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Unhappy Hipsters, a site that mocks the neo-modern homeowners with sorrowful expressions often seen in the pages of Dwell Magazine, has thrown our favorite design magazine into the proverbial firing squad. While we can poke fun of listless models and quirky prop styling, the future of this modern architectural publication is no laughing matter.
In fact, Unhappy Hipster's popularity seems to suggest that the average American has grown tired of gravel yards and concrete floors.
I suppose there's always truth in numbers, so I dug a bit deeper to get the scoop on how Dwell is really doing. Is Unhappy Hipsters an omen of things to come, or is it simply another meaningless social media satire?
According to an article in Folio Mag, Dwell saw ad dollars sink 43.4 percent and ad pages decrease 46.4 percent in the first half of 2009 versus the same period in 2008. Of course, many publications have a recession to thank for such a decrease and the migration of readers from print to web, but could there be more to the story?
According to MediaFinder.com, Dwell's circulation is only 328,000, which is barely a third of Elle Decor's readership, one of its main shelter mag competitors.
Perhaps Unhappy Hipsters is right: America is tired of stark minimalism, tiger flooring and mid-century architecture. With the economy sinking quickly, the average homeowner can't afford the new $6,500 DWR sofa and are opting for a more traditional, hand-crafted aesthetic.
And with the rise of popular shelter blogs shelling out decorating advice for free, is there still a need for glossy design mags? Maria Niles writes at BlogHer, "It is quite the cruel irony - by blogging, [a blogger's] love inspired by shelter...magazines might be helping to kill the magazines they loved and from which their blogging was, at least in part, born."
I hope Maria is wrong. I hope Dwell triumphs on, unlike the numerous shelter magazines -- Domino, Metropolitan Home -- that folded in 2009. Dwell, we're rooting for you!
For more design and architectural news, read on:
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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)
We used to subscribe to Dwell.. when they asked for feedback, I kept telling them to show us MODERN.. not the mostly postmodern stuff they kept playing over & over.. too much wood.. termite food.. and what about 21st century construction..? Like, foamed concrete. It insulates and is light & strong. It is great for roof tops too. Forget asphalt shingles that flit away in the wind..!! And don't LAST..!!
ReplyA home should coddle it's owner.. and provide light without artificial.. ...like in central courtyards.. atriums.. look at the Eichlers.
And like the Case Study houses.. all of those are modern from 50-60 years ago..!!
Great post, Erin.
ReplyI've also seen talk here and there that the mid-century modern aesthetic is being replaced by steam punk, a return of shabby chic and other trends.
For what it's worth, though, I also hope my pessimistic speculation is wrong. I love Dwell and I'd hate to see it join the ranks of so many of my other favorite design magazines.
Maybe if it had scantly clad women on the cover and was displayed at the checkout counter, it would have sold more copies.
ReplyThat cover picture says it all. It's just not mentally healthy to be surrounded by different shades of gray and neutrals in your indoor environment, all day long, every day. The intended calming effect is soon replaced by a type of mental depression.
ReplyNever heard of this magazine
ReplyNever heard of it either and from the looks didnt miss much has that ikea neomodern clasic look. Homes need to be more classic warm woods and earth tones never sterile or the other way all plastic or "green" as some nuts want you to think is good. Ive been in construction 15 years and I do see so wack jobs building ikea homes and they are butt ugly..As long as This Old house stays on thats plenty
ReplyI hated this magazine! I had a free subscription, I would glance at it, then toss it in the trash.
ReplyOur once future trending.. modern country, has been sinking into the gauche glitz of ugly 'post' modernism, for decades.
ReplyArchitecture and Morality
Our houses and apartments are built as compromises for profit, not for perfection or quality. They stand as pale imitations of what they could be. We spend our lives living in plasterboard boxes made of cheap materials fashioned to look like little suburban mansions. Their cheapness of construction is covered up with every manner of superficial adornment -- wallpaper, paint, face brick, plaster stucco, hollow cornices, fake ionic columns, fake fireplaces, cheap noisy ventilation systems or uncomfortable, inefficient, heating systems.
We build these live-in lies in the name of profit. Those on the low end have the worst of it. Small, noisy, apartments and houses in neighborhoods made unsafe by the prevailing social misery. Roaches, drafts, flimsy appurtenances and furnishings that fall apart before the interest is paid all stand in mockery of a failed ideal for living. With each new storm or tornado these cheap excuses for human habitation fly apart or collapse, leaving families displaced or dead. Houses built in a day from low-cost non-renewable wood products are made for first sales only, ignoring the long-term benefits of building houses that last, that are fireproof, tornado proof, and beautiful by virtue of stone, steel, structure, and spaciousness instead of cheap superficial adornment. The shallow, deteriorating quality of our residential architecture seems to reflect the direction our profit-based society is headed -- to obsolescence.
If, instead of sacrificing the quality of human life for the profit fantasies of a few, we built a world of lasting quality in all things, wouldn't everyone end up rich? Buckminster Fuller once said that the world could have one billion billionaires, in terms of the quality of our lives, if we worked together. This is an achievable goal if we work for the good of everyone, instead of the good of the few..
Sorry, I'm just noticing this piece. I've been subscribing to Dwell magazine for years (and continue to subscribe - in fact, I just re-upped for 3 more years). I think they've done a number of the right things too: They've moved to issues that have drawn focus on special topics and trends like green/renewable home design and production, modern prefab homes design, international post-modern architectural design, etc. But, with the onset of home remodeling programs on HGTV, TLC, and DIY, among others, stiff competition is growing with more and more publications vying for the architectural and home design interest audience. I personally continue to prefer modern and post-modern, but even my attention gets diverted at times by up & coming publications like Chicago Home and CS Interiors. With any luck, Dwell magazine will withstand the adjustments in our economy and continue to maintain its niche in this market.
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