Schöner Wohnen was established in 1960 by the Hamburg-based publishing company Gruner + Jahr.

[1] The magazine enjoyed high levels of readership after its start.

[1] It has published photographs of the latest trends in furniture design, color palettes and room arrangements.

[1] Later its coverage was expanded to feature articles about architecture, lifestyle, gardening and travel.

[3] The magazine is the first German publication which employed the term design classic in 1974.