Keeping up with the latest trends is part of being a decorator.
You don’t need to jump on every trend—you shouldn’t, really—but understanding common themes in modern decorating will help you stay informed and make you a better interior stylist.
One of the biggest trends we’re seeing (and loving) right now is magazine racks as home decor.
I see the revival of magazine racks as an ode to the analog. The creative arts have been digitized for decades, and now, we’re craving something physical. We’re buying record players and vinyl even though we can stream any song we want to listen to. We’re snapping photos with film cameras and taking them to get developed instead of just using our iPhones.
Call it nostalgia. Call it romanticizing the past. But when it comes to media, we’re dusting off relics and making them new again.
Which brings us to print magazines, and of course, the magazine rack.
In the days of print media, standing magazine racks were a home decor staple. They sat beside couches and in bathrooms, collecting that month's magazines and cradling them carefully.
But in today’s digitized world, print magazines are hard to come by. You might still subscribe to an iconic mag or two (looking at you, AD) but if you’re like me, you get most of your content online these days. And if you don’t have any magazines to put in it, what’s the point of a magazine rack?
How to Use a Magazine Rack as Decor in 2022
Magazine racks may have been invented to hold magazines. But like most revived trends, they’re being used a little differently the second time around. Here are three ways we’re using magazine racks as modern home decor in 2022.
1. Choose a Sculptural Magazine Rack
Sculptural pieces are everywhere in 2022, from the ubiquitous curved sofas to Luke Lamp Co.’s looping chandeliers that have been popping up all over the place this year. Play with two trends at once by placing a sculptural magazine rack next to your living room sofa. It will look more like a piece of art than a magazine rack and offer itself up as the perfect conversation piece.
2. Use Wall Mounted Magazine Racks to Display Your Record Collection
Wall-mounted magazine racks are more purpose than art. Sure, you can find stylistic options, but at the end of the day, they’re really just shelves—which means you can put anything on them. When they’re tucked away in their sleeves, vinyl records are about the same thickness as a tabloid and can be displayed beautifully on a set of wall-mounted magazine racks.
3. Turn a Magazine Rack into a Laptop Holder
Putting a MacBook inside something that was designed to hold the kind of content the Internet killed is the kind of design juxtaposition I live for. A standing magazine rack is the perfect place to tuck your laptop away for safekeeping when you’re not using it.
Whether you choose a newly made, modern magazine rack or you go retro with a vintage piece, you can incorporate this trend into just about any design style. Magazine racks are functional pieces, but in this iteration, it’s all about form. Look for a piece that suits your aesthetic and adds interest to your space.
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