Metropolitan Home magazine closes

The publisher of Metropolitan Home announced this morning it was shutting down the magazine and laying off the staff. The December issue will be Met Home's last.

Hachette Filipacchi Media said it will focus on its other shelter title, Elle Decor, which the company touted as "the ad-page leader within the U.S."

The entire home magazine category is suffering because of the housing slump. Ad pages for the first half of 2009 were down 27.8% compared with the first half of 2008, according to the Publishers Information Bureau.

For the first nine months of 2009, Met Home's ad pages were down 32.7% compared with a year earlier. That compares with a 34.1% drop at Elle Decor, a 49% drop at Architectural Digest, a 45.8% drop at Dwell, a 29% drop at Martha Stewart Living and an 11.9% drop at Sunset, according to the PIB.

The closing of Met Home, which stated its circulation at about 560,000, follows the demise of Domino, House & Garden, Cottage Living and O at Home, among others.

-- Craig Nakano

Correction: A previous version of this post said Home & Garden instead of House & Garden.

Comments

[julie]

It is a shame, but their displays were expensive, and cold. Especially in this economic climate, their home suggestions were very unrealistic.

[RQH]

You mean House & Garden, not Home & Garden.

Basically I want to kill myself. I cannot tell you how upset I am. Now 2 of my 3 favorite magazines are defunct. And my favorite thing to do is read them at the coffee shop.

I am going to go on a crime spree like Michael Douglas in "Falling Down". :(

[Lu]

What happens to one's subscription? What if it's already paid for?!

[Clark Canfield]

This is crazy.... All the poorly produced, celebrity fed rags on the news stand and the great ones keep dropping off.

[eieio]

A few weeks ago, I e-mailed them with a 2-yr. renewal and a 2-yr. gift subscription for a friend. Today I decided to call to see why it didn't post to my Visa. Now I know why. Both my husband and I really enjoyed it.

Our country is going right down the pike. I'm scared for the future of our children and country.

[Gin]

Should have shut down Elle Decor instead. Everything they feature in that publication is so very fussy and overdone. Besides, Elle Decor's ad pages were down more than Met Home's. Doesn't make sense to me. I will sorely miss Met Home.

[diana]

i take most of the design magazines since that is my field and i think metropolitan home was far superior to any of the others and the recipes were divine!

[ENB14]

Agree with others that Metropolitan Home was a cut above. Elle Decor's snooty attitude and celebrity name-dropping really get on my nerves.