We sell a lot of interior design magazines because we take them seriously. They’re often dismissed as waiting room or coffee table fodder, and many are. But a well-conceived interior design magazine is an unbeatable resource for shaping, clarifying and inspiring ideas about the spaces we live in and usefully equipped to cater for a broad scale of aspiration and budgets. So, as self-appointed arbiters of what’s hot in this genre, we’ve picked six very different interior design magazines that all have something different to offer.
The most imposing and classical of the group is Ark Journal, a hefty Danish magazine exploring the interrelation of architecture, interior design, product design and art in the domestic environment. Even if you’ve only come to ogle the sofas you’ll find yourself drawn into this cool, restrained but artful Scandinavian design environment where people (not always Scandinavian) seem able to effortlessly conjure atmosphere, calm and grand elegance out of seemingly simple elements. Nothing here spells bijou or budget, but inspiration costs nothing and Ark is always packed with ideas. It’s only published twice a year which is not often enough for its aficionados, but it’s not hard to notice the amount of work that goes into it.
If Ark is imposing, Cabana is out to steal the show. Another biannual, it steps out each spring and autumn wrapped in stunning designer textiles or wallpaper from the likes of Liberty to LVMH to Ralph Lauren. We’re told that premium fashion and textile brands like these are queuing to dress its covers, but it’s what unfolds inside that make it so beguiling. Period-obsessed and super-sensory on detail, Cabana has a distinct taste for eighteenth architecture, interiors and furnishings. The magazine has utilised many different photographers across twenty-odd issues but each outing imparts the same sense of discovery or the feeling that you’ve gained privileged access to locked away or private rooms or spaces that time has forgotten and nobody knows about. It’s an indefinable quality that sets this magazine apart from its nearest competitors. It's costly (£40) but you only have to shell out twice a year to build the interior design library of a lifetime.
An exciting and slightly odd-ball looking new entrant is Manera, published by the former editor-in-chief at AD Spain. It's a title we’ve quickly fallen in love with, not only because it’s packed with unconventional inspiration but it isn’t bothered with trends and feels like a fresh pair of eyes on the scene. A chunky and fairly compact journal focused on the domestic interior design of Spain and Latin America, Manera seems drawn to more full-on interior stylings but the breadth of what is showcased is quite astonishing – we don’t offer anything else that juggles the artful and kitsch with cool and minimalist in the way that Manera can. The success of the Latin issue has let to the release of a Benelux issue (Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg) which is published in English.
Vogue Living Australia is a flashy glossy that looks deceptively mainstream and even dated – many people might be surprised to see it in a round-up like this – but those who know and regularly buy it appreciate its trailblazing vision and freedom of expression. As a colonial I get the tension here between slavish emulation of the old world and wanting to forge something new, and so often you’ll find bold hybrids and mind-boggling mash-ups modelled in the most modest of new builds – and they work. Another magazine from the same part of the world, The Local Project, has really captured attention because contemporary building projects in Australia and New Zealand seem more ambitious and less shackled than in the UK and Europe, so it’s simply packed with wow-factor constructions. But nothing in that journal is old-school-opulent in the way that Vogue Living so defiantly is, and we’ve noticed that this is a title experienced design consultants always buy.
Openhouse is an Anglo-Spanish biannual that blends art, architecture and design with human interest stories that makes it something like a warmer weather companion to Ark Journal but it’s a relaxed and thoughtful read, as the inhabitant/interviewees – inevitably artists or people working in the creative industries – share the thoughts and philosophies that have shaped or defined their living spaces. In this respect it’s not unlike Apartamento but a galaxy away in most others, and if there is a shared look and feel to the spaces which are generally minimal, with muted colours and a liberal use of concrete and stone, it all helps to create atmospheric settings that usefully foreground artworks, furniture and furnishings for contemplation and discussion.
Quite different to everything else is Sloft, a magazine dedicated to compact interiors from France. This is a look at small homes with an angle that’s as much about innovative and sustainable habitats as it is about managing the constraints of restricted spaces. The magazine is a compact thing itself but pleasingly bookish – the publisher is working hard to present these volumes as a collection and they do sing on the bookshelves. The first issue was French language only, before a translated supplement was provided in the back pages, and the most recent issues have parallel text. The accessibility doesn’t end there. The photography is more focused on giving you an informative tour rather than multiple views of a designer armchair or an expensive tap. Plus all properties viewed provide a floor plan to indicate how the space actually works.
There are so many great magazines in this field, but we haven’t the space. There’s the aforementioned Apartamento, RUM International and Design Anthology, not to mention a developing sub-genre of interior design magazines that have little interest in formal design ideas and driven more by vibe and atmosphere. These include Scenery, very much the interiors magazine of the moment, Ton and arguably the eccentric outlier The Bible of British Taste. Another major arrival is the hugely popular Never Too Small from Australia which is very similar to Sloft (hence the name) but feels more cultural than technical, so Sloft gets our nod here. Both Scenery and Never Too Small deserve more focused scrutiny so we’ll save them for another day. The rest should keep you going.