Magazines to Revive Your Inspiration and Creativity
Especially as it relates to home interiors.
Now that I’m working on some interior design projects, I get to order samples of all types of fabrics, and I’m obsessed. I can be so inspired by textures and colors. That sampling, though, is just that, a sample of the larger catalogue of furniture and textiles.
There are so many places we can get inspiration, but more often than not, I have found myself turning to physical sources as much as I can. I love holding a book in my hand, flipping through pages as slowly as I want without being tempted to scroll.
So, a day of working in the bookstore (Barnes&Noble) meant I looked through many magazines, some of which I had never heard of. I thought I’d share a sampling of magazines (4 to be exact, with a bonus at the end) to revive your own sources of inspiration and creativity.
Design Anthology: UK Edition
Design Anthology UK is the triannual European edition of Design Anthology, a magazine that covers design, architecture, art, travel, and style in Asia. While many magazines saturate the interior design market, they “believe there is room for a new kind of considered, premium title that champions quality, beauty and innovative thinking.”
It is a beautiful magazine with sophisticated images.
A sampling of a few amazing articles:
“An On-point Pied-à-terre” (link) - warm, muted, natural, luxurious interiors. Paris apartment meets quintessential quiet luxury.
“Personal Experimentation” (link) - A Swedish designer’s home in Brooklyn full of natural materials and neutral colors.
“Scents and Sensitivity” (link) - I will read any article with a play-on-words of a Jane Austen title (in this case, Sense and Sensibility).
“To the Sea” (link) - A design duo’s first collection of furniture and home accessories, and the descriptive word is: coastal.
Frederic Magazine
Printed four times a year, Frederic Magazine—an arm of Schumacher—showcases beautiful interiors and projects interior design trends to keep you ahead of everyone else.
Sampling of articles:
“How Neisha Crosland Transformed a London Carriage House Into a Warm Family Home” (link) - Never look at a space at it is, but close your eyes and imagine its potential. That is the best way to view a potential or current home when your dissatisfied with its current state.
“Get Ready For the New Wave of French Design” (link) - The short version is that France is returning to celebrating craftsmanship, honoring the old, and simultaneously creating the new.
“Designer-in-residence Heather Chadduck Hillegas brings new life to the 300-year-old property” (link) - “Colonial Williamsburg is where American decorating started,” says interior designer Heather Chadduck Hillegas. She decorated the Nelson-Galt House, the oldest residential building in Colonial Williamsburg. Read the short article, watch the video, and then put Williamsburg on your travel list!
Milk Magazine
This magazine is the cottagecore aesthetic en français (in French). Not only are the images mesmerizing, but the articles and stories are wonderful. The magazine covers interiors, style, mothers, multi-generation, food, and mothers and children. This is a beautifully crafted magazine.
3 ways to consume:
Buy the magazine in English in Barnes&Noble.
Click the translate button at the top of your browser.
Practice your French and read slowly.
Sampling of Articles:
“Dans le Bureau Parisien de Bénédicte Burguet-Journé” (link) - In the Paris office of Bénédicte Burguet-Journé, Senior Editor of Vanity Fair France and content creator.
An article about brunch refreshments with the sodastream, which is the most romantic way to portray sparkling your own water.
“Artistes en herbe” - in English, “Budding Artists” (link) - an article about art and children.
Rum: International Edition
Did you know that Copenhagen is the World Capital of Architecture for 2023? Me either, but No. 16 of Rum International expounds on Copenhagen, showcasing its perfect Scandinavian style.
There aren’t any example articles, but you can check out their Instagram here. Just don’t scroll long! If you like it, buy a copy or head to your local bookstore.
If you speak French: Vivre Côté Paris
If you’ve followed me for any length of time, you already know that my love for France knows no end, especially my love for Paris. I’ve been speaking French since high school and I practice every single day. One of the ways I practice is by reading French magazines. If you speak French—or are trying to learn it—I highly recommend finding a few magazines covering topics you love and then diving in!
One great option is Vivre Côté Paris, a French interiors magazine. Its contents are beautiful and quintessentially Parisien.
Sampling of Articles:
“Un appartement aux murs écrins croisant les époques et les styles” - in English, “ An apartment with boxed walls crossing eras and styles” - (link) - A neutral background allows for bold pops of color in the art and accessories.
“Objets voyageurs, luminaires et mobilier en petites séries” - in English, “Travel objects, lighting and furniture in small series” - (link) - a lesson in odd objects and natural and unnatural shapes.
Enjoy flipping through real pages!
I can't wait to get to the bookstore and hold these :)