Category Archives: “Paris is burning”

IDEAT means Idea, Design, Escape, Architecture and Trend. Paris Bastille, I have a meeting with Laurent Blanc, the chief editor of IDEAT, the  lifestyle magazine’s reference in France. Laurent shows me his new office, a white huge space with many architecture and design books, contemporary art and paintings and refine furnitures.  The former Advertising Manager of Renault seems to be an demanding collector too. 

What do you think about the last Maison et Objet fair (from September the 9th to 13th)? The January fair is always better. It missed Cinna, Roche Bobois… The outdoor was really interesting. Today outdoor makes work the big names of design. 

When did IDEAT start? We created IDEAT 11 years ago, with my spouse, a deco stylist. First we wanted to create a  concept store in 1500 meters squares space. When we checked prices of rentals, we could only afford 50 meters squares (smile). So we decided to created a magazine, it was a way to show what we really enjoyed. We were the French first lifestyle magazine, when all the press was focussing in the “art de vivre à la française” (the French art way of living), like for exemple Côté Sud. It was during the Internet blast, when the experts diagnosed no future for paper magazines (smile). The magazine lived sparely during 3-4 years, we could be payed. In 2003, when Roularta invested in IDEAT, it’s helped us. We are partners 50/50. Four years ago, we were considered like the Habitat of the lifestyle press. We decided to become a luxury magazine.

Since then has IDEAT been a success story?  Since 2006, IDEAT is the stronger increase sell of decoration magazines in France (80.000 copies). Next year, we will launch an Italian IDEAT. And we also work on the project of the online IDEAT concept store. 

Has your look changed? Yes of course, our look was sharpen by travels and by meetings with designers… like Starck, Wanders, Jean-Marie Massaud… We have developed a sense of the aesthetic we relay in the magazine. Le title has changed, it’s a storm: now French people are enjoying design. And IDEAT is a reference the main-stream press.

What are your next topics? Each 3 issues, there is an issue dedicated to a strong theme: 100% of the pagination for one topic. The first topic we realized was Philippe Starck. He created twenty pages in the magazine. We sold 150.000 copies of this issue. 

And what about this new men’s magazine that issues tomorrow? Laurent turns on his Ipad to show me the lay out of THE GOOD LIFE. It’s a quarterly of 350 pages (including 100 ads pages). We gonna do the opposite than news magazines. We are making an hybrid magazine, nothing to do with the other titles in the French press… There are articles of the global economic culture. Between the recurring sections, one shows people (no celebs, spotmen and potilitics) that move the world forward in a positive way. There will be 30 pages of fashion. Here we fight for the curiosity of modernity.

A guaranteed success ? People have to like it or not. I will worry more and more till October 19 (the launch of the magazine)!

Don’t worry Laurent, we know it’s gonna a big hit! Many thanks! 

www.ideat.fr  &  www.thegoodlife.fr 

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