CasaSugar

Your Favorite Shelter Magazine

CasaSugar — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 07:00:24 -0800

The biggest headline in the interior design industry this year came early when at the end of January Conde Nast's beloved decorating glossy Domino folded. Founded by Deborah Needleman as a "guide to living with style," the magazine resonated with busy, style-conscious young women looking for new and unique ways to decorate their homes. But despite the crowds of readers, the publisher reported that Domino's ad revenues couldn't keep up with its expenses in the down economy.

Nearly a year after its closure, the design world seems to still be in mourning, with petitions to resurrect it still lingering and even a Flickr group devoted to immortalizing the mag's images.
So it's no surprise that as a part of my Best of 2009 polls, you named Domino your favorite shelter magazine this year. Hopefully, there'll one day be another mag worthy of taking its place. But until then, we can look back at Domino: The Book of Decorating for inspiration and decorating tips.

It's All Clear to Me

OnSugar Blog — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 15:00:54 -0800

Here's a post from OnSugar blog FotoFlat:

I've had to get rid of a lot of crap since the epic downsizing of our living room began, and I have learned to let go of the back issues of magazines. Except for my Dominos and Blueprints. Never let go, Jack!

In the meantime, I now hate the brown paper magazine files I had before and don't know what to do with them now. Recycle? Curb?

Want to see more? Start following FotoFlat or start your own OnSugar Blog. Maybe your story will be posted here on CasaSugar!

Win a $500 Gift Card to HomeGoods!

CasaSugar — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 13:30:51 -0700

If there's anything that we learned from the late, great Domino magazine, it's that a beautiful home makes for a beautiful life. And to get there, you must fill it with beautiful things. So we're giving one of you lucky readers a $500 gift card to HomeGoods to make shopping for stylish décor that much easier. I recently interviewed the founding editor-in-chief of Domino Deborah Needleman, who shared some helpful tips and thoughts about decorating your home, as well some details about what she's been up to post-Domino. Did you read the interview? I hope so! In order to be entered into this fabulous giveaway, I'm asking you to take a brief quiz based a few things we learned from Needleman. Don't worry though, you'll be automatically entered just for taking the quiz. Go on: give it your best shot! Check out the official rules here.

Take the quiz

Casa Interview, Part II: Domino Founding Editor Deborah Needleman (and an Awesome Giveaway!)

CasaSugar — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 09:00:39 -0700

Deborah Needleman, the founding editor of Domino, is a goldmine of savvy advice on decorating your home, honed from years of experience heading up the style-centric magazine as well as decorating her own home. You can read the first half of my interview with her here. Deborah's tips and thoughts on decorating continue in the second half of this interview.

Our homes are really personal spaces. Considering that most of us are shopping from the same few décor retailers and finding inspiration in the same shelter magazines and blogs, how should we go about personalizing our homes?
Every home definitely needs a few old things and a couple unique things. And when most of what we have is mass-produced, it's more important than ever to have some things made by actual human hands, whether it's pottery, rugs, pictures, whatever. It is essential to find a few things that no one else has, whether you find them in a shop, at a tag sale, bring them back from a trip, collect them from nature, or even make them - like just tacking up drawings or notes from friends. Stuff that is meaningful to us, what we love or collect or find is interesting to our guests. I also do think it's really nice to have one really good piece - whether that's a table, rug, chandelier, whatever. It gives your room some substance, some weight - and also ensures it doesn't look like anyone else's.

To read the rest of the interview, read more.

I love your home, which I saw featured in New York magazine a few years ago. I know that you’re a big fan of neutrals and white, or at least you were when that article was written. Are you still a neutrals gal?
Thanks. It's funny, in New York City which is so chaotic and where I get easily overwhelmed, I need to be a neutral gal. It totally calms me down, and keeps my head clear. But upstate, where I feel more relaxed, I love layering patterns and color - florals, suzanis, chintzes, Indian prints, etc. I'm covering my sofa there in purple linen, my study is painted black, and one room is the craziest color green I've ever seen.

I love how your home is elegant and adult-oriented, yet still kid-accessible. What is your advice on and personal experience with creating gorgeous spaces that are also kid-friendly?
I have never understood dumbing down design for kids. No one had kid-friendly homes when I was growing up - people just had the homes they had and their children lived in them! A family home is for adults and children - why on earth would anyone give over their living room to let it look like a play room?! I'll probably get hate mail for this, but aside from a gate so children don't tumble down the stairs, and maybe a lock on the cabinet if you have the kind of children that want to eat the Ajax or whatever, children can be taught that table edges are sharp and that food is to be eaten in the kitchen and that open markers can't be left on the rug!

