The mushroom table's cool though. The cat would knock stuff down the hole in the middle, but she sees that as a good thing.

I wasn't that impressed with the first issue of Blueprint; maybe it gets better. I found the entertaining ideas very fussy, and wasn't that inspired overall.

Haven't developed a huge loyalty to Domino, although I have found some really valuable inspirations in a few of the issues, and so check it out regularly.

I get a subscription to Real Simple (it was a gift - to counter another gift subscription to Real Complicated, aka Martha Stewart Living) and find the issues rather uneven. Sometimes I think it is a great magazine -- there was an issue back in 2001 or so that pointed me to the most perfect white dishes (iittala's 24 hr, in case you are interested), some of the time-saving food ideas are great, and the people stories are particularly good. But other times, it is just so-so (their personal care/beauty articles are always rather weak I find), although it's true, the pictures are always great.

My favourite magazine was U.K. Elle Decoration back around 2001-2003, when they used to have this feature at the back of the magazine where they got 3 designers to put together some sort of home design scheme -- a budget version, mid-range and high-end. It was fascinating to see what different ideas designers came up with for the same space; they tended to be really innovative. Wish they would bring it back!

Still, Elle Decoration and Living Etc. are my favourite 2 magazines.

domino magazine has competition now for it's kind. i was impressed as well with blueprint, all the way down to the choices of fonts they used.

I love Blueprint. When I first read it, i felt like I must have been its editor without my knowledge.

ocgrl - Yes, I actually saw that a few days ago! I was checking out the redo and then, as I started reading the article, I saw Maxwell's name everywhere and had to go back to make sure I wasn't half asleep - but yup - it was mad max alright. I tell ya, the man gets around!

count - I do agree on the phu phu part, sometimes I get a little frustrated with all the $$ big ticket items I see in MS publications. I thought Blueprint was a bit all over the place with what they featured - i.e. the trench coat and some of the other things priced well over a grand... I don't know, they didn't seem to fit in with the camper chic article in the same issue. But, being a sucker for a great typeface and amazing photography, I'm really looking forward to the next issue.

Yes, I loved Budget Living, too. I heard what did them in was the name - people weren't drawn in with the word "budget" on the cover. Go figure. We're a big bunch of babies. We want budget finds but we don't want people to know we want budget finds. :)

wende - ha, and 40 isn't even old - you're a youngster. I guess I see your point, most of the models were like what, 12? I don't think anyone in that issue was even old enough to drink. :) Then again, most woman over 40 I see are workin' it nowadays, so many look like they're 30. I love it, gives me hope for when I get there.

Monika - Like you, I'm a huge fan of Living Etc and Elle Decor. I like Elle UK though, too. Have you ever read Canadian House + Home? You know, it's a really great publication. Lots of interior eye candy and good advice. Ideal Home (UK) is also quite good - I love how they take 3-4 rooms each issue and show you the color schemes, paint, etc. for the rooms. Problem is, most of the rooms I wouldn't duplicate... But I'd love to see a magazine in the states add this as a regular feature. I'd also LOVE to see a magazine show how to recreate a room from a movie set - there are so many movies I see with amazing sets, some I'd love to know where certain things came from - the entire office from Devil Wears Prada and the living room in Jen and Zooey's apartment in Failure To Launch, for instance....

Johanna - I'm with you. For a little more on the fonts, check out this post from my blog, I think someone like you will really APPRECIATE what a geek I can be. :)

http://decor8.blogspot.com/2006/06/blueprint-magazine-typefaces_22.html

G'nite all -

Holly

Holly -

O.k., I have to admit that Canadian House & Home is the 3rd subscription magazine I get (another gift)...! I find it to be really targeted to the traditional market most of the time (there is a t.v. show too -- actually, it is now the second take on a different network of the long-running one hosted by the publisher, Linda Reeves. It is really interesting to see the homes in full context, instead of just the carefully edited shots in the magazine).


I've cooled to U.S. Elle Decor over the years - too high end shi-shi most of the time. It is only the U.K. Elle Decoration that I buy.

I know, I am a magazine junkie -- I've had my nose in design magazines since I was 5 (the first were 1970's editions of Maison Francaise and House Beautiful).

When it comes to design and creativity in design -
our next door neighbour - canada does an extremely better job. great design ideas on shoe string budgets.
Uk also are far outreached in this department than we do.
Let's not forget the japanese here.

