DESIGN ON A DIME: Aside from how-tos on painting and gardening, This Old House is known for its guidance on expensive room additions. But the current housing crunch appears to be having homeowners reconsider remodeling their kitchens or decks until the market improves — just look at the dismal financial results from Lowe's and The Home Depot. This Old House's remedy is to add a new section, called Elements of a Style, which helps readers create a certain aesthetic for far less than redecorating their homes entirely. "It's after you've done the big remodel, but it's the stuff you do before you're really done done — before you take your shoes off," said editor Scott Omelianuk. The section features interiors and some product picks from Target and J.C. Penney (a $195 Jonathan Adler classical bust is easier to swallow than a $2,000 refrigerator for your kitchen). But, unlike other shelter magazines that have hefty style content (such as Domino and Elle Decor), This Old House has no plans to include content on entertaining or signature cocktails in its pages. "We're going to stop short of putting in recipes or how to throw a party. We're not going to do a report on the Milan Furniture Fair." April's section will focus, coincidentally, on Depression modern decor — a streamlined style developed during the Great Depression — and product picks from Wal-Mart and Restoration Hardware. — S.D.S.
GIANT MOVES: Emil Wilbekin is back in magazines. The former editor in chief of Vibe will join Vibe's budding urban lifestyle rival, Giant. Wilbekin was the editor of Vibe from 1999 to 2004 and, while there, helped the title win a National Magazine Award for General Excellence in 2002. Since leaving that title, Wilbekin has worked as vice president of brand development at Marc Ecko Enterprises and has consulted for Sean John, AXE and Microsoft. Wilbekin succeeds Smokey Fontaine, who will become chief content officer and direct digital strategy for Radio One, Giant's parent company. Fontaine relaunched the magazine from an entertainment magazine to an urban lifestyle bimonthly title in 2006. — S.D.S.






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