Time Inc.'s answer to Hearst Magazines' Country Living and Meredith Corp.'s Country Home — both newly relaunched — was made known yesterday with the newsstand debut of Cottage Living.
A product of Time Inc.'s Southern Progress Corp. subsidiary, Cottage Living is mandated to promote a cottage lifestyle but more in the women's lifestyle category than just the shelter niche. It aims to benefit from a nationwide nesting trend and renewed consumer emphasis on home.
The magazine's inaugural September/October edition has 143 pages of advertising and 153 pages of editorial. It is the second largest magazine launch in Time Inc.'s history in terms of ad pages, after eCompany.
“Cottage Living is for people who value comfort over formality and simplicity over grand style,” vice president and editor Eleanor Griffin said in a statement. “We'll show stylish and inviting cottages that reflect and celebrate their owners' personal style.”
Each issue will have sections like Fresh Ideas, Creating Cottage Style, Joy of Gardening, Byways, Features, Home Cooking and Cottage Notebook. Regular features on Cottage Industry and Cottage Communities also will add to its sense of community. The magazine's committed contributors are landscape designers P. Allen Smith, Randy Harrelson and Stephen Saint-Onge, Shabby Chic co-owner Dara Samuelson and architect Jim Strickland.
Griffin, a former executive editor of Southern Progress' Southern Living magazine, will run editorial operations out of Birmingham, AL. Steve Bollinger is Cottage Living's vice president and publisher. He was most recently associate publisher of Southern Progress' Cooking Light, the nation's largest food and fitness title.
Advertisers in the current issue include Kohler and Sub-Zero, GMC Envoy, Toyota Highlander, General Foods International, Post Selects, Quaker Oatmeal, Citibank, Visa, Levi Strauss, Talbots and Target. Many of these brands typically prefer ads in women's lifestyle publications.
According to Southern Progress, two Cottage Living issues are planned for this year with a rate base of 500,000 copies. Frequency jumps to nine issues next year, with an increased rate base of 650,000. The cover price is $3.99. Subscription for 10 issues a year costs $16, plus applicable sales taxes.