In the south east (asia ) - they have very good textiles, jewellery pieces, great sculpture, furniture - all this seeps in from the culture and religion. every community have a distinct stamp of their own. Imagine the number of states and the number of distint communities. But they definitely undermarket themselves. They need a seasoned marketing professional to dish their wares. Retail design, display of goods are tantalizing.

Their lack of recognition is because of the lack of a marketing wiz.

haven't checked blueprint out yet, though i keep seeing it on the stands and intending to take a flip through. i, too, like Domino, though i think a lot of the people in their articles end up coming off as really pretentious. don't know if that's the writing style, or if it's a class thing or what. it's great just to look at and get cool ideas, though. especially because their stuff can be aped via thrift stores, DIY, eBay, etc. more often than more high end design mags.

Real Simple is my favorite magazine to hate. i have never seen ANYTHING in that magazine that i thought might make my life more simple. everything seems designed to make one's life more complicated. how to reorganize your closet alphabetically by color in one weekend. completely sterilize your kitchen and bathroom. tricks to improve your memory. before i decided that i should take every tip with a grain of salt, Real Simple actually really stressed me out because every time i read it i realized that my closet was in complete disarray and i didn't have time to organize it, i couldn't remember any of the memory tricks, my house was dirty and probably making me sick, etc. etc. etc.

though i have to say that i clicked over to their website, and the top articles sound much better than usual this month. maybe they're getting better about fear and stress inducing features?

opoponax - thank you for being back.

opoponax - I have stopped reading Real Simple (mostly). At first I really liked it, because of the look, and because the topics were mostly things I was interested in. But I've realized that it's a whole magazine full of advice. Advice is great when I'm aware that I'm looking for it, but page after page of unasked-for advice does stress me out.

Has anyone here checked out Livingetc, a UK home magazine? It is fabulous and I always find something that inspires me.

livingetc.com

You can find it in well-stocked news stands in Manhattan.

Having said what I did above, I have to add that I haven't seen the feature with Maxwell yet; I fully intend to (our library has a subscription), and I'm sure I'll enjoy it, in spite of my general feelings about Real Simple...

nature, i haven't really been gone. i've just had a stressful workweek wherein i haven't had time to have stupid arguments with everyone. also, i realized last weekend and earlier in the week that said arguments are really draining, and that i unfortunately have to stay away from house tours during the work day because i don't have enough time to look at all the pictures and comment thoughtfully before having to go back to what they actually pay me to do. and p2 was right that it's silly to write a longwinded and semi-judgemental comment on a year-old Inside Out post when i haven't even had time to look at the photos.

Monika et al;

I hear ya about being a magazine junkie - it's a bad (but oh so good) habit of mind - hording magazines, stacking them on the bookshelf. I actually purchase about 20 monthly and subscribe to around 10 (those I didn't pay for, I get them because I'm a writer or else I'd be in the poor house). The ones I buy are usually foreign press - Australian, French, UK... Also a few Canadian. Although not all of them fit my ideal decorum, I still love seeing all of the rooms from traditional to country to mid century modern - more for the sheer curiousity of it.

Has anyone read Pop Life out of CA - or Atomic Ranch? I really like them. They have a nice feel to them. Everytime I see them, I want to move to CA and buy a home with a cactus garden and a huge sunny patio. ;) But then the upper crest Bostonian brownstone midset takes hold again and keeps me in new england.

I'd love to be bi-coastal sometimes. Does anyone else get this yearning sometimes? City apartment in the east, mid century ranch home in CA?

Holly

How about city apartment in the west, quaint Stockbroker Tudor cottage in the Berkshires?

Oh, and let's not forget the tiny gem of an apartment in Montmartre, and the vacation villa in Tuscany...

(back to working on stock picks, as I sure can't afford that lifestyle teaching...)

Jen - Yes, Living Etc. dominates in my opinion, too. Although most of what they feature is based out of the UK so prices tend to be more expensive since the dollar is so weak against the pound - also the shipping is huge from the UK to the US so I tend to look at Living Etc. for inspiration and tips vs. actually shopping. I stick to Domino for shopping, it's like a design catalog of sorts. But yes, I love Living Etc. It's a beautiful publication.

