Stuffy is out, says Reeves; that's why House & Garden folded

Lynda Reeves, the doyenne of the highly successful Canadian House & Home magazine says in an article for the Westcoast Homes section of the Vancouver Sun that the announced closure of the century-old House & Garden magazine in the U.S. reflects subsantially changing attitudes to home design and decor.

When Condé Nast announced this week that House & Garden, the venerable magazine of American design and decorating, was being put to bed, friends called to congratulate me and our team at House & Home. To them, it meant one less magazine competing on American and Canadian newsstands, and for many of the same advertising dollars.

In fact, it's sad when a respected competitor dies. But more importantly, to me the announcement just amplified the change in design and decorating that has been coming on strong for several years. "Serious" is out. Overdone, overpriced and, most of all, over-decorated rooms are fast becoming obsolete.

Decorating has changed, she says, and is more eclectic and freewheeling:

You can go into the most expensive homes in Canada and find important art and antiques sitting happily beside a great chair from Ikea. "Stuffy" is out. Witty and wonderful is in. You may be decorating yourself or you may be hiring a designer, but either way, you're involved, hunting down accessories and researching online finds.