FORM: The Making of a Magazine

The Idea
FORM is a lifestyle magazine centred around food, home, architecture, culture, art, and the everyday experiences that connect them. I shaped the publication from the ground up, developing its editorial identity, architecture, issue themes, and content direction, while also writing, commissioning, and editing stories.

Editorial Direction
FORM is built around the idea that the subjects shaping everyday life are rarely separate. Food connects to culture, the home connects to the way we gather, and the people behind a restaurant, space or ingredient often have a story worth telling. The editorial focus spans food and beverage, restaurants, culture and the arts, homes and interiors, design, architecture and the people shaping these worlds.

The voice is elevated but accessible: polished, conversational, warm, sensory and witty, grounded in Sri Lankan life while looking outward to the wider world. The editorial approach favours fresh angles, thoughtful storytelling and language that evokes flavour, texture, materials and atmosphere without becoming pretentious or academic.

Editorial Architecture
I developed a series of interconnected editorial verticals designed to take the reader through the different ways we eat, drink, live and gather:

• The Kitchen: Ingredients, recipes, food knowledge and culinary traditions.
• On the Menu + Cheers: Restaurants, chefs, wine, spirits, cocktails and bar culture.
• Culture: People, place, art, dance, celebrations and cultural expression.
• Gather: Hosting, entertaining and the rituals of bringing people together.
• Home Edit + Spaces: Interiors, homes, hotels, architecture and design.
• The Last Bite: Human stories, everyday rituals, humour and observations.

Each vertical had a distinct purpose while allowing stories to cross disciplines.

The Issues
I developed issue themes that provided an editorial thread across each edition, guiding commissioning, story selection and approach. These included The Celebration Issue, The Adore Issue and The Full Circle Issue, exploring connection, pleasure, tradition and renewal.

Selected Work
A selection of stories I wrote, commissioned and edited as part of FORM’s wider editorial direction.

Written by me
Smoke, Spice and Bamboo Biryani: https://www.twine.net/signin
The Depth Behind The Crunch: https://www.twine.net/signin
A Mediterranean Escape: https://www.twine.net/signin

Commissioned and edited
The Sunny Allure of Arabian Boho: https://www.twine.net/signin
Soft Clouds and Bright Colours: https://www.twine.net/signin
Seafood, A Love Language: https://www.twine.net/signin

The result was a distinct editorial identity and content framework, giving FORM a cohesive voice across food, culture, design, interiors and lifestyle, while leaving room for stories to cross between disciplines.