The Stats
Title: House Beautiful, April, '10
Price: $5.50
Availability: now, major bookstores
The Issue
The cover of the issue says it all: "The new look of wood -- natural, light and relaxed". I've been on about this trend for a few posts now, but the obsession kinda started when I interviewed Apartment Therapy blog's LA correspondents at the Las Vegas World Market, a few months ago (interview coming this week!) They were invited to the Vegas event as guest speakers, and granted me an interview during which they talked extensively of what they coined as "natural glam". Basically, bright colours are out and it's back to all things natural, primarily wood. When I saw this month's issue of House Beautiful, it was as if I heard the girls' voices speaking from within its pages! Just as they'd noted, sun-bleached fabrics, natural linens and cottons, and stripped, light, natural wood dominated every story -- I don't remember snatching a magazine faster. With the inspiration comes a little education, in the form of a wood guide identifying relatively unknown varieties such as Lemonwood, Mango, Tamarind and the Japanese Kiri, among many others.
And that's not all! To help you welcome the new look of wood into your home, there are complementary fabric, paint and wallpaper mini-guides, addressing the parallel trends of pastels and botanical motifs. If you're going to heed any decor advise this spring and summer, the April issue of House Beautiful is the perfect place to start.
Final Analysis
You'll probably like it if:
- You're looking for spring inspiration
- You like a re-claimed, informal aesthetic
- You like un-structured, soft-line furniture
You may not like it if:
- You prefer a strictly modern, sleek or ultra glam aesthetic
- You don't like the look of natural wood
- You have a more traditional style
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