Interior Junkie! (Livingetc.)

Member Name: Nozz

Product:	Livingetc.
Date:	06/03/02 (60 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Beautiful homes, Good advice, Good for bargains

Disadvantages: Getting too rural, Too much London

I'm obsessed with all things related to property, DIY and interior design (but it's got to be classy, no Llewellyn-Bowen for me!) which explains why Living Etc is my favourite magazine ever.

It always gives equal parts pain and pleasure - beautiful homes inhabited by beautiful people which make me sick with jealousy, but then lots of reasonably-priced design ideas and little tricks of the trade which make me think 'I could do that!'.

I used to suspect all the people featured in the magazine were just friends or relatives of the staff, but there is enough 'real life' experience from people who scrimped and saved and had nightmares with builders or floods to outweigh those Jemimas and Tarquins whose architect friend sketched them a plan on the back of a napkin....

They always recommend a full price range of products from bargain basement to designer, and also have interesting travel, food and celebrity columns. They have also started to look beyond the range of private homes - a recent feature was about the redecoration of a homeless drop-in centre which was extremely interesting.

Yes, it is far too trendy and London-obsessed but I would rather see features on lovely flats in London, Bristol or Manchester than a villa in Tuscany - a Homes & Gardens element is starting to creep in. Stick to the urban stuff, folks, the green welly stuff is getting on my nerves. And no more Jamie Oliver features, please!

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