cultures and contradictions quit consuming and start living: economy home shelter publications
by SIF
12 comments
Shelter publications: the end of decorating your way to security.
I can’t control that big, scary world outside, so I’ll just throw up a new window treatment. Perhaps rather than say that people had their heads in the sand from 2001-2010, we should argue that they had their noses in shelter magazines, or glued to Home and Garden TV. Can you ignore your problems? A number of people seem to have tried–albeit with mixed results. You can now find articles describing the demise of the shelter magazines (not to mention the way of life that goes with them) all over the web. Meanwhile homes drift ‘underwater,’ governments bail out banks, your neighbor forecloses and a company comes in to do a ‘trash out’ of his home–where they remove all those decorations, the big screen TV, whatever. (If you’re unfamiliar with the trash out, see this article from the News Hour.)
What the heck is a shelter publication? I found this description from an article Nancy Davis Kho at SFGate.com particularly helpful:
Shelter magazines really came into their own in the post-9/11 environment. Gayle Goodson Butler, editor in chief of Meredith Corp.’s Better Homes and Gardens magazine, summarizes the lure of glossy home-design magazines at a time of national insecurity: “People wanted to create comfort and order in their lives. They might not have been able to control the world outside, but they could control their own home environment.”
Now, am I saying that Martha Stewart, the Home and garden channel and all those decorating neighbors are the cause of our economic woes? No, I’m not. They simply served as a distraction from the really pressing concerns during a decade where we could have been facing our troubles. I’m not even against decorating, having a nice home or even having a home with ‘curb appeal.’ I suppose an interest in these things is neutral–as is an interest in fashion, good food, sex. The problem is when we allow an ‘interest’ like interior design to become a smoky opiate–and then toke on it as we stand on the deck of a sinking ship.
I for one am quite relieved to see these kinds of publications going under along with the prices of housing and hope it will draw some attention to more relevant concerns. While the loss of those cozy homes and the publications that coveted them may bring about discomfort–that is what change is all about. Change, however, can be devastating if you refuse to adapt–or if you’re so busy curling up to a false sense of security that you can’t see it coming.
Anna–you know, I think the expression is actually ‘curb appeal’ I’m going to change that. (Curb envy is kind of a funny thought too though). There was this show years ago that would teach people to make their house look nicer from the street or curb (it may still be out there, but I don’t watch TV anymore). I consider it to be a ’shelter’ show as well.
Don’t forget all the cookbooks and blogs (don’t know about tv). All warm, cozy escapism…
And some that discuss growing your own and food storage, which can either be considered escapism if you just watch someone else do it or inspiring if you actually get out there and do it.
No! Don’t let HGTV go under until I can win the Dream House.
Et–true. I always considered blogging to be rather active and related to ‘doing’ or getting ideas to try. I can safely say that my experience with blogging is quite different than my experience in the past reading fuzzy magazines or watching HGTV–but that could be that I’ve changed over time. And you know, you’re dead on about the escapism possibilities–this blog certainly has them if I overly idealize about the “French experience,” which I do try not to do, but who knows. And yes, some of those grow your own blogs do make me feel all dreamy and cozy inside . . .I admit the draw. But that’s the thing, there are a lot of possible ‘distractions’ out there–it’s just that the shelter publications were such a big one this past decade–very telling of our culture. They fascinate me.
Clisby–alright, alright. I see that HGTV serves a public good 
.
I’m glad my exploration of shelter mags helped it all make sense for you …shelter mags got hit by the perfect storm of plummeting home values and plummeting fortunes of the publishing industry. The next big shelter mag may, in fact, be an iPhone app!
Nancy, well, hello! Yes, I think you hit the nail right on the head in your description–and yes, it will be interesting to see where the shelter mags go . . .and how and if they change given our current times.
There may be something to that theory of cocooning your way to safety after 9/11, but I think it had more to do with the general hysteria of mass consumption and frankly, that big house you bought with that big mortgage had to have stuff in it, and that stuff had to impress friends, family and neighbors, no?
I think there is something to be said in having a warm, welcoming home you feel good being in, but those showplace palaces you often see are such a waste of resources. And they don’t look lived in at all. And while it’s true many shelter magazines have closed, most of that has been transferred to the internet/blogging world. Sometimes I look at some of those sites (we’re fixing up an old home, so I look for ideas) and they seem like just another way to get you to part with your money. Viking stoves, SubZero freezers–are we all professional chefs?!? I remember one site where the blogger posted photos of a super-bohemian home filled with books, knick knacks and clearly a lot of recycled, off-the-curb furniture. 99% of the readers were horrified, but I loved it!
Tracy–I agree, I love the cozy home as much as anybody and I’ll look at some online blogs as well–like apartment therapy. That’s a great resource for figuring out what the heck to do with a small or strange space–and I got some ideas for living without a closet there, for example.
But I think my major problem with some of those publications is what you point out: overkill on the spending. As you point out, we are not all professional chefs.
By the way, those showplace homes really creep me out–I’ve been to many in SoCal and they bother me profoundly. I could not feel at ease someplace like that–no matter how much money all that stuff costs. Then again, DH and I have a real love for old French buildings and would probably be very happy fixing up some old place—which is still buying into coziness I suppose, but not rampant materialism . . .or what do they call it decorno, I think. When it goes past the healthy and into another realm!
I love a cosy and comfortable house but mine is no where near what you see in the shelter magazines or television shows. I would get deep discomfort from seeing what was in these magazines and shows. Not because I was envious but because I cannot for the life of me understand why someone would go to these lengths or create the “perfect” home when something much simpler would do. I am a believer in helping missions, orphans, widows, unwed girls, homeless etc. I always thought of the money that is “wasted” on “sheltering up” and that is what would distress me. I’ll be glad to see less of these kinds of things. I do however love to see shows that teach us something (how to make food, build something, etc.).
Joyful, true, when you think about all the humanitarian efforts people like you are involved in, the ’sheltering up’ does become a problem. My grandfather, for example, lived a very simple life. My grandparents’ home is very cozy and full of warm memories, but it would certainly not pass muster in a shelter mag. However, my grandfather did all kinds of humanitarian work in his life–going to disaster sites to rebuild, helping farmers in poor countries fix farm equipment. My grandparents also sponsored a number of ‘adoptive’ youth refugees from other countries all over the world. I think their life is richer for those human interactions than for some better furniture in the living room.
What’s ‘curb envy’ ??!