A quick note on this new series. As the title says, it’s all about inspiration, more precisely, what’s inspiring me at the moment: photos, styles, places, thoughts, words – there are basically no limits.
Even though print has been declared dead numerous times in the last decade, it refuses to give up the fight. In fact, there is a print renaissance of independent design and lifestyle magazines even in this hyper-digital world and slow lifestyle magazines are vanguards of this movement.
The aesthetic is a big part of this. The clean, minimal visual style of Kinfolk and Cereal has greatly influenced design, branding, and photography in the last 10 years – not to mention the magazines themselves have become popular photo props as well. These lifestyle magazines are meant to be physical objects – the carefully selected paper, the layouts, the photos, the cool covers all contribute to the aesthetic experience.
But aesthetic is only one part of the story. The success of indie design, fashion, and lifestyle magazines is in large part due to a reaction to an increasingly fast-paced, ad-heavy, and often superficial world. We still crave experiences outside of the digital realm. We want to step away from the screens. We want to consume more thoughtful media. We are interested in niche topics. We want to discover things outside of the mainstream. And this is exactly what these magazines offer.
They showcase hidden parts of the world, introduce talented artists, designers, and artisans who create original things or revive old traditions in a modern way. They offer cultural, political, and social commentary. They explore topics like slow living, mindfulness, inspiration, connecting with nature, or living a more sustainable life. They create beautiful photo essays and often mix journalism and literary style.
I’ve always loved print magazines, but lately, I’ve been turning to them even more frequently for design, interior, art, photography, and travel inspiration. I have some favorites, but also love discovering new ones. I actually have a Stack subscription – it delivers a different new independent magazine every month. You never know what you get, but that’s the beauty of it. I don’t usually buy subscription services, because chances are, you cannot use half of what you get, but in this case I love that I get to discover magazines and artists I’ve never ever heard of and this way I am constantly exposed to new ideas outside of my usual aesthetic and interests.
Below are a couple of slow lifestyle magazines that I regularly read. Some of them are aspirational magazines. Others focus more on everyday simple things. Some focus on niche topics. Others feature a variety of topics from art & design to travel and slow food.
But all of them take you on an inspiring visual and intellectual journey and thus provide a great opportunity to slow down for a moment.
7 inspiring slow lifestyle magazines
Cereal
Cereal and Kinfolk (see below) are the quintessential slow lifestyle magazines and leaders of the new wave of independent design publications. Cereal is a biannual magazine out of the UK, focused on art, design, style, and travel. Each issue features a select number of destinations, alongside engaging interviews with artists and creators, and stories on unique design, art, and fashion.
What makes Cereal unique for me is the literary style of the pieces as well as its stunning clean aesthetic and beautiful photography. Cereal is the brainchild of design power couple Rosa Park (editor-in-chief) and Rich Stapleton (creative director and photographer) – Stapleton’s photography and calming, ethereal visual style is a huge part of the magazine’s success.
Kinfolk
Kinfolk is a quarterly magazine from the US that promotes a slow lifestyle, explores ways we can simplify our life and focus on what matters, and connects a global community of creative professionals. Each seasonal issue is dedicated to a different topic (recent issues include: Education, Tokyo – A slow guide to the world’s fastest city, Architecture, Hospitality) and explored through photo essays, articles, interviews, storytelling, and practical tips. Photography is, once again, an essential element of Kinfolk, it has a clean, minimal aesthetic, though a lot more colorful than the muted color palette of Cereal.
The Happy Reader
The Happy Reader is a magazine for book lovers – it celebrates the pure pleasure of reading and the calming luxury of being offline. It has a cool concept: each issue is divided into two parts: the first is an in-depth interview with a book fanatic celebrity about their passion for books and favorite reads. The second half focuses on one classic work of literature – featuring analyses, related essays, and further book recommendations.
Delayed Gratification
Delayed Gratification is the world’s first slow journalism publication. In a world of 24-hour news cycles, where yesterdays’ news is long forgotten, the magazine takes a deliberately slow, more reflective approach. They wait for three months to pass before returning to world events and leading news, to see what happened after the dust settled, the noise silenced, the cameras disappeared in order to pick out what really mattered with the benefit of hindsight. It features long-form, in-depth pieces, and stunning photo features.
So It Goes
So It Goes is a biannual magazine that champions the original voices of today across seven chapters: The Actors, The Directors, The Artists, The Collection, The Musicians, The Places and The Writers. It focuses on visual and literary storytelling, contains artist portraits, interviews, diverse personal stories, and long-form cultural and political commentary. It also features incredibly well-shot and creative photo essays.
Another Escape
Another Escape is an outdoor lifestyle, creative culture & sustainable living journal that celebrates the stories of passionate people inspired by nature. The magazine aims to encourage people to step away from their busy life, slow down, and cultivate a creative and responsible mindset. It features long-form articles, personal stories of inspiration, creativity, and love of nature, as well as interviews with wanderers, artisans of niche crafts, and interesting people who are not afraid to take risks and follow their passion.
Darling Magazine
Darling Magazine is an independent, quarterly magazine focused on celebrating and empowering women and sharing thoughts on how to lead a mindful and meaningful life. It challenges cultural ideas of beauty, has a no-retouching policy, and shares positive stories from inspiring women.
