Which cover would you have picked?

Our new spring magazine has been out for a few weeks. While it is our “Spring Issue,” looking out the window today you’d think we had the season wrong.

I thought it would be fun to share with you the second cover option we were debating for our new magazine. It showcases a modern open-concept bachelor pad in St. Andrews, New Brunswick designed by Acre Architects.

We love having a few cover options to play around with; normally, we give our photographer rough mockups of what we’d like. With this shoot, New Brunswick photographer Sean McGath came back from the shoot with several stunning vertical shots that we knew would fit the bill. These were our top two options.

: We debated using this exterior shot for our new spring cover. Photo by Sean McGrath. Note: Coverlines are dummy text.

This exterior shot initially was my top choice. I love the sharp, clean angles of the home, the line of fir trees at the back, and the punch of green grass in the front. It has a real Dwell quality to it, don’t you think?

However, the main drawbacks I saw with the image was that it might come off as being a bit too austere for our readers. We usually try to pick a cover that shows the homeowners (or even their pets) interacting in the space, especially when it’s a more modern home. It’s also great having some flavour of the people who live in the home: seeing the kind of artwork, furniture and décor they’ve picked out. Ultimately, I think it gives the magazine more personality.

The shot we picked by Sean McGrath,

In the end, we picked this interior shot of the home, which shows homeowner Chris Pascoe (and his pug Diva) hanging out in the breakfast nook. Having them in the shot really helps warm up the space, and makes the home more intimate. I also love getting a taste of the artwork and furniture Chris has in his home.

What do you think? Which cover would you have picked?

P.S.