Daily Features

Remodeling Media: When the Web Goes To Print

Editor of popular interior design website Remodelista discusses the challenges of adapting a website into a book

By Branden Klayko, Superscript December 10, 2013

In today’s age of information overload, digital outlets are often portrayed as the future of media with the printed page falling behind. One popular home design website, Remodelista, has bucked this trend, publishing a book that serves as a real-world companion to their digital home. Editor in Chief Julie Carlson told Designers & Books how the new book, Remodelista: A Manual for the Considered Home, made the leap from bits to binding.

Cover of Remodelista: A Manual for the Considered Home. © Remodelista

Designers & Books: What made Remodelista interested in pursuing a book version of its website? What makes the book form a good companion to the website?

Julie Carlson: There’s something very satisfying about the look and feel of a book that can’t be replicated online. We wanted to produce the definitive manual on remodeling, and ironically, the space constraints of the book form were actually an advantage. For instance, the “Remodeling Reality” chapter is a very focused, step-by-step guide to the remodeling process. Because we were forced to ruthlessly edit the information, there is nothing extraneous (the temptation on the web is to include more info rather than less). Also, because there are no photos in this chapter, the visual interest comes from the graphics and the typeface and the layout.

The “Remodeling Reality” chapter of Remodelista: A Manual for the Considered Home. © Remodelista

Designers & Books: The Remodelista website features a clean and well-organized layout. How did the design of the website influence the design of the printed page and how the content was organized in the book? Were there any surprises along the way?

Julie Carlson: We wanted the book to complement the website, but not to be slavishly influenced by the design. We actually used different typefaces in the book, which might seem counterintuitive from a branding perspective. But we wanted the book to stand on its own; to appeal to an audience that might not even be familiar with Remodelista online. (We used a serif typeface for the logo on the book, for instance, while the logo on the site is a sans serif.) The scariest decision was the cover; we agonized over that. Committing to a single photograph to define the book; that was hard.

Remodelista: A Manual for the Considered Home features high-quality photography by Matthew Williams. © Remodelista

Designers & Books: Design online is often restricted to uncertain end user environments and the varied layouts and resolutions of different devices and monitors. How does the control of layout and high-quality photography of the book impact the user experience?

The Book

Remodelista Julie Carlson

Julie Carlson: It was deeply satisfying to be able to control the visual look and feel of the book, start to finish. We use a wide range of photography on the site, so working with a single photographer with a strong vision on the book was a true luxury. The biggest challenge was the photo selection; Matthew Williams, our photographer, took hundreds of beautiful photos for us (including dozens of detail shots), so we had a lot to work with, which can be a challenge.

Also, because of the permanent nature of print, the visual decisions carry more weight. On the web, if you're not satisfied with how a post looks, you can tinker with the images and endlessly (sometimes I even go back the next day and revise posts). With a book, there’s a finality to your visual decisions.

Designers & Books: What editorial considerations did you have to make in translating your online writing style to print?

Julie Carlson: We wanted to preserve the Remodelista voice, which is informal, inclusive, unintimidating but not overly gushy (in contrast to some blogs, which can tend toward the hyperbolic). We also worked hard to make the text precise and informative; every caption has a single “takeaway,” for instance, a tidbit of information for the reader.

The “Kitchens” chapter of Remodelista: A Manual for the Considered Home. © Remodelista

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