SFC&G (San Francisco Cottages & Gardens), a new magazine that will launch in April, hopes to be the go-to source for upscale design-conscious readers who live in the San Francisco Bay Area, including Marin, East Bay, the wine country and Silicon Valley. This high-end lifestyle magazine will publish six issues in 2014. Cottages & Gardens Publications has been long established on the East Coast for more than twelve years, and has been delivering exceptional regional design magazines to America’s most affluent communities.
The company's three titles: Connecticut Cottages & Gardens, Hamptons Cottages & Gardens and New York Cottages & Gardens, present compelling articles in architecture, design, art and antiques, real estate, and entertaining. And in 2014, SFC&G arrived in San Francisco. The magazine’s mission is to capture the vibrancy and creativity of the region at this time. JustLuxe recently interviewed Editor-In-Chief Alisa Carroll who discussed her new position, the magazine’s mission, vision, scope and the focus of this new design publication.
JustLuxe: Where were you educated? And what made you interested in magazine publishing? What past experience have you had in magazine publishing?
Alisa Carroll: I studied English and Art History at UC Berkeley, but I've always been inspired by the marriage of the textual and visual. Growing up, I loved magazines, I remember being obsessed with Interview. Prior to coming on board to helm SFC&G, I contributed to Elle Décor, Interior Design and lots of other publications.
JL: What unique features and ongoing columns will you feature in SFC&G?
AC: In addition to a sumptuous feature well, which showcase exceptional Bay Area interiors, we'll also be exploring design across all boundaries—product, garden, wine and culinary, jewelry and beyond.
JL: How far up the coast and down from San Francisco will you go in highlighting great design and landscape?
AC: From wine country all the way down through the Peninsula to Carmel.
JL: How was the decision made to start a magazine in San Francisco now?
AC: Because San Francisco is the place to be. From the Snøhetta expansion of SF MoMA to the Gehry campus for Facebook and the community of world-class interior and landscape designers working globally in the creation of handmade and artisanal product, San Francisco is the extraordinary fulcrum for creativity right now.
JL: Explain to me the basic mission and vision of SFC&G, and how you plan to implement these?
AC: The goal at the heart of SFC&G is to represent the sensibility and sense of place that are distinctly San Francisco, whether it’s a minimalist aerie in Russian Hill or a wild, wonderful landscape in Carmel. The Bay Area encompasses both, it’s a place where the natural and cultural landscapes elegantly coexist.
In addition to interiors and landscape architecture, SFC&G’s coverage will include real estate, jewelry, culinary pursuits, wine and spirits, and more. A rate base of 40,000 copies is planned, with additional copies to accommodate the newsstand distribution, subscriptions, and its many industry and charity events.