Joan A - You'll really like the feature in Real Simple with Maxwell - it will make you quite proud of our fearless leader. He did a great job on the redesign. Also, I know what you mean about unsolicited advice. Although I'd rather hear it from Real Simple than from my husband or friends, so I actually like the magazine. It helps me to stay on my toes because it reminds me that living in a clean well edited environment makes me more productive. It also reminds me that I have a lot to reach for - which I guess can be depressing because sometimes when I'm dealing with looming work related deadlines, I don't want to read about how I need to organize my pots and pans. But, in a way, it helps me stay a little more on track because I can get quite OCD when it comes to work, forgetting everything else in my life. Real Simple helps me remember that I need to close my laptop and do some work around the house because it will make my family and most of all, ME feel better - plus it improves my health. But, that's just me. I think for those more disaplined (maybe that is you?) they don't need it, it comes across as too bossy or motherly. For me, queen of procrastination when it comes to home organizational projects, I kind of need the nudge from the mothers at Real Simple to motivate me to action. :)

Holly

Oh Wende - city apartment in the west sounds lovely - maybe san francisco... :) I'd also love a home in Sonoma - I visited there for the first time in 2001 and fell head over heels. I've only lived on the east coast (exception: a few years in pittsburg and germany) so I see through different eyes than that of someone who grew up in another part of the world, eyes opened to different areas.

I've often thought of how exciting it would be to live in Istanbul and maintain an apt in NYC (upper west side for me) or to live in London with a summer home in Mallorca.

Unlimited income... trust funds... ah the benefits. :)

Holly

:) Holly, I think it's because I need it too much--it hits home uncomfortably.

i think my thing with Real Simple is that a lot of it just doesn't apply to me. if i had kids and a big house and lived in a suburban landscape, i'd probably consider it a lifesaver.

i also wish they'd finally admit to the fact that almost all cleaning products are basically the same thing in different consistencies, and often the same EXACT thing with different names on the package. spray cleanser, windex, febreeze, and most air fresheners are just about the same thing, but in different packaging. i'm convinced toilet gel and dish liquid are the same, too.

I don't know if it's the manufacturers' intent to have toilet gel and dishwashing liquid be the same... but in moments of haste or laziness, I have cleaned the toilet with liquid bath soap. Works fine. Smells good, too.

Somewhere, I read that liquid laundry detergent can be used for most bathroom and kitchen cleaning without any need to rinse. I've done it this way, and it seems to work for everything except a stubborn bathtub ring (from using shampoo that contains coloring).

My level of simple living often approaches frat house, though... I chop nuts by putting them in a ziplock bag and banging them with a hammer. Effective AND fun!

i don't think that's a bad thing, at all, wende.

and i don't know about manufacturers' "intents" either, but if you read the backs of most household cleansers, they all have exactly the same ingredients in them. the only substantial difference is in the consistency -- powder for scouring, gel for stuff that needs to stay in one place long enough to work its magic, liquid for things that need to be sprayed or squirted.

sometime in the 40's or 50's, some marketing genius realized that if you put things in different looking packages and called them different things, you could trick people into buying 2 or 3 different products when just one would do.

that's pretty interesting opoponax - i didn't realize that... i'll have to check the labels the next time i spray, squirt, pump and squeeze my way into domestic sparkle. :)

i think product packaging in america is improving, but overall, i think it could be a whole lot more interesting. i love japanese and korean grocery stores. everything is so colorful and exciting.

holly

Any time post-WWII... the concept was that women who'd been removed from the wartime workforce and were now home having babies (not entirely unwillingly!) would find housework more fulfilling if it had the gloss of science and lots and LOTS of different tasks and products. Yet this was at the same time that housework was also supposed to be push-button easy, with new appliances.

This is why I'm suspicious of any elaborate housekeeping system, along with anti-bacterial miracle products. It all seems designed to absorb time and energy that I could spend on something else.

so i just cleaned the toilet with tide unscented laundry detergent.

and realized that the only difference between that and my usual toilet cleaner (i was out and this thread inspired me to experiment rather than going for more) is that the toilet cleaner is blue and smells like toilet cleaner.

which makes me wonder what it would be like to wash my clothes in toilet duck... other than smelling like a janitor, would there really be any difference?

Dishwashing liquid is great for washing cars.

Livingetc has surpassed Elle Decor UK, IMO.
Canadian House & Home is often good, but does skew heavily traditional.
Domino is inventive and pleasantly inclusive.
Vogue Living Australia is wonderful.

European home decor magazines are inherently more interesting because their aesthetic is different. They celebrate the unexpected, the bohemian. American home decor magazines, by and large, celebrate the luxurious and the bourgeouis.

Well, that's the thing that bugs me about Real Simple, and why I said I find it rather uneven...their cleaning and beauty advice seems to often be about purchasing a needless amount of product. For cleaning, I rely on swedish microfibre cloths and mops, gel hydrogen peroxide for the tough stuff, CLR because we have stratospherically hard water and I have to use it some time, a lot of white vinegar and bar keepers friend. No 409 or Mr. Clean or Windex...

