Dear House Chattters and Inspired House Subscribers:
I would like to confirm that Inspired House is going to be ceasing publication with its March/April 2006 issue, which is expected to arrive in homes starting February 2.
All subscribers will be receiving a letter by the end of January 2006 explaining how the remaining term on their subscription will be handled.
Taunton Press will continue to serve the growing shelter market with outstanding home design books and with special issues like Fine Homebuilding’s Houses and Kitchens & Baths. We also look forward to serving our customers with innovative new products such as FineWoodworkingNetwork.com and with a new outdoor living special interest publication due out spring 2006.
It has been a pleasure chatting with all of you and working on this wonderful magazine. I hope that you will continue to turn to Taunton Press products for inspiration.
Sincerely,
Sheila Torres, Editorial Assistant, Inspired House
Edited 1/18/2006 4:14 pm ET by sheilatorres
Replies
Oh, No!!! It is sad to see such a quality publication go under. I will miss it, this is like losing a friend.
mimi
Ditto to what Mimi said. Too bad. Maybe you can include a couple "inspired house" type articles in Fine Homebuilding without getting those readers too upset. I get both magazines. I'll miss Inspired House.
This is bad news! Why is it ceasing publication--it is the best magazine of it's type out there!
Leigh
I am a domestic goddess! I deserve three ovens (and two dishwashers)! I am a domestic goddess! I deserve three ovens (and two dishwashers)! I am a domestic goddess! I deserve three ovens (and two dishwashers). . .
Hi Aberwacky and all others,
It's so great to hear from all of you.
Three years ago Taunton Press sought to enter the shelter market with a magazine based on high-value, high-quality content and a high price. Unfortunately, this formula did not work as well as we had hoped in this very large and competitive market.
Thank you so much for having been loyal Inspired House subscribers and I hope that you will continue to be equally loyal Taunton Press customers.
Fondly,
Sheila Torres, Editorial Assistant, Inspired House.
Edited 1/18/2006 4:19 pm ET by sheilatorres
Sheila,
I am so sorry that this magazine is going under. I have subscribed since the start, and will now have a bimonthly hole in my life where this magazine fit perfectly. I hope Taunton will consider doing specials instead of letting this great idea go away completely.
Amy
Hi aimless,
We are all feeling the void that Inspired House will leave Taunton Press will certainly continue to serve the home market, but I will certainly pass along your suggestion to make some of our special interest publications be like Inspired House. Thank you for your note :)
Sheila
I am so totally bummed!! I just found this magazine and I just sent my subscrition in. It is such a "realistic" approach. I guess I will head off to the library and look at all the back issues. How many issues are there? PamilynThe purpose of Art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls
Bummer is an understatement! But, thank you for your most wonderful magazine. It has helped beyond belief with re-modelling of our bathroom and living area. Guess we'll have to wing it for the kitchen because there is no magazine like Inspired House.
Okay, so this is a total bummer.
Sheila, I want to thank you for making the effort; my husband and I are just finishing having a custome house built for us from scratch using architect, interior designer and general contractor. Inspired House -- along with Fine Homebuilding -- have been our monthly educator and enlightener. They have been invaluable resources, esp. in tandem with a number of Taunton Press books (all the Susanka ones and Patterns of Home).
Selfishly speaking, I'm really glad that we only have 6-8 weeks to go before the house is done. We were thrilled when Inspired House first came out because every month it had at least 2 or 3 detailed articles that seemed custom written for us.
Thank you again,
Doo
Oh my gosh! This is so dissapointing. This is by far the best home design magazine. I'm very sad to see it go.
jdpinckney
Hate those rumors that prove true. IH is/was a great magazine and I'm sorry enough other people didn't see it to keep it going. It had great articles and varied content which made it an interesting read each month.
Will this forum stay open and running? It will help pull all of us about-to-begin remodelers through the chaos.
I am truly upset to read the news that Inspired House magazine will no longer be published. Just yesterday my partner and I decided to subscribe. We are remodeling a 100 year old house and have been buying many many magazines. Inspired House is by far our favorite.
As much as I love Taunton Press books, a magazine is great for up-to-date info, ideas and inspiration. If there is any chance that this decision might be reversed, I think that subscription would increase if people could just discover the magazine. Perhaps existing subscribers could spread the word via email.
Thank you for an excellent magazine.
