Elle Decoration, January 2011

Elle Decoration get the shelter magazine market off to a cracking start with their first issue of 2011. A fabulous feast of inspiring visuals await, friends. Expect to find an eclectic range of home tours, including: a stunning midcentury modern home in Auckland; the fun and upbeat space of artist Anne Tholstrup; and, detailed peeks inside homes in Melbourne, New York, Berlin, Kyoto and Helsinki. Plus, there are plenty of seasonal ideas, from surviving winter in style to storage solutions and suggestions for relaxation. I've picked out some of the editorials that stood out for me; what catches your eye?

Elle Decoration

Elle Decoration December 2010

Given they are the cool kid on the block, it's no surprise to see Elle Decoration deliver a December issue far removed from green and red Christmas features, instead inspiring for the holidays in a more subtle, unique way. A cracking gift guide opens the issue, along with news on all the latest products for the home, including the 'Cotton Tree' wallpaper by MissPrint and fabrics from Osborne & Little. This month's 'easy decorating' feature shines the spotlight on purple and offers advice on how to introduce  various hues into a scheme. The 'easy updates' feature that follows is by far my favourite of all the stories within the December issue; wonderfully whimsical and bursting with comforting warmth, their Ten Commandments of Christmas are all spot on. A close second favourite was the 'at home with' feature, which tours the Copenhagen home of Danish fashion designer Malene Birger. Before heading into the home tour section at the back, congratulations must go to one of my textile favourites Donna Wilson, who won the Designer of the Year award at The British Design Awards 2010. There's just time to mention the five home tours within the issue - see below for a peek of the Vals and Parisian homes they featured. Finally, if you are planning on entertaining over the holiday season be sure to read their feature on casual dining. OK, enough of my picks, what has you excited about this issue?

Elle Decoration

Elle Decoration November 2010

Ok, so they may have gotten me on-side right away with the grey armchair but this really is a fantastic issue from the Elle Decoration team. Shall we jump right in? Brilliant, because there's lots of treats ahead. A few pages in and I've already suffering from a severe case of lighting lust due to that Gill Scott table lamp that sits amongst many great winter buys for the home.

If you are thinking of adding an art wall to your home or office in the near future, then this feature makes the issue alone a worthwhile purchase. Isn't that main office space (above) achingly stylish?!

The 'at home with' story is always one of my favourite features in each issue. Small, but telling peeks into peoples' homes always filsl me with excitement. This month the lens turned to Stylist Marcus Hay's Manhattan apartment, which details fun pops of colour and eclectic finds.

After a detailed and resourceful sixteen pages on how to use different styles of lighting in the home we find ourselves at the home tour section and, friends, it doesn't disappoint. We are treated to six different spaces from cities across the world, including Amsterdam, New York, Mexico City and Chicago. Here are my favourite snaps from the tours and I'm sure you'll agree they demonstrate that this is another outstanding issue from Elle Decoration. What's caught your eye?

Elle Decoration

{Elle Decoration October 2010}

When this issue fell onto the mat it was a very Anna Wintour in The September Issue moment. No, I've not grown a bob. Nor was I wearing a pair of her ubiquitous shades. (Side note: The reality is that I bounded out of bed as soon as the postman arrived, PJs, bed hair - the lot!) No, it was because of the size of it - their biggest ever in fact - and there's so much to dish I guess I should get started? Ok, let's get this show on the road! Sporting the perfect fall palette and excellent visual depth, October's cover is a vast improvement on September's. The first spread is a calming look at how to do pared-down details with style (2-4), which makes the black kitchen (5) that follows all the more dramatic. More colourful delights follow soon after. Namely, the yellow bedroom (6) of Paris-based stylist James Leland Day and Danish pottery designer Bjorn Wiinblad's 'blue room' (7).

The team have been busy putting together a pattern book (8, 9) that showcases the best autumn/winter fabrics and wallpapers for the season ahead. Its comprehensive and I guarantee it will have you hankering after a new pair of curtains, an update to the tired foot stall in the corner or at least inspire your next textile purchase. Soon after, you might be reaching for the credit card and booking yourself express tickets to Paris. Why? Well, French artist Jean Cocteau has opened up his home to the public (10) and as the team say, it would be worth the €7 entry free alone just too have a good snoop around his desk. Next we dive into the celebration pages (Happy 21st, you guys!) and Editor, Michelle Ogundehin, takes us on a tour of some of the team's favourite stories (12, 13) over the past 21 years.

As usual, the back section is dedicated to home tours and the birthday issue's offerings don't disappoint. From the golden glamour of a Parisian apartment (14, 15) that oozes grandeur and opulence to the Californian home (16) of photographer Don Flood (check out those colour pops) there's something for both classic-contemporary and mid-century loving design eyes. I gasped when I turned the page onto the 'Gold Standard' opener (17) - their way with words is always excellent, but their description of Acido Dorado in the Joshua Tree national park is stellar: 'Shimming like a mirage, the surprising spectacle of this metallic house couldn't contrast more sharply with the surrounding wilderness of the Southern Californian desert'. Their final tour of a remote South African home features a bathroom (18) that should come with a 'will cause serious lusting' warning. The bumper issue is rounded off a piece on legendary party host and talented interior designer, the late Bunny Roger (19). Right, now it's your turn to dish: what makes you want to run to the store and buy a copy?

Elle Decoration