Interior Design Magazines

High-End Glossy Magazines

• Architectural Digest - A monthly magazine that features pictorials on famous homes, homes of famous people, and the work of notable designers. Recent features have included Cher's home, David Bowie and Iman's Bali hideaway, and Billy Joel's house in the Hamptons. The writing and photography in this magazine are first rate.
• Coastal Living - A monthly glossy that focuses on homes and design styles on America's Atlantic, Pacific, and Great Lakes coasts. The style is relaxed and features many second homes and beach homes. Regular columns include "In the Coastal Kitchen", "Romantic Places", and "Current", a section about what's new in seaside design. Reading this magazine is like a trip to the beach -- without the sand.
• Elle Decor - The American edition of the famous French interior design magazine is filled with examples of European Continental decor and style, from earthy Mediterranean colors and textures to warm, flowery Parisian apartments, to sleek German style. Elle Decor also features many European design resources for Americans who are looking for something a little different.

Mass Market Interior Design Magazines

• House Beautiful - This popular monthly magazine, published by the Hearst Corporation, is the oldest of the interior design magazines. First published in 1892, House Beautiful offers design tips, shopping advice, recipes, and gardening articles. The magazine also profiles homes, room, and commercial spaces with well-written articles and lots of pictures.
• Martha Stewart Living - Living is the flagship magazine of "Martha Stewart Omnimedia", Martha's Stewart's design empire. As interesting and quirky as Martha herself, the monthly magazine features useful design tips, such as how to stencil furniture or best display china plates and just plain "over-the-top" articles, such as last year's article on how to make a chandelier from a live pumpkin for Halloween. (can you say drippy?)
• House and Garden - House and Garden is another classic "shelter" magazine, filled with interior design tips as well as shopping, cooking, and gardening advice. Recent issues of this monthly Conde Nast publication have featured such topics as vacation homes, color, kitchen and baths, and designing for entertaining.

Home Improvement Magazines

• This Old House - An offshoot of the popular PBS series, this monthly magazine helps readers design their period and century homes to fit the design style prevalent at the time the house was built. Topics include construction tips (usually aimed at homeowners who are hiring a contractor), paint colors and wallpaper, and profiles of successful rennovations.
• Fine Homebuilding - This glossy monthly magazine, a Taunton Press publication, features more technical advice than This Old House. The emphasis here is on excellent construction, encorporating interesting design elements. Written for both the homeowner (hiring a contractor) and the contractor himself, Fine Homebuilding is a great resource for hard-to-find moldings, windows, doors, and vintage wallpaper.

Finding new and inspired design ideas doesn't have to be difficult. Just pick up a copy or a subscription to one of these interior design magazines and you'll be surprised how many ideas you find.