My 10 year old daughter chose your magazine for me out of all the ones at the grocery store because she had a feeling I would like it. She was right! I have been raving about it all weekend to anyone who would listen. I just logged on to subscribe and came across this discussion. Needless to say, it's a bummer that Inspired House will no longer be available. From what I've seen so far, you all have done a wonderful job putting it together. Thanks for your quality work!
Dear JenQ,
Thank you for your letter. From what you said about your daughter, you may have a future architect or designer in the family or perhaps an excellent author, editor or art director.
Many readers share your feelings about Inspired House. Taunton Press continues to publish excellent home design books and special interest publications including Fine Homebuilding's annual Houses issue, and Kitchens and Baths.
We also have an outdoor living publication coming out in Spring 2006 and the book Outside the Not So Big House (Taunton 2006 Messervy, Susanka).
I hope you will continue to turn to Taunton Press products for inspiration.
Sincerely,
Sheila Torres
Editorial Assistant
I was wondering what took so long when I subscribed via Amazon in Oct or Nov. I just received the April issue and your letter. Wish I would have started the mag sooner. Are you going to have more focus on design in the Fine Homebuilding? I really think that you didn't give Inspired House enough of a chance. I was at the Seattle Home show last weekend and the discussions with some of the best architects and designers shows that they are all starting to shift to a "Not So Big House" approach. We have all of S. Susanka's books. However - trends will be changing and we'll be building in 3 years. We wanted to have the mag so that as new information and products came out to help us in an overall NSBH plan we could use them.
Bring Back Inspired House!!!!!! Do a better job of marketing it. Once it's out there it sells itself.
I can only echo many of the previous posters. Inspired House was the best! Over the years, I have subscribed to MS Living, Elle Decor, Metropolitan Home, House Beautiful, Better Home & Gardens, among others, and I was never satisfied with any of them. Usually too much focus on an elite population willing to throw money at large teams of designers.
When I found IH in 2004, I thought - finally, someone understands what we want to read. We want to be involved in the process of perfecting our home environment, but maybe not drive every nail ourselves. Our style is some combination of traditional and contemporary with a focus on honest, natural materials.
Oh, sigh. I can't believe that we don't comprise a large enough audience to support this publication. All the leading indicators seem to be saying that IH is exactly the publication that the market needs and wants.
It is indeed sad, that such a fine publication must cease publication. Inspired House will be missed and mourned.
Rancher
I received my letter today in the mail was was sooo sorry to hear this as Inspired House was my favorite magazine of all times. I have every issue that was published and am getting ready to bring them out for ideas for our new vacation home. I will truly miss this excellent publication that was so beautifully done.
PLEASE DO NOT CANCEL INSPIRED HOUSE!!! I am sure that your readers will understand if you have to raise the price, or if you have to sell more advertising. While I love the fact that you do not sell the back cover, I always thought it might be a little foolish. Surely there must be a way to sell more advertising without having to unethically endorse all your advertisers.
If the problem is readership / distribution, perhaps we could start a viral campaign among existing readers? Target more magazine stands in more affluent neighborhoods? Something??? Or is it that your competitors are consolidating and choking the distribution market, and all is lost?
PLEASE find some way to make Inspired House work. Hold some focus groups among your fans and subscribers, I am sure you won't need to pay us. I would gladly give up my $10 coupon to continue receiving your magazine after you have had time to retrench.
I understand that you are attempting to uphold ethical standards. I am asking you to reexamine your standards and your business model, and see if there are new ways to make them work together. I want Taunton to continue to SUCCEED in the ever-changing marketplace. If you cannot succeed with Inspired House, I fear for your future as a corporation - and I would rather continue to read Taunton publications for a long time to come.
-Samantha, Laurence Harbor, NJ
I wholeheartedly agree! Don't discontinue - this is a wonderful source for not on the homeowner but professionals too. I am a Realtor and love the articles on the recent trends and where to find things. It is a great sourcebook for me. Your latest issue just echoes what I tell my clients about updating the exterior of their home with new garage doors for added value when selling.
Please let me know if there is a way to save this wonderful publication. How about teaming up with the National Association of Realtors or Certified Residential Specialists?
Designgirl
I've been a subscriber to Inspired House since issue one and I am so sad to see it end! Every issue has been filled with well-written articles, helpful information and gorgeous photos. The aesthetic qualities embraced by Inspired House mirror my own. No other decorating/design magazine comes close. I'll treasure my complete set of magazines and refer back to them frequently, and I hope someday you'll consider renewing publication.
