While some of these may not be new to all of you (especially if you are very interested in decorating and design), all of them are ideas or products that have come out over the last year. The best part is that all of these can be resources to use when staging your home.
NEW BOOKS AND/OR MAGAZINES
Note about books: I have not read any of these yet, so these are not recommendations. If you have read any of these, please feel free to leave a comment. I did notice there weren’t many new releases. The top 2 or 3, which sounded good, were only available in Kindle editions. I don’t want to limit what I list here to only those that have reading devices, so these are actual hard or softcover books.
Home Selling For Smarties: The Consumer's Insider Guide to Home Selling
By Charles Chaplin
The author is both a managing real estate broker and a certified instructor, so I hope this book is full of up-to-date information. The description states that it will bring readers information directly from the field and includes real life stories. I find both of these things extremely helpful when reading a book. They give it interest and variety. There is also a glossary of real estate terms that are explained in terms that the average person can understand. Check it out and let me know what you think.
HGTV Magazine by Hearst Magazines
I’m sure most of you have heard by now that HGTV has finally come out with its own magazine. I wrote about it in my newsletter as I was anticipating its release. And while I am a decorator and stager and am partial to HGTV, I can honestly say that this magazine does not disappoint.
It is everything I expected it to be an more. Perhaps I was expecting the best not only because it’s a project of HGTV, but it’s also published by an outstanding publishing company, Hearst. They also produce Food Network Magazine, which I love, along with House Beautiful. I will never stop wanting the paper versions of magazines. I like to feel the pages, pull them out for ideas and inspiration, and write notes on the pages.
I used to subscribe to over 20 magazines, mostly those related to decorating. Over the last 2 years some of my favorites have ceased publication. I am extremely disappointed and I hope HGTV Magazine makes it. I’ll get a magazine in the mail and think, I don’t subscribe to this. Why am I getting it? Did someone order it for me? And usually it’s just another magazine published by that company of course, with a note stating the magazine I subscribe to will no longer be published. But there have not been any that I’ve been happy to receive as a replacement. They do offer refunds on remaining issues, but the amount is so small that it’s usually not worth the effort.
Here are a few, on various topics, that have gone out of business recently. One that been around for a long time, is Bird Talk. One related to decorating is Fresh Home. Then, most recently, Everyday Food by Martha Stewart has ceased publication.
But on to the review for HGTV Magazine … the magazine is big, bold, packed with information, and full of gorgeous photos. How does it differ from other magazines of its kind? I think it does a good job of covering lots of topics at a basic level. It does not go into deep detail ideas or topics. A magazine like House Beautiful has long articles, in-depth interviews, writing that goes deep into a topic, and gorgeous photos -– just to name a few features.
HGTV Magazine has a more light-hearted tone. It covers a broader range of topics and ideas but in much less detail. The photos are bright, colorful, and pop off the page. They are gorgeous but just in a totally different way than House Beautiful or Coastal Living. The topics include just about everything you see on their TV channel, including decorating, redecorating, design, staging, color theory, real estate, staging, buying and selling, decorating on a budget, gardening, outdoor design, and tips, advice, and columns from the designers on HGTV. They cover topics such as curb appeal, creating a focal point, choosing a color palette, how to find or make high-end items for much less, and even how to choose plants and flowers for indoors and out. In other words, the columns and features are quick reads. It’s fun, engaging, and yet delivers important and helpful information.
Now, I love Coastal Living and House Beautiful too. This is just something totally different than other decorating magazines –- in a good way. I would highly recommend this magazine to my readers. And although this isn’t about the others, I also highly recommend the other two as well. You can find about my Top Ten Magazines (for home and garden) in my Sytle with Comfort February 2012 Newsletter. Not a subscriber yet? Sign up for the newsletter. But to get a copy of this issue, send me an email and I’ll make sure you get your copy. My newsletters are ezines.
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