10 Great Online Shelter Magazines for Practical Living
By Kristin Rawls | November 3, 2011 at 7:19 am
In recent years, major shelter magazines like Domino shut their doors. As a result, the industry shifted to online publications. Unlike magazines of old, the new ones provide design advice to a younger readership. They provide practical solutions for those who can’t afford high-end home décor. They also give more green living advice. Here are 10 of the top online shelter magazines:
1. Lonny: This undisputed leader in the industry has only been around since 2009. Editor Michelle Adams was a Domino employee. She hoped to reenergize shelter magazines when her employer went under. Lonny is a bimonthly publication. It aims to teach people of all income levels to create home designs they love.
2. Pure Green: This is a beautifully designed Web-based shelter magazine. It boasts one of the most professional designs and best photography out there. Attractive and easy to navigate, the quality of this magazine can’t be overstated. The best part, of course, is that the magazine promotes a green, sustainable lifestyle.
3. Rue: Rue is one of Lonny’s biggest competitors. Like Lonny, it tries to make great design accessible to everyone. It does this by teaching great home design techniques you can use without breaking the bank. Rue helps you make the most of limited resources by using materials you already have.
4. High Gloss: This is another big name in the industry. It publishes lots of home design and entertaining ideas. It also caters to a wide variety of consumers and personal tastes. Like the other magazines, High Gloss emphasizes the idea of living well.
5. Matchbook: Matchbook, like High Gloss and Rue, is a popular Lonny competitor. Matchbook has a quaint, attractive look about it. The writing is a bit more whimsical than that of its competitors. Matchbook’s blog, The Daily Spark, showcases a wide variety of “people, places and things that inspire” its writers.
6. Curbed: Curbed focuses on promoting designs that it calls “non-girly.” This may not be the best description. Indeed, Curbed has a very attractive, clean layout. In addition to its design content, Curbed publishes information about real estate trends.
7. Sweet Paul: Sweet Paul is soon to be a digital enterprise. Its home page is not yet live. In the meantime, you can access the magazine’s print content on the Web. Also look for great design advice on the Sweet Paul blog. It helpfully highlights design deals and coupons.
8. Nesting Newbies: This is a quarterly shelter magazine with a special focus on food and entertaining. In addition to the magazine content, the site features regular cooking segments and blogs. It caters to people who “have no clue when it comes to cooking, entertaining, and decorating.” True to its name, the magazine is mostly for “newbies.”
9. Adore Home Magazine: Adore is a lovely Australia-based shelter magazine. The magazine’s blog highlights innovative designs and crafts. Though it is newer than some of the other magazines, its professional design and accessible ideas indicate great things to come.
10. Anthology: This is a great Web-based magazine with the tagline, “Living with Substance and Style.” It launched in Fall 2010. The cool thing about Anthology is that it relies on support from its readership. This allows the magazine to limit its use of ads. You may have seen the print version in Anthropologie stores nationwide.
What other online shelter magazines do you find helpful?




