Let The Sunshine In!

We attended a small luncheon this afternoon with Architectural Digest's new Editor-in-Chief Margaret Russell and were lucky enough to get a sneak preview of the March 2011 issue, the first issue that's completely her own vision. The bottom line .... it's beautiful. The magazine should be arriving in mailboxes soon and will appear on newsstands as early as next week. But until then, we'll give you some insight on what you can expect.

The first thing we noticed and appreciated was the plethora of natural sunlight in almost every photo. Each featured project feels alive and fresh. Gone are the days of feeling like you're on the outside looking in. Instead you'll see stories that are intimate, engaging and full of personality. The other aspect we find truly commendable is that the magazine doesn't feel completely transformed, yet it's obvious there's been a real evolution under Margaret's direction. You can sense she respects the DNA of the magazine Paige Rense nurtured by keeping it familiar, while quietly putting her own thumbprint on it. There's a terrific cross-section of talent featured, insightful articles and for the first time a listing of sources in the back. There's no doubt Margaret is gifted and has an incredible eye but this stylish issue proves she's just getting started. We couldn't help but notice that she seemed to have a renewed spirit and passion with this new venture and is quite enthusiastic about what the future holds for AD, especially with it's potential digital capabilities. Margaret is an unbelievably hard worker and we think she's done a phenomenal job with this issue. But she was quick to point out that she couldn't have pulled it off without her dedicated staff who she calls her dream team (she's hired 30 new editors in the past 3 months).

Thank you and congratulations again to Margaret and everyone at the magazine. We left today feeling truly inspired and looking forward to future issues. In the meantime, here's a list of a few people you can expect to see in the March 2011 Issue:

Michael Smith (Cover boy!)
Richard Keith Langham
Daphne Guinness
Commune (Love these guys...)
Donna Karan
Pierre Passebon (Jacques Grange's partner)
Sheryl Crow
Muriel Brandolini (Amazing space...)

To read more about Margaret Russell and her new role as Editor-in-Chief, be sure and check this out. Enjoy! (Above cover photographed by Pieter Estersohn)