HOME Editor’s Note: Style and substance

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We at Atlanta magazine have been channeling the 1990s lately. You remember the days—Neon Deion, the World Series, “Whoomp! (There It Is).” That’s because our March issue is dedicated to a decade that shaped Atlanta. (If you’re a subscriber, you likely received it bundled with this issue of Atlanta Magazine’s HOME.)

Back then I was a freelance writer for Atlanta and helped create an issue aimed at explaining the American South to Olympics visitors. In particular, I wrote about antiques dealer Carol Klotz’s Buckhead home, designed by the revered architect Philip Trammell Shutze.

Photograph by Ben Rollins
Photograph by Ben Rollins

I wrote, “Surfaces worn smooth with time, wearing hints of former lives, and the character of experience, appeal to Southern sensibilities.” That sentiment came back to me as I began designing our new quarterly home-and-garden magazine—not only because we again interviewed Carol, but also because every homeowner, every designer, even every merchant that we encountered seemed to mention how they wanted homes to tell a story.

We published an earlier version of AMH from 2002 to 2009. Like many endeavors, it drowned in the recession. When we decided to relaunch the publication, I asked myself what we should do differently. Last time around, we showed beautiful photography and elegantly decorated houses, and shared helpful shopping tips and advice from design professionals. But decorating had gotten a little gimmicky in those extravagant days before the economic bubble burst. It was the dawn of outlandish reality TV shows where decorators did guerrilla renovations with nothing but cardboard. Designer labels mattered more than authentic craftsmanship.

Now I am pleased to report that design, at least in Atlanta, is back to caring about provenance—whether that heritage is a skill passed down for generations, a tree that fell in a storm and was turned into a table, an antique chest discovered in a Paris flea market, a storied manufacturer, or just a kitchen table bearing scars from children’s homework.

After producing more than five decades of national award-winning narratives, Atlanta magazine really understands our city. AMH will be more than just another glossy, pretty face. As our tagline reads, we will provide style and substance. So, as with our main magazine, don’t expect us to publish reams of party pics and puff pieces gushing over advertisers (unless they deserve it, of course), because credibility matters around here. Do sit down with a cup of coffee or a glass of wine and settle in for a nice read—because we’ve got stories to tell.

This article originally appeared in the Spring 2015 issue of Atlanta Magazine’s HOME.

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