Country Home out to pasture

I don't normally post images such as these, but that doesn't mean that I don't love them. I love stuff, and I love old stuff even more. Looking at interiors in magazines and online, whether authentic and lived-in or professionally styled, is one of my favourite forms of escapism. There are plenty of bloggers out there who post wonderfully inspirational images taken from shelter magazines, such as these from Country Home's website.

It was announced today that Country Home has folded. Country Home had been one of the magazines that I purchased on a regular basis and I had dreamed of someday seeing my Eclectonotes grace its pages. When it comes to my favourite magazines, I purchase them loyally – even if the content is available online on blogs or the company's own website. When a blogger scans magazine pages or takes images from websites it is free publicity and promotion of the magazine so long as the blogger credits the source of the images. (Let's overlook the copyright issues for now.) I wonder how much of a detrimental factor personal shelter blogs are to the paying readership of magazines. In reading multiple favourite blogs, you are essentially curating your own personalized magazine.

Online content may be a small factor in the demise of a magazine such as Country Home, but I think the biggest reason for its failure is that mammoth publishing companies are no longer viable business models. We are seeing this now on a regular basis with big newspaper, magazine and book publishers scaling back.

Finding your niche, staying small, and loving and respecting your customers are the keys to sustainability. These days, you have to think small to think big.

{related post: Bye Bye Blueprint }