On a cold, sunny day in Atlanta, a collection of our industry’s finest made their way to ADAC to listen firsthand as Margaret Russell, Editor and Chief of ELLE DÉCOR, gave her insight into the creation and subsequent 20-year history of the magazine.  What began in 1989 to showcase the link between fashion and interior design is now a 25-part international conglomerate with ELLE DÉCOR being the largest of all those publications.  Russell has been there since day one and her account of the magazine’s history is quite intriguing.

To mark this all-important anniversary, ELLE DÉCOR assembled some of their most favorite, memorable interiors that document the vast and varying array of homes they’ve showcased over the years.  Style and Substance: The Best of ELLE DÉCOR is a 240-page ensemble of images that take you back, tickle your visual senses, and rev-up your creative juices.  A number of celebrated designers are featured, Jamie Drake, Miles Redd, Michael S. Smith, Nate Berkus, Albert Hadley, Charlotte Moss, Bunny Williams, and Vicente Wolf just to name a few.  The book’s cover features a home designed by Victoria Hagen that was originally published in their best-selling issue to date, September 2002.

“….Glamorous, smart, and luxe, the magazine focuses on the homes of A-list but approachable influencers who see their homes as the ultimate expression of personal style.” This is in part the mission statement that guides ELLE DÉCOR’s visual offerings.  The featured homes buck passing trends and instead focus on high-design independent of what is being done en masse, while heavily laced with the personal style of those who dwell within the walls.  And while luxury is a focus, it need not be expensive.  Russell said “chic, never shabby” and “personal, pragmatic, and authentic” define the essence of ELLE DÉCOR.

Examining the contents of the book, it is true to its word.  These are one-of-a kind interiors, interesting vignettes, and as Russell noted, they each in their own way “celebrate where style lives.”