BHG is more for decorating what you've got (on a budget) more than starting new. go to a large book seller and check out the magazine selection. there are far better choices out there. i'm hesitant to offer suggestions since they all vary greatly according to your taste. we're building a shingle style home so i like boston design guide (http://www.bostondesignguide.com/).

there are some bi-monthly publications out specifically for new home builders. there's one i see every once in a whie ...and i can't for the life of me remember the name! new home design or new home builder? there is also a pile of renovation mags to choose from. these work just as well if you're trying to find ideas. take a look around and just keep looking! good luck.

I've learned a lot from Fine Homebuilding, though mostly from their website (link below). I have found their online subscription a really good value as it gives you complete access to past articles.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fine Homebuilding

I really like This Old House, especially since they revamped as of Jan of this year. Although itÂs more about renovation and remodeling than building new, I like the style of just about every home they feature. Every month when it comes in the mail I canÂt wait to read it and every page I turn is like "wow, I really like that!" As Kateskouros said, itÂs good for trying to find ideas (even for new builds). I personally donÂt like BHGÂs flagship magazine but I think some of their side magazines on specific issues like kitchen ideas or bathroom remodels etc are okay.

I agree with the two mentioned above, but I also find that you can get some good house design ideas (not just decorating ideas) by flipping through design magazines. Before meeting with our architect to design our home, I had torn out many, many pages from design magazines. Many of them were photos that weren't necessarily even photos of precise things I wanted - they either captured a certain feel or light or window or something. I found this to be helpful in the planning process.

The design magazines that you connect with will obviously depend on your own personal taste, but I've found that my favorites are Metropolitan Home, House Beautiful, Renovation Style, Western Homes and Interiors, and Dwell. I also like Architectural Digest, but I find that it's often filled with almost museum-quality design ideas and vignettes rather than real living situations that I can relate to.

If your taste runs traditional/formal, you might like to try Veranda and Traditional Home. If you're more into casual/country, you might like Seaside Living or Cottage Home (I might be getting those names wrong but they're something like that).

I think one of the best ways to get a look at a broad section of magazines is to go to your largest local library and spend an hour flipping through them and then decide which one(s) best suit you before you buy a subscription. Also, don't just pull out the card inside the magazine and send in your money, but instead go online to the magazine's website because often they'll have a better deal.

One more thing - our library allows you to check out unlimited quantities of back issues of magazines, which is a great way to start. I did this but found it a little frustrating that I couldn't tear out pages...I kept having to put a sticky note on the page I liked, and then I ended up making copies. As you can imagine, this got pretty tedious, which is why I now have subscriptions to about 6 home magazines! My subscriptions will run out just around the time we move in to our new house, and by that time, I'll probably be so tired of all these design decisions that I won't want to renew a single magazine!

Have fun!!

Are you talking about building or decorating? Two totally different things. If you're going to build, I'd recommend the Journal of Light Construction. You absolutely must be on par with, and know about construction and have a solid foundation for any decorating you might do.

These are all really good recommendations- thanks!

I've been trying to decide which style of house to build (from Texas Hill Country to Modern) and pick a floor plan going on 8 years now. You can imagine the # of magazines I've bought over the years. If you are near East Texas, stop on by!

Also, I've found houzz.com to be fabulous. They've got lots of pictures and you can link to the architect's website for floorplans and additional pictures.

I've just recently joined this forum and love it! Good luck!