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Hold the bus: Did that decorating magazine just give me permission to love my home?

Hold the bus: Did that decorating magazine just give me permission to love my home?

11 May

This post was most recently updated on September 22nd, 2019

You know I love my daily dose of decor blogs. But it hasn’t replaced my long-standing affair with decorating magazines.   I’ve been a decorating magazine junkie for over 20 years. Back in the mid-90s, I’d sneak in some time with Canadian House and Home in the ‘current periodicals’ section of the university library when I should have been studying for a marketing exam…and I’ve been hooked ever since.

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If you’re a decorating magazine junkie too, you probably get the same kind of kid-in-a-candy-store-feeling as me when you find a new issue in the mailbox, or on the grocery store stands!  The only thing that’s better, is locking myself away in a quiet (kid-free) room to drool over the pages with a big cuppa java.

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decorating magazine - Canada's Style at Home Christmas

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For the better part of the two decades I’ve been reading them, decor magazines have been mostly about ‘aspirational’ decorating.  Filled with glossy spreads of gorgeous homes decorated (mostly) by professional designers, they appealed to our dreams, not necessarily our realities.  They’ve fed our appetite for eye candy – even if, albeit, the eye candy is a little, er, inaccessible. As a poor university student, I knew it would be a loooooong time before I could afford a home like the ones they featured (if ever), but by schooling me on decor trends and the rules of great design, those old issues inspired me nonetheless.

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1996 House and Home feature

A space featured in a 1996 issue of Canadian House and Home. Source and credits: Canadian House and Home.

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Fast forward 20 years to 2013.

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The June issue of another favorite, Style at Home, looks like this:

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Style at Home June 2013

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. .

It reads:  Love the home you’re in! 

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Back it up like a Tonka truck.

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Did that decorating magazine just give me permission to love the home I own right now?  As in: our less than perfect home?  As in: not my ultimate dream home? I can love this home? Even without the all the custom finishings I’ve dreamed of? And without a professional-grade kitchen range? And without granite counter-tops or a craftsman front door?  Well OK, Style at Home…I’m in!

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And then I remembered Style at Home‘s January issue, whose cover read: This year’s trend: Break the rules! Decorate the way you love.

decorating magazine Style at Home January 2013 .

OK, so you mean, it’s now trendy to decorate just the way I want, and not by somebody else’s rules? Sold!

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Truth told, I’ve bought into this idea for years now, thanks to decor blogs like Nesting Place which have inspired me to embrace the home we have right now.  But you have to agree, it’s pretty refreshing to see mainstream magazines embracing this idea so explicitly! After all, life is short.  Why not be happy in the digs you have right now? Why waste 10 years aspiring to a ‘dream home’ that might never come?

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Personally, even though our financial situation has matured since early college days when I stole a peek at House and Home in the library, I’m not sure we’ll ever build a home like the ones I drooled over back then.  The reality is we have bigger ‘life’ priorities – like putting 3 kids through college some day.  I think it’s safe to assume that’s the same for most of us.

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So, when I get a magazine like this in the mailbox…

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Canadian House and Home June 2013

Mastering the High-Low Mix, June 2013, Canadian House and Home

 it

 

…or find ones like these on the news-stand…

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HGTV magazine

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decorating magazine BH&G DIY

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…it makes me even more excited than ever to find a quiet corner and dig in!

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Kudos to the world of decorating magazines for recognizing and feeding the desire for accessible design ideas.  There will always be a place for featuring showcase homes – and we can all learn from them – but personally, I find it just as inspiring to see fabulously decorated ‘everyday’ homes.

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So have you noticed this change in decorating magazines over the past few years, as well?  Do you prefer to be inspired by dream homes decorated by designers, or by cheap-chic decor in every day homes like your own?  (OK, so it’s not a question about war and peace, but, hey, it’s Friday ;-).)

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Have a fab weekend my lovelies.

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Until next time,

 

By Kerri, May 11, 2013, Filed Under: Uncategorized

About Kerri

Kerri Roche is the voice behind A Pop of Pretty, a Canadian-based home decorating blog, where she shares her love of modern cottage and coastal style, from the island of Newfoundland. Kerri is a lifelong interiors lover and an avid home enthusiast. She holds an MBA and Bachelor degree in Commerce (Marketing). Her blog is a creative outlet where she loves to inspire other style seeking home lovers with design and renovation ideas, DIY home decor tutorials, and shopping tips as she decorates her suburban family home and coastal cottage - all while juggling a busy young family, including a globe-trotting husband, 3 busy kids (including twins), and two energetic dogs named Finny and Winnie.

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Comments

  1. Cathy says

    May 11, 2013 at 4:10 am

    You said that so well…. I am positive that many of us feel the same way as I have loved Canadian House and Home and Style at Home and Chatelaine magazines for many years also a few great Canadian ones that are no longer published. Your comments on loving the home you are in ….. that is something we should all do as you stated that our tastes change over time and probably do not actually want that what at one point in time that perfect house anyway. Thank you reminding us to love the home you live in!

Hello & Welcome

Welcome! I'm Kerri. I love pretty modern cottage and coastal home decorating style. I aim to inspire style seeking home lovers to decorate with confidence, by sharing decorating ideas, shopping tips, tutorials + inspiration. Read More…

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