Veranda
455 East Paces Ferry Rd.
Suite 216
Atlanta, GA 30305
404/261-3603
404/364-9772 (fax)
True, a considerable majority of the "fabulous" crowd - those aficionados of haute design, sleek architecture, fine jewelry and lavish home furnishings - reside in New York
City. And Veranda is aptly plugged into that scene with its offices on Lex, adjacent to Grand Central Station and just a skip away from the chic street of Park Avenue.
But, in keeping with its name, Veranda also is indelibly southern. Which partly explains why the independently-owned, bimonthly shelter magazine maintains its editorial
headquarters in Atlanta - the city in which it was founded in 1987 by Southern Accents veteran Lisa Newsom and Chuck Ross, a former art director from Architectural
Digest. Circulation: 360,000.
Content
Veranda caters to an affluent, upscale, educated readership and counts among its competitors titles such as House & Garden, House Beautiful, Architectural Digest,
Metropolitan Home and Elle Decor. The book, which is "distinguished by its artful representation of interiors, gardens, table settings and floral arrangements" is
richly laden with sumptuous photo spreads, and certainly doesn't skimp on page design. Twelve-page home features are the norm, according to editor-in-chief Lisa Newsom. Among
the regular departments:
Table Manners. Table wares that are both fashionable and functional, from sterling silver serving utensils, to Japanese tableaux.
Personal Luxury. From fine watches to glamorous gemstone jewelry.
Verdant Paths. Enchanting garden designs and horticultural delights.
Gallery. Hot home furnishings...such as decorative fireplace screens.
Cutting Edge. Fabrics, tapestries and other fine threads.
Architectural Hardware. Unique home accessories (handcrafted doorknockers and such).
Contacts/Pitch Tips
Editor-at-large Frances Schultz, author of the books Atlanta at Home and Atlanta at Table, now heads up the pub's editorial outfit in New York. Newsom oversees
content down south, although the best pitching contact (for both offices) is managing editor Deborah Sanders in Atlanta. And in an industry that focuses so heavily on aesthetics,
well-designed press kits are still at a premium. Send your prettiest snail mail package to the address listed above.
Newsom points out that roughly 6% of Veranda's readers are professional designers and decorators - a small percentage, maybe, but an important audience segment,
considering these are the trendsetters. As such, it's critical for the magazine's voice to ring true. If you can supply a source with expertise in fine antiques, furniture
design, horticulture, upscale home fashions or fine entertaining, you're in good shape.
Your chances of making headway will be even more strongly enhanced if you can provide quality photography or illustrations as part of a story package, thus alleviating the need
for the magazine team to schedule a shoot. "For example, one of the writers for our antiques department is a former appraiser for Christie's. She has access to photos, which
makes things easier for us," Newsom says. The more inclusive your pitch, the better.
Comments
Given its roots, Veranda is no doubt gentile. But this is not to say the magazine is style-centric. Rather, the editors strive to incorporate a multitude of aesthetic
genres into the mix. "In one issue, we might showcase a formal house, a Colorado lodge, a Texas ranch, a baroque mansion in New York and maybe a villa in Italy or Provence,"
Newsom says. "Global influences are everywhere, and we try to cover as many design and cultural influences as possible. There is so much freedom in design now. People want to
do their own thing: to live in spaces that say something about them, and about their lifestyles." The latest issue features a "rural French" mountain house in Aspen, an elegant
country home in a Dutch orchard and a Mediterranean-style house in Houston.
Of note: Veranda is big on interior design and architecture, but you won't find Bob Vila here. "We don't cover remodeling, or before-and-after projects," Newsom says.
What's en vogue in Veranda's world this year? Newsom and senior editor Tom Woodham were quoted in a recent Atlanta Journal & Constitution article
highlighting "What's In and Out" for 2001. Among their picks: fresh flowers, country house weekends and handwritten correspondence.