By Lucia Moses of Mediaweek, with reporting by PDN staff

In another contraction in the shelter magazine category, Hachette Filipacchi Media announced it would shut Metropolitan Home with the December issue to focus its resources on its other shelter title, Elle Decor. Met Home’s longtime editor Donna Warner and her staff of 13 will leave the company.
 
The news was announced to the magazine's staff on Monday morning. Met Home's design and photography team included design director Keith K'Mello ; deputy art director Jeffrey Felmus and photo editor Cathryne Czubek. Met Home shared an umbrella Web site with Elle Decor, PointClickHome.com, which will transform into ElleDecor.com. 

Met Home was part of Hachette’s Luxury Design Group, headed by senior vp Deborah Burns. Elle Decor will become part of the Elle Group that’s headed by Carol Smith, senior vp, chief brand officer; and Burns will stay at Hachette in a senior position that’s yet to be determined, reporting to Hachette president and CEO Alain Lemarchand.
 
The housing market collapse and economic downturn has already claimed a number of large-circ shelter titles, including Meredith’s Country Home, Time Inc.’s Cottage Living and Condé Nast’s Domino.
 
Met Home is the second shelter title Hachette has folded in the current downturn after Home, which closed in October 2008. This year through November, Met Home’s ad pages declined 34 percent to 664, per the www.mediaweek.com/mw/data-center/magazine-monitor/index.jsp