As for cosmetics, I follow the advice of Paula Begoun, buy her skin care line (very minimal), and edit my cosmetics based on her recommendations. Pretty simple.

But Real Simple has to keep coming up with content -- they can't tell you to buy good microfibre cloths and be done with it. So they try to find new hooks. The nature of the biz...

Andersen -

You've summed up my thoughts about magazines entirely!

Elle Decoration was much better about 4 or 5 years ago, but Living Etc. is eclipsing them. For example, the current issue of Living Etc. is better than Elle. And I have had a long love affair with Australia Vogue Living...

- I have used conditioners to clean the toilet, the sink, the tub and the bathroom floor. It has a pleasant smell - like keeping fresh flowers in the bathroom.

On magazines
++++++++++++

Oh yes, how could I have missed Australian Vogue Living...

for fashion, don't you love british vogue? far better than us vogue... imho anyway.

oh, and eve (uk) and red (uk) also GREAT magazines for women - fashion oriented, but discuss womens issues, makeup, sex, food, etc. sometimes some home design stuff in there, too. not nearly as much celeb drama either.

back to american magazines, i think metropolis is a strong publication, as is dwell. i always learn a lot reading those publications. i also love ab (arch boston).

do you read O at home? or O?

On cleaning supplies
+++++++++++++++++++++

this is a great thread. between the magazine discussion and the cleaning products, i'm really enjoying it. call me easy to entertain. :)

for clothing, i'm careful to only use mild detergent because my husband is very sensitive about his clothing - the man dry cleans 90% of his clothing, but the rest i take care of and let me tell you, i've learned a lot about cleaning quality clothing since i met him. so, i won't be using toilet cleaner on clothing anytime soon. plus, we are both sensitive to chemicals so we can only use the 'free' detergents or dreft (for babies) OR woolite.

but in the tub - hmmm... i bet that would work well. i'm also thinking about the hair conditioner post - wouldn't that make things somewhat greasy afterwards? my mother has a ton of allergies and she's bio green queen, so she uses only a few products. she always used vinegar with water for window cleaner - she'd squeeze lemon into it. it cleaned far better than windex. of course, i learned nothing from her - i buy the bright red bottle of windex everytime. it smells great.

i have to look at labels and really think about this. i have about 10 products. i could save the money for more magazines! :)

one thing i can't part with - my swiffer and that very special eraser block/sponge thing for marks on the wall. no clue what's in that thing, but it erases everything. wish i could use it on my thighs.

holly

I'm loving Domino but haven't bought Blueprint yet. Maybe I'll give it a try. World of Interiors is my all-time favorite, though.

Great. This is like an addict discovering new drugs. "You mean there's LEMON crack? Gimme some of THAT!"

British Homes & Gardens, despite the misleadingly traditional-sounding name, has published some of my all-time favorite interiors. If I were to check the provenance of my saved magazine clippings I am sure a high percentage would be from its pages. It is also well-written and informative.

Although Metropolitan Home could stand to be more varied in the design styles it presents (one feels its featured homeowners must get a bulk rate on Warren Platner coffee tables) it has also provided me with much inspiration.

Metropolitan Home used to be much better, much more electic and inspiring than it is now. I find that my clippings from MetHome pages tend to date to the 80's and 90's (yes, I WAS a kid when I started reading it!). Since '99, my main inspirations have been from British magazines -- including Homes& Gardens. The first inkling of the work of Carden & Cunietti came in Canadian House & Home, but now I follow their work in Homes&Gardens.

The eraser-block thingie works because the grain of its little cells is so small, according to the major manufacturer of same. (That's also why it falls apart so fast.)

The older and crankier I get, the more I think Consumer Reports has much of value to say about many consumer goods. Yes, sometimes they totally whack out and fail to deal with reality (such early 1990s highjinks as recommending buying wash-and-wear suits at J.C. Penney, as if there's no socio-economic significance to fashion, and deciding that if shampoos are all alike on untreated medium brown hair, they're all alike on all hair) -- but they do provide some objective standards for determining if the marketing hype is actually about anything.

I love the Mr. Clean eraser for getting scuff marks off the wall, but it absolutely does change the finish of the paint. It's like wet sanding and leaves a place where the wall is shinier than the surroundings. Bugs me. I try to use it only as a last resort.

