Even the spines are sumptuous

According to their  website: “Apartamento’s first issue was released in April 2008 as a magazine interested in homes, living spaces and design solutions as opposed to houses, photo ops and design dictatorships. The magazine is a logical result of the post-materialist mind shift. People are bored with the ostentatious and über-marketing. There is a real quest for identity in the midst of mass production and globalization, and that quest leads to what is personal, what is natural, what is real.”

The photos and interviews reveal intelligent people in real spaces; spaces that look lived in because they are lived in. Instead of showcasing a single design ideal, they show how a space is influenced by a person’s taste, education, location, occupation, means, cultural attitudes and so on.  They show homes that reflect life. Some of the articles are self- profiles, in which someone writes and documents their own home, like this one by Yukari Miyagi:

"...My daughters and I brought back lots of leaves, twigs, nuts, flowers falling down to earth, and put them on a white piece of paper. The kids soon began making their 'art works' with their findings freely..."

Or in “”More Feral Than You” (text by Monica Canilao, photos by Paul Schiek):

“Our past is not something we can choose to leave behind… Paint chip trails and ghost images are left behind in abandoned places, lived in to death and to pieces. Every life leaves an imprint…”

And “Island of Calvary” ( photos by Maria Vittoria Backhaus, text by Giorgio Backhaus):

"...Wild and beautiful, inhabited by a strong nature, which defends it by external aggressions... Here, air, water, and even fire manifest themselves as the true fury of the elements...Up to a few years ago the water was just rainwater, there was neither electric light nor even a pier where ships could dock."

Beyond the self-profiles, the magazine features interviews, unique travel supplements, cartooning, illustration, and just a bunch of cool stuff. The design of the magazine itself is wonderful, with flush photos that are laid out smartly and with a nostalgia inducing production quality that is in beautiful contrast with the contemporary subjects. It comes out twice a year. The library has it starting with issue #4. The current issue is #6.