Spaces, the San Francisco Bay Area shelter magazine, is returning to print for the first time in six years. The revamped title will hit newsstands in January 2026 with a new look, under the leadership of publisher Nikki N. Wood and editor Lotus Abrams. Their goal is to hit a sweet spot: the depth of a local title with the aesthetic ambitions of a national magazine—and to do it in a region sometimes overlooked by the New York/Los Angeles–centric design media.

“The Bay Area is so unique. Between the mountains, the wine country, the city, it’s so vibrant, and I think sometimes the design scene gets missed [by magazines] with a national scope,” says Michele Kuhns, the title’s head of brand strategy and business development. “Spaces aims to fill a void.”

The magazine was launched in 2016 as a biannual companion to Marin magazine, a lifestyle publication dedicated to the affluent county just north of San Francisco. However, Spaces went beyond Marin County, publishing projects from all corners of the Bay Area. Editor Zahid Sardar—a celebrated San Francisco design writer—cultivated a unique voice, and the magazine won a devoted audience.

Shortly thereafter, both publications were purchased by a Chicago-based media operator, and in 2020, Spaces was discontinued as a stand-alone title and relegated to a special section in its parent magazine. However, in 2022, a group including Marin’s original founders repurchased the media group. Three years later, they made the call to relaunch Spaces as its own book. Kuhns says the current plan is for the magazine to publish one edition annually, but if early enthusiasm builds, it could return to its original twice-yearly schedule.

This time around, Spaces is relying on an advisory board of big names in the Bay Area design scene, including designers Tineke Triggs and Jon de la Cruz, architect Barbara Chambers, and designer and showroom operator Geoffrey De Sousa.

“We’re getting a lot of feedback [from the board] that we’re hoping to incorporate moving forward,” says Kuhns. “Some of what we’re hearing is: ‘How can we move beyond just talking about the same big names—what about the behind-the-scenes? What about the makers? Let’s talk about the nuts and bolts, not just have it be beautiful pictures and the end result. What does it take to get there?”