My letter arrived yesterday notifying me of the end of a great magazine. I agree with other readers that Inspired House is a first class magazine. I missed the first four issues of this great magazine but today I called customer service to purchase those so I have the complete collection. I also bought the sleeve binders to store them in. They will cherished and handled with great care. I feel a great sadness that this is the end.
I was a charter subscriber and interested my architect, my landscape architect and my friends to get subscriptions. It was the BEST thing on the market bar none. Have to hoard all my copies!
Agree with all of the above. The best parts of the magazine were Sarah Susanka, the comparative articles (different types of blinds, rugs, etc.), and the modern innovative design. It's difficult to find really modern design pieces, except for a few over-the edge magazines and stores. Your magazine showed simple, straight-forward pieces and design - exactly what we're looking for as we build our house. Please reconsider your decision to stop publishing it, even if you have to raise the price.
And...thanks for the thought, but no, I do not want Fine Woodworking magazine instead.
I'm very disappoint that Inspired House will no long be available. Actually I mad. As an Architect this was the best publication out there for me to get my client to read and buy. I always bought two issues one for my reference library and one to let my client barrow. I think a publisher you need to take another look or give it another year. I been reading about this in a dozen forum everyone is disappointed. Please rethink your dission.
Sincerely,
Eric Hughes
Image Design, LLC
I agree - I am a kitchen and bath designer in Portland, ORegon and I also teach interior design at our local Community College. I use this as a resource for both my clients and students. WHERE ARE WE TO GO TO GET SUCH REALISTIC INFORMATIVE DESIGN? Don't let this magazine go away. Robin -.
Neil Kelly Design/Build
Portland, OR
Hi,
I too am very disappointed. When the magazine started I was also a subscriber to Fine Homebuilding. As Inspired House took its place among your magazines, I felt like Fine Homebuilding lost any interest in design issues and became more and more like Tool Time. Now that my subscription has reverted to Fine Homebuilding, I'm left with the question: will Fine Homebuilding take up any of the slack on home design issues?
Today, I received my April 2006 edition of IH. On page 8, Jon Miller, group publisher exlains the reason for stopping the publication. It's a matter of dollars and cents.
I will miss IH. Every time it arrived in my mail, I always smiled, knowing I would find wonderful, creative and informative ideas.
Thanks to everyone at TheTaunton Press (IH) for a truly professional magazine. I wish all of you well and hope you find jobs equal to those you have performed.
Miss D/Diana
RECONSIDER!!!! You have a loyal following who will spread the word and pay more. Inspired House was the best magazine subscription that I've ever had. Never before have I saved magazines after reading them. For my Inspired House collection, I actually bought special magazine holders to store and protect the issues. I return to past issues again and again. I've kept every issue. I suppose they'll now be going for a premium on ebay. Forget it; no one's getting mine.
mcgee, I wish I kept all of my back issues. In fact, in the latest issue there were some wonderful ideas for lights around boat piers and "I cut them out" - ouch, to give to the Condo President. GRRRRR! How dumb was I - No I don't want to hear how dumb I was.
I wish you well on E-bay.
MissD
Hi mgee, after rereading your message to me, I realized it should have been directed to someone else. Though, I agree in part to your response.
The Inspired House was the best home magazine ever. Taunton must not have given it enough time to catch on. I am another subscriber who would have been willing to pay more for my subscription if that would have a difference.
Hope that you will reconsider.
It is unfortunate that Inspired House is ceasing publication. I received the letter and the $10 gift certificate. However when I tried to redeem it, it appears there are SO MANY Limitations. I cannot put it toward another magazine subscription and I cannot use it to purchase the Kitchen Project publication. Why send a coupon that is rather unredeemable? I feel this reflects poorly on your credibility. AMTRIT
That's a shame. Inspired House was very unique and always seemed to stand out from the crowd of Home Design magazines. I'll miss it.
This was the one magazine worth reading cover-to-cover. Now where do we go to get our regular dose of Susanka?
I and my friends agree with all the other readers here that said Inspired House is one of the best ever, and we too would be willing to pay more to keep getting it. I'm sorry the issue that arrived in today's mail, #15, will be the last. I too think Taunton's hungry bean counters should reconsider and give it more time - it's not too late.
