6 years of 91 Magazine – and we won an award!

This week marks six years since the very first online edition of 91 Magazine hit the internet. It was the 24th October 2011 when I launched my little baby into the world on issuu.com. The first issue was just 54 pages and I cringe when I look back at the design, but even for that first edition we had a group of enthusiastic, creative contributors as well as supportive brands who took advertising space – even when they had no idea what the magazine would be like. I’d like to give a little shout out to Sophie Warren-Smith, our news editor, who has been with me since the very start, gathering lovely things to share on our news pages, and who has always championed the magazine. Also a little wave to Mabel and Rose and Ruby Roost – two independent brands who advertised in that very first issue and still advertise with us today – your continued support is everything to us. 

On Wednesday night was a huge moment for myself and the team as we were awarded the Best Interior Magazine Blog award at the Amara interior Blog Awards at the Design Museum in London. It felt particularly special to receive this the same week we celebrate six years of the magazine, and I’m feeling hugely nostalgic this morning as I looked back through our past issues, and observe not only how far we’ve come, but how much great content we have had over the years. Today I thought I’d take a little trip down memory lane and have picked out one image from each issue – not necessarily my favourite shot because that would just be WAY to difficult to choose! – but certainly some of the images that have stood out for me….

Back in those days I was very much a vintage lover and this was a big focus for 91. While I still love vintage, my tastes have changed in terms of interiors and design, and I’m pretty sure you can see this difference through the content we now produce. I guess this is something that all publications go through as trends come and go and tastes evolve. I wonder what we will be publishing six years from now?! 

Issue 6 was a bit of a turning point for me. It felt like the magazine was really starting to get into its stride and was also being noticed by industry people. It was this feature about The Hambledon and the owner’s home that eventually led to me having my first book published. This really highlights how following a dream can led to bigger things you had never even imagined – it’s always worth taking a punt and seeing where it leads…. 

While it has been six years since the first issue published, I did in fact take a year off from publishing in 2015. I had my daughter in 2014 and was at the same time writing that aforementioned first book, so struggled to manage much else. But towards the end of that year, I felt it was time to relaunch, and really try and make a mark on the independent magazine market. Along with my fab team, the magazine has progressed in leaps and bounds, we’ve never looked back. Going in to print was definitely the best decision we ever made.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little trip down memory lane as much as I have! If you fancy taking a peek at all those old digital issues they are free to read on issuu.com and of course if you haven’t yet got the brand new AW17 edition on your coffee table, then pop over to the website to get your order in. 

Here’s to many more years of beautiful homes and creative content! 🙂