House & Home – RSVP: Our Readers Have Their Say

Letters from the most recent issues of House & Home.

December 2022

I really enjoy your magazine; I find a good mix of styles which is refreshing (and not just neutral on neutral, which is so bland). But the column by Lynda Reeves (“View,” October) kind of floored me; she says getting decorating done that’s “colourful, busy, over the top” is “very pricey” and “jars the senses.” Colour doesn’t equate to “jarring.”

September 2022

My perfect place in the sun… after reading your article “A Summer State of Mind” while sitting in my gazebo, I felt compelled to share this with you. After downsizing, selling our house and now living in an apartment, I was allowed to construct an outdoor space on the back lawn of our apartment complex. I enjoy the beautiful breezes, sounds of birds singing, children playing and listening to my wind chimes that I had purchased in 1996 while visiting Lake Louise, Alta.. Thank you for the decades of joy that Canadian House & Home has given me.
— Trudy Vince, Stellarton, N.S.

July/August 2022

Love your recipes! Could you make a printer-friendly version? All that black ink is absolutely not great. The page was literally wet.
— Lisa Zagerman, Toronto

Have you ever considered doing a story on someone who doesn’t know what their style is or should be for a home they live in? Just wondering.
— April Kennedy, Dunvegan, Ont.

June 2022

I’ve loved your magazine for decades, and I have to say your addition of Artist File is fantastic. I always find Diana Hamm’s articles informative and entertaining. Thank you!
— Tyler Schulz  

I love the idea of showcasing the before and after of a renovation. Some of the rooms actually included some colour in the April issue, but in five homes we received five white kitchens! I thought colour was one of the 2022 design trends? Apparently not in your world of kitchens. It felt like a predictable H&H issue, I was disappointed.
— Judy M., Victoria

As a longtime subscriber, I was happy to see my favourite city, Paris, featured in the April issue of H&H. However, I was also saddened reading that a certain restaurant with a newly minted Michelin star serves “dishes like foie gras for a dining experience you won’t forget.”  It’s maddening that in 2022 foie gras is readily available, since most of the time ducks and geese are still being force fed to procure the fatty livers needed for this “delicacy,” serving no quality of life. I believe this practice should be stopped, and certainly not promoted.
— Lisa McKean, Stayner, Ont.

May 2022

Thank you so much for recommending my book, “The Kitchen” to Brian Gluckstein and Gary during your first episode of Housebound!  I was happily watching you and Brian chatting and then all of a sudden I nearly fell out of my chair when you brought out the book!  It means a lot to me that you would express such kind words about the book and bring it to Brian’s attention.  I have been enjoying your series Housebound very much – informative, personal and entertaining.  Such a fun and happy way to present homes during this difficult time. I hope that you have a happy Spring!
— John Ota

April 2022

House & Home was the first magazine I read when I moved to Canada. I don’t read it as much anymore but when I picked up your March issue at the grocery checkout, I see that the magazine has changed quite a lot.
— Francesca DeSouza, Ottawa

I think you should develop a feature about people who don’t have a lot of money and use ingenuity to get what they need. For example, a few years a go I read a story somewhere about a guy who got all the materials for his kitchen from Habitat for Humanity.
— Julie Potter

I was happy to see that the magazine was beginning to use Instagram for more than just sharing photos, but it seems that you have stopped doing so. Will House & Home start up with the live interviews again? Takeovers from designers would be a great idea, too.
— Svenela Sans, Kingston, Ont. 

March 2022

Hello! I just got the new issue of your magazine with Lynda Reeves on the front page. And what did my eyes immediately spot: a Bearded Collie laying beside her….looking exactly like my Libby who passed away in August last year. What a lovely surprise! Now I have to look through the magazine!
— Lilli Delf, Mississauga

It’s almost overwhelming trying to keep up with all of the “new” trends year after year. This time around, it seems everything has taken a much more grounded approach. I think it’s time I renovate.
— Julian Andrews, Moosejaw, Sask. 

January/Febraury 2022

I am an 83-year-old widower living alone. I have a number of hobbies and subscribe to a varied array of magazines, including yours. Once I am finished with them, I usually toos them in the recycling. Last month, however, the registered nurse practitioner who visits me took all of my publications and brought them to a seniors residence in town. I was so leased to hear that this small gesture brought so much joy. I thought it was a nice idea to pass thing along to other readers who might want to make someone else’s day.
— David Taylor, Berwick, N.S. 

I’m so pleased to see your magazine address reusing and recycling, and being aware of sustainability. I’d previously cancelled subscriptions to magazines due to the overly-consumption focus and throw away culture. What I’d also be interested in, and think consumers should be made aware of, is the origin of products, not just their price tags. Origin is becoming much more of an issue, particularly following the supply issues we’ve seen through Covid, and with rising fuel costs for transportation, not to mention the often lower quality of items made in China. It would be great to see where things are made listed alongside the brand and price.

— Helen Blackwood, Holland Landing, Ont.