Gary W
gwwoodworking.com
Oh I am so bummed. I was about to send in a subscription card that I tore out of my friends magazine. I LOVE your publications. Wish the bean counters would be willing to take a risk.-Dana
Lyme, CT
I LOVED Inspired House and I will really miss it! I did buy the Fine Homebuilding magazine before Inspired House came on the market...So I appreciate finishing out my subscription with this magazine.
I'd just like to add my voice to the protest and ask you to reconsider the decision. Inspired House is a wonderful and truly inspiring magazine which will be sorely missed.
Margaret
I am really surprised and saddened that INSPIRED HOUSE has ceased publication. I must have "sold" at least 10 subcriptions to friends based on my enthusiasm for the magazine. It was a wonderful resource, and will continue to be, since I have and plan on saving every issue from the first one.
Dear Ms. Torres,
I had a subsription to Inspired Home. I have not received a letter describing how the remainder of the subsription will be handled. Please provide this informatio.
Best regards,
Kristal Poling
I can't begin to tell you how disappointed I am that Inspired House is being discontinued. I looked forward to each issue. But I was also surprised to hear about it. As a charter subscriber, I never received a letter advising me as to how my subscription would be dealt with once the magazine was discontinued. Could you explain what happens to the remainder of the subscription I payed for? Note that I also receive Fine Homebuilding, Fine Gardening, Fine Woodworking and Fine Cooking from Taunton.
Matt Nousak
Dear mjan and other IH subscribers;
If you have not received any information regarding your Inspired House subscription, there may have been an oversight. Please contact our Customer Service department at 800-477-8727 and explain your situation. They will be happy to assist you. You can also reach Customer Service by e-mail at: [email protected].
I hope this helps.
Sheila Torres
It seems like every "Not So Big" product out there is selling like mad. Wonder how sales would have been had this been called the "Not So Big Inspired House" magazine.... :-)
Hi,
I'm going to add my voice to the chorus of dismay. I have loved this magazine, and I subcsribe to Fine Homebuilding, Architectural Digest,
Traditional Home, and most other design magazines. Inspired Home is my favorite, this and FH are the only magazines that I've kept back copies of. It's had the best production values of any mgazine. Please reconsider your decision.
I was shocked, actually. After letting my subscription lapse last year (but still picking up issues at the newsstand), I just went to the website this afternoon to initiate a new sub, and saw the announcement. :-(
I think this is a tremendous loss. To my mind, Inspired House was a true design magazine, useful for professionals and laypersons alike. It presented gorgeous and workable design ideas for homes NOT only owned by millionaires. It was by far the most refreshing and practical design periodical out there.
As a design student, I am extremely unhappy to lose such a unique resource.
I've just gone and ordered duplicate back issues of magazines I already have. Now I'll have one to cannibalize for project and concept boards, and one to keep indefinitely.
P.S. Don't need more K & B design books. Don't need more books period. We need a magazine that ISN'T a carbon copy of Metropolitan Home, Elle Decor, Veranda, Traditional Home, Southern Living, etc. This just stinks.
I want to add my voice to the many who have undoubtedly protested the cancellation of Inspired House magazine. It was and is unique among the hordes of home magazines: concise, extremely helpful, and truly inspiring. I have subscribed to many "shelter" periodicals, both in the US and in The Netherlands, but none are as useful as Inspired House. PLEASE RECONSIDER CANCELLING PUBLICATION OF INSPIRED HOUSE. Even if a price increase is required (and I already pay more for a foreign subscription), I would be willing to pay it to continue receiving this publication. And, no, I don't think many Inspired House subscribers and newsstand purchasers are going to switch to Fine Homebuilding. While that is a fine publication on its own (as are all Taunton Press publications), it has its own unique approach and subscribers. If Inspired House readers would have been happy with Fine Homebuilding, we would not have become charter subscribers and embraced Inspired House so enthusiastically. We have been there, done that with all the other home magazines on the market and are no longer willing to settle for something less!
Well, Heck!
God bless you on your next adventure. You will be SO missed
What a kick in the head! I had just discovered Inspired Houses, was about to subscribe, and now this! It is by far the best of its kind out there, and I will miss having this practical reference. Especially since I will be in the process of having a house built. Getting the word out may have saved this publication. However, I am still a fan of Taunton Press, the BEST publisher of practical books and magazines. Good luck.