Not new to Ciao at all now. Still enjoy reading and writing ops.
Not new to Ciao at all now. Still enjoy reading and writing ops.
Member since:05.12.2000
Reviews:107
Members who trust:94
What has happened to Ideal Home Magazine..It used to be my favourite buy, but since having a new editor,it has become just another women's magazine - to me anyway.
At one time each page was covered with photos of beautiful homes decorated with style and character,however,this is no longer the case. The Ideal Home (according to the editors of this magazine anyway) is now cold,minimalistic and totally boring, only brightened with the odd use of bright green, orange and purple (as wildly used in the television series Changing Rooms). It is not my intention to insult anyone whose home is decorated in this way as we do, of course, all have different tastes. Unfortunately however these different tastes are no longer reflected by 'Ideal Home'.
The minimalistic look is, I'm afraid, not ideal for me as I'm far too messy and easily become bored.I need to be surrounded by beautiful, old quirky things(no I'm not talking about the husband). There is nothing in a minimalistic room that would hold
my interest to any degree.If however, this is your style then the magazine may indeed be very appropriate for you as it is full of rooms which have been specifically set up with very bright colours and cheap and cheerful accessories.
I used to look forward to buying Ideal Homes every month but now buy 25 Beautiful Homes instead and would recommend anyone who likes the older style to do so also, however I have a feeling this magazine comes under the same management, as quite often there are homes depicted in it which I remember seeing in Ideal Home in it's original format. This could possibly be the reason why the management have changed the magazine's style,in order that the two magazines appeal to two different types of reader.
Ideal Home is now full of recipes and sometimes even fashion. However, there are numerous other magazines dealing with these things and personally when I buy a home magazine, I expect to turn the pages and find homes and rooms inside, not clothes and make up articles.
UPDATE 5.2.2001
Well, I've now been a member of Ciao for all of 3 months and am really getting into the swing of things. I decided to glance through my old opinions and see if I could improve on some of those with poor ratings and I came upon this one. I was thoroughly ashamed of my effort, it was dreadful and I'm surprised it was even rated at all.I now have a copy of the magazine to hand and will try to be somewhat more helpful in my opinion.
Right I'll begin....I purchased Ideal Home this month specifically because it had a free copy of 25 Beautiful Kitchens supplied with it. I noticed immediately however that some effort has been made to improve it (perhaps they have been losing readers). It is certainly thicker than it has been for some time and the quality of the cover has improved somewhat.
Unfortunately, it is still rather minimalistic for my taste and there are far too many rooms which have obviously merely been set up for the photograph and are not therefore, real ideal homes at all.
The first five pages are adverts before you reach the letters page and I was rather surprised to read there that this magazine has actually won the PPA Consumer Magazine of the Year Award this year. There are then another 5 or so pages of adverts before the set up rooms are reached. Looking at these rooms closely, it is also apparent that even these articles are, in effect, advertisements for different items.
Indeed, I had to turn to Page 32 before I reached any sort of proper reading material at all and unfortunately even this, although described as Designer's tips, is nothing more than one or two paragraphs on 3 pages that contain rather large photographs of the designers concerned.
Guess what, we then come to set up rooms again which as I've previously stated, are broadly speaking...advertisements!!! I could go on like this all day because this is how the magazine progresses.
There is an article on buying home products abroad which is quite interesting, followed by an article on patchwork before we reach the crux of the magazine - actual human beings in their own homes (the main reason why I bought Ideal Homes in the first place).
There is a short gardening section before the magazine ends as it begins with advertisements (although they are again disguised as articles on fridges and phones) before we reach.....yes you've guessed - it more adverts.
No sorry Ideal Homes I've really given you a good try, but won't buy you again, unless you happen to have another free offer of the magazine I really enjoy 25 Beautiful Homes (or Kitchens in this instance).
I really don't see who this magazine could now appeal to. It barely contains ideal homes at all, just set up rooms. There is little human interest and it is full of adverts. Any tips are brief to say the least, although the editors do seem to have finally realised that fashion and make up are not appropriate articles to have in a homes magazine.
Sorry I just can't recommend this magazine no matter how hard I've tried to look for good points, but if you don't believe me judge for yourself.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
I totally agree with this opinion. Ideal Home used to be a really special magazine, full of lovely, individual homes which gave loads of inspiration. Inspiration is, after all, the point of reading these magazines. You can get as much inspiration from the Ikea catalogue as you can from Ideal Home these days!
Presents 500 ways to make your dreams of an ideal home come true. The introduction in this ... more
work features a "Find Your Style" quiz that points readers directly to the right chapter for their personality type and needs. It places emphasis on creating an atmosphere that reinforces what you value and how you want to live.
Phoebe Judson was a young bride in 1853 when she and her husband crossed the plains from ... more
Ohio to the Puget Sound area of Washington Territory. Here, she gives an account of the journey west, detailing her fear, excitement, exhaustion, and how during the Indian Wars they holed up in a fort at Claquato.
Whether you're starting a serious building project, or simply experimenting with home ... more
design ideas, Ideal Home 3D Home Design is the perfect solution. Simple and easy-to-use, you can either choose from one of the program's professionally designed floor plans, or create your own from scratch. You can then start experimenting with colours and textures, add furnishings, appliances, fixtures and fittings from a library of over 1,000 objects. Sophisticated 3D viewing options let you take a virtual tour of your new house so you can really visualise the end result - all before you've had to spend anything on materials!KEY FEATURES:-1,000+ furnishings to inspire you-Plan extensions & projects-Easy-to-use with step-by-step tutorials-Smart 2D & 3D editing-Customise objects, colours and textures-3D Walkaround gives you a virtual house tour-3D TrueView? Photo-realistic results on screen
Dec 11th, 2000
(Feb 5th, 2001)
very helpful by (20%):
helpful by (80%):
