For designers, there is an inexplicable excitement that comes with the act of flipping through a beautiful design magazine. Right from seeing the envelope wrapped magazine in the mailbox, to carefully unwrapping it, the comforting smell of fresh print, and the rustling of the paper as you flip through them one by one, devouring every single detail on each of the pages, is an experience that is just magical. Digital technology like Pinterest has made interior design easily accessible to everyone. But that has in no way reduced the attraction of good old design magazines. This article examines the most popular design magazines that designers are gushing over.
The Best Interior Design Magazines
1. Architectural Digest (monthly, except July/August combined issue)
First published in 1920, Architectural Digest is an excellent magazine delivering quality articles, beautiful photographs, and extensive interviews with designers and architects from around the world.
2. Architectural Digest France edition (bimonthly)
The French edition of Architectural Digest is also highly popular in the United States. The magazine focuses on changing aspects of interior decoration with the changing times. Blending both traditional and modern designs, the magazine is a great source for inspiring creativity in design.
3. Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles (monthly)
Published since 1983, Atlanta Homes and Lifestyle magazine is one of America’s most popular design magazines. It is also one of the magazines that have more content and fewer advertisements. Designers say that the designs featured in the magazine are always stunning.
4. Better Homes and Gardens (monthly)
This magazine provides a good collection of beautiful pictures of interiors, apart from articles on the latest trends and design styles, as well as some DIY inspiration. Although still a huge hit, designers complain that the number of advertisements has increased over the years.
5. California Home and Design (monthly)
Focussing on high-end homes and gardens, CA Home and Design is a popular magazine to find great sources and products for your next interior design project. It is a great resource to stay updated about California-style tastes and trends.
6. Dwell (bimonthly)
Filled with beautiful images to inspire creativity, this magazine is geared towards the modern or mid-century modern design enthusiast. The magazine also addresses innovation in materials and building concepts.
7. Elle Decoration France edition (9 issues a year)
While the American Elle Decor is a hot favorite, the France edition, known as Elle Decoration is an excellent inspiration guide for designers looking for the latest trends and styles in interior decor.
8. Elle Decoration UK edition (monthly)
Just like the France edition, Elle Decor’s British edition, also known as Elle Decoration provides great insight into the design aesthetics of Europe and the rest of the world.
9. Elle Decor US edition (9 issues a year)
Elle Decor is one of those magazines that designers say always come up with fresh and chic content. While some reviews gently criticize the number of advertisements recently populating the magazine, many designers vouch that this magazine is their go-to magazine for design inspiration.
10. Florida Design Magazine (quarterly)
A quarterly publication, the Florida Design Magazine covers topics ranging from architecture, interior design, furnishings, and more. The magazine with its high-quality pictures is widely popular among designers across the States.
11. House Beautiful (8 issues a year)
House Beautiful is another magazine that is loved by designers for its elegant and practical styles. The criticism of being loaded with advertisements has not deterred designers from subscribing to this magazine for its colorful content and great ideas.
12. House & Home (monthly)
This Canadian magazine is one of the most popular magazines coming out of North America. It provides designers with an insightful understanding of interior designs that espouse clean, modern, and Scandinavian aesthetics.
13. Interior Design (16 issues a year)
The Interior Design magazine is geared towards professional interior designers. With lots of content and information about products and materials, this magazine provides good design inspiration, especially for commercial design projects.
14. Southern Living (monthly)
Designers say that this magazine consists of great design inspiration and classic recipes. While some may like stumbling across recipes while scouring for design ideas, others prefer their design magazines to be purely design.
15. Style at Home (monthly)
This magazine is another Canadian publication that is loved by all designers. Style at Home features fresh decorating ideas that can be reinterpreted into American homes. Well written and packed with beautiful images, this is easily one of America’s favorite design magazines.
16. This Old House (bimonthly)
A fun and engaging read, designers believe that this magazine has some great content and ideas that can draw in the DIY crowd. The magazine has lots of ideas on home improvement, although some readers say that it, unfortunately, does not focus as much on craftsmanship as in the past.
17. Traditional Home (quarterly)
Earlier a monthly publication, Trad Home is now published on a quarterly basis. The magazine is filled with beautiful images of modern homes and classic spaces which some readers find contrasting with the name of the magazine.
18. Veranda (bimonthly)
Veranda’s glossy pictures of beautiful interiors have had designers hooked for years. Although a few designers have complained that the magazine has gotten rather thin lately, it is still packed with inspirational interviews, images, and insight.
19. Vogue Living (monthly)
This magazine is great if you are looking for a beautiful coffee table book filled with gorgeous high-quality images of homes from around the world. There are also stories of homeowners that inspire creativity and innovation.
20. World of Interiors (monthly)
World of Interiors has been in circulation for 40 years. With carefully curated creative, innovative, and unusual designs, the UK’s World of Design is a very popular magazine among designers.
Conclusion
Reading a design magazine can be very uplifting for designers. They provide a constant stream of inspiration for your client projects and showhouses. While nothing compares to a paper delivery of your favorite magazines, the eco-friendly option is digitally subscribing to these magazines via Kindle. You can use a digital service like Zinio which digitally aggregates thousands of international magazines. Regardless of how you secure your copy, don’t overlook these sources of carefully curated content. While blogs and social media have democratized the media landscape a fair bit, the above publications continue to offer superior content.
Which design magazines are your favorite, and why? Did we miss out on any? Let us know in the comments below.
