"We had a nice idea, because we come across so many people who
have all the editions, of just having a lovely shot of
their interior, quite discreet, and then on a shelf you see the
distinctive spines [of Wallpaper]," Mr. Chambers told me by phone
last week from London. For this photo essay of Wallpaper-enhanced
interiors, he said he plans on approaching cultural icons including
Raf Simons, creative director at Christian Dior, and Jean Nouvel,
the Pritzker Prize-winning architect, both of whom have told him
that they've saved every issue of Wallpaper.
I was speaking with Mr. Chambers in part because he's just hit a
set of landmarks -- the 200th issue of Wallpaper, which happens to
be his 100th as editor-in-chief -- but also because he's about to
introduce a U.S. edition of the magazine. The Wallpaper familiar to
American readers has always been an import. Launching with a
November issue, and then going quarterly in 2016, complimentary
copies of the "bespoke U.S. edition" of Wallpaper, as Mr. Chambers
calls it, will be mailed to 250,000 U.S. residents. That will
dramatically expand Wallpaper's distribution, given that
international circulation of the existing "global edition" is just
over 100,000 (with roughly 20,000 in sales on the U.S.
newsstand).
Mr. Chambers describes the U.S. edition as "a sampler, in a
sense -- a collation of a number of issues into one. It's an edit
from the global edition that gets delivered to door to this
extraordinary database."
Why now? Because Time Inc. has been figuring out just how deep
its database is, as bolstered by the 2013 purchase of American
Express Co.'s publishing arm, including Travel & Leisure and
Food & Wine.
Essentially, Time Inc. realized it could zero in on a critical
mass of affluent, design-obsessed U.S. consumers and create a
special edition of Wallpaper curated just for them. (That
controlled-circ model of mailing free copies of a magazine to
qualified consumers was part of the strategy at the old American
Express Publishing, which created Departures for American Express
Platinum cardholders; Departures, still published for them, is now
also in the Time Inc. stable.)
In a separate conversation, New York-based Time Inc. Executive
VP Evelyn Webster -- who previously oversaw Wallpaper when she
worked out of London -- told me that some 30 luxury marketers are
backing the U.S. launch, which includes a beefed-up web presence.
Among the brands on board: Hermès, Prada, Max Mara, Cadillac
and the Marriott Autograph Collection.
At Time Inc., Ms. Webster said, the plan is to grow high-end
editorial: "We're really definitely building our luxury-market
footprint... It made perfect sense for us to expand it [Wallpaper],
as opposed to launching a brand new thing. And our clients love the
fact that it's an international brand, and that Wallpaper readers
travel globally frequently. There is always a demand for more of
those affluent consumers."
Mr. Chambers remains editorial chief of the brand worldwide.
Michael Reynolds, who's been on the Wallpaper masthead for 18
years, is taking on the new role of U.S. editor. Pei-Ru Keh, New
York editor, and Daisy Alioto, social/digital editor, are new
hires.
As for my Wallpaper collection, I confessed to Mr. Chambers
that, due to space constraints (I live in New York City) and
various moves over the years, I had to drastically pare back,
though I did keep Vol. 1, No. 1. In my most recent move, six years
ago, I lugged most of my Wallpaper collection to the sidewalk in
front of my Manhattan apartment building, and put a big sign on the
boxes reading, "THESE BEAUTIFUL WALLPAPER MAGAZINES NEED A NEW
HOME." Minutes later, back in my apartment, I looked out the window
and watched as delighted strangers descended on them like kids in a
candy store.
Mr. Chambers, who has an infectiously cheery manner, can relate
to that enthusiasm. "You know, it's almost like I'm a kid
in a sweet shop, to be editor of this thing. Design and
architecture have always been my passion. Really, I'm a very, very
lucky man."
Simon Dumenco, aka Media Guy, is an Ad Age editor-at-large.
You can follow him on Twitter @simondumenco.