That eraser thingie contains carcinogens though; not good to use a lot with bare wet hands. Really, hydrogen peroxide in gel form would work just as well -- if not better -- and poses no health risks. (The stuff I get is actually a hospital cleaner; they sell at it a cloth diapering store) The reason behind simplifying my cleaning systems isn't frugality; it is chemical sensitivity (after going through chemo, I started reacting to everything), and popular household cleaners are rife with compounds that pose some sort of health risk.

Hydrogen peroxide is bleach, though, which the eraser thingie isn't (and can't be used with -- tons of warnings!). The eraser thingie removes dirt because of its tiny scrubbing surfaces. Different cleaning processes...

The depressing down side of not buying stuff I don't need is that I have a really good discount coupon for a favorite store -- expiring today! -- and I cannot think of one single thing I want to buy there.

Really, I fantasize about having my cleaning process, products and all, down to a science. I read Home Comforts but it didn't help so much on a daily level as a reference guide and Real Simple stresses me out and makes me feel inadequate at keeping home (notice were all women in this cleaning/stress thread--just saying).
Magazines are pure escapism for me, which is why I love the British ones--the currency differences don't bother me in the least.

Although it also has a scrubbing surface, that eraser thingie is loaded with chemicals.

It depends what you are trying to erase with that eraser thingie; the hydrogen peroxide cleans walls really well, which is why I mention it, but REAL Swedish microfibre cloths also remove just about every substance off walls (we have a toddler, so I get to try out these cloths on a regular basis) because they have such a porous surface -- and you only use water with them (no chemicals!) -- AND they are anitbacterial. (Hydrogen peroxide is a TYPE of bleach -- but does not have the same problems as chlorine bleaches like Clorox).

kostia -- I've had the exact same problem with the Magic Eraser, and it drives me buggy too! I'm almost ready to resort to repainting a few spots where I've used it. Has anyone found a way to fix the shiny spots the Eraser leaves?

Monika -- are you only referring to the gel hydrogen peroxide? Or can you just use it from a 99 cent bottle from the drug store? And where do you get the Swedish microfiber cloths?

Thanks!

hi all, i just stumbled upon this thread from Apt Therapy and this is sort of off topic of magazines but some of the above comment set me off:

you know what these cleaning supplies manufacturers and chi-chi magazines full of "tips" don't want you to figure out? they don't want you to figure out that there is an awesome, cheap, stylish, safe, natural alternative to almost all of those cleaning products you use. it is called DR BRONNER'S soap. you can get it at ricky's, at many humble grocery stores, or online at http://www.drbronner.com cheaply. the liquid soap comes in several scents or plain unscented (my favourite is peppermint, which tingles nicely). it can be used with great for:

washing your hair and body and face and hands
washing your dishes
laundry/washing machine
laundry/by hand
mopping
scrubbing your bathroom sinks or tub
cleaning a toilet
brushing your teeth

peppermint dr bronner soap, window cleaner, and maybe bleach. who needs anything else to clean house and body? you really really don't. stop letter them talk you into buying things you don't need.

*gets off soapbox*
:)

Miss glass,

I do use Dr. Bronner's for mopping, though not for anything else. However, if you ever want to clean latex paint off a brush or roller fast, Dr. Bronner's is totally the way to go.

Devon:

There are 2 Swedish microfibre cloths I buy (both online, where they are cheaper):
- http://www.actnatural.net/product/main2.htm
-Tergo
They are BRILLIANT for cleaning glass, stainless steel, chrome, floors, counters, walls, dusting, just about anything!

The Hydrogen peroxide I am referring to is a gel; it is an industrial cleaning product (for hospitals) that I get at a diaper shop. It is great for toilets, washing floors and walls (for nasty messes) as well as for laundry. There should be similar stuff out there in industrial cleaning stores.

I too have Dr. Bronner's at home. I use it for a lot of stuff (actually, it's great for toilets too), but got it mostly for the diaper-wipe solution I used to make when my daughter was in diapers. It's very gentle AND cleans well.

Monika -- thanks for the info! You've really opened up a new world of cleaning products for me! :)

Okay, I have revolted against the domestic-industrial complex. Dreading the thought of another hands-and-knees scrubbing of kitchen and bath floors (and having not yet taken excellent advice on mops), I diluted liquid laundry detergent, slopped the mix on the floor, and then skidded around on an old towel until the floor was clean and dry.

Took about two minutes per room -- sparkling clean floor -- and FUN too.

wow - i absolutely love this little stool. what a timeless piece!