Other than that, if you have a fairly light palette like I do, you have to accept that you won't have the cleanest house in the world. Fortunately I like a bit of a patina on things! I like that the floor is scuffed by skateboards in part because I love a house where children feel free to run wild, have loads of friends over, and make forts out of the sofa cushions, but also where they have a sense of responsibility and respect for things. Oh, and I have cheap rugs, so if they get destroyed, I won't be sad! And I certainly wouldn't choose a linen velvet sofa fabric if I had to do it again! Kids don't rule the roost, they share it.

Your HomeGoods StyleScope tool helps home decorators find their style. How would you describe your own style?
I think I'm fairly conventional at core - I couldn't have furniture at funny angles or a bed floating in a room or anything too wacky or "fun." I dig symmetry. I like things that are classic in shape and form - not overly embellished, but I appreciate many kinds of design. I think I take this fairly classic base and mess it up a bit. I'm certainly not traditional. I like to layer on personality and quirk with ethnic textiles, cushions, interesting objects, fabrics, and art. I love stuff from India, Morocco, England. Thus, Bohemian Classic.

And to revive a favorite Domino feature of mine, what are 10 things that make you happy?
Hilarious question! Well, first of all, we never let people say their children or their dogs!!! Too boring and obvious.

Nearly all Santa Maria Novella products (if I could only choose one thing, it'd be their potpourri. But I'm crazy about the milk body cream, the honeysuckle perfume, and the pomegranate soap and bath salts). I am obsessed with scent - on my body and in my home!
My veg garden. (Really, seeing my children eat their way through our veg garden, but at Domino I would've edited that out as too sentimental!)
Making flower arrangements for the house.
My white parsons table (I have two) - and a brilliant new parsons side table in the pitch-perfect green color.
Comfy chairs in kitchens and bathrooms.
Cheap weekly blowouts from walk-in, no-appointment places.
Summer dinner outside with friends.
Staying in a lovely hotel room (never a trendy hotel, I like old-school, old-fashioned hotels). I love that nothing belongs to me and the beds are perfectly made. The Duc du St. Simon in Paris is pretty excellent.
Bobbi Brown makeup. Makes you look sun-kissed, not dolled up.
I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't say this, but having a decorator!! Specifically having the genius Rita Konig as a decorator!

Thank you, Deborah! We have a special giveaway for you CasaSugar readers on the way. One of you lucky readers will win a $500 gift card to HomeGoods! Check back for more details about the giveaway later on today!

Casa Interview, Part I: Domino Founding Editor Deborah Needleman (and an Awesome Giveaway!)

CasaSugar — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 09:00:54 -0700

We design enthusiasts will admit that Domino will always hold a special place in our hearts - and bookshelves. But it was the stable of talented, creative people that truly made the beloved magazine an influence and an inspiration. So I was so delighted to have the chance to catch up with the founding editor-in-chief of Domino and co-author of Domino: The Book of Decorating, Deborah Needleman. It should come as no surprise that she hasn't lost her knack and passion for design.

Deborah's latest project is an exciting, interactive tool that she's created for HomeGoods, called StyleScope, which helps you find your own interior design style and learn to navigate the vast world of décor options. Home Goods, I hope you know, is a wonderful place to find designer home décor at prices 20 to 60 percent lower than department stores, and is also one of my favorite resources for stylish accessories. Deborah was kind enough to share some of her thoughts and tips on design and curating a stylish home that's uniquely you, and give us the lowdown on her life these days!

What are you working on these days? Any exciting projects on the horizon for you?
I am really enjoying the idea of just doing projects, consulting, writing, gardening - I probably shouldn't admit it, but it's quite a good relief to not be working so hard and to have a break from the pressure. I am considering on a couple book projects - one on table settings, another on decorators' gardens, and a more personal book on growing vegetables and flowers.

Before Domino, I was a garden writer - and it's nice to have time to garden like mad again. I'm also talking to people and companies about designing furniture and accessories and starting up new businesses. Sometimes I feel like I'm a professional meeting-taker. Last night the former creative director of Domino [Sara Ruffin Costello] and I hatched a plan to try to redesign all the ugly products at Duane Reade like Kleenex boxes, toothpaste, and shaving cream!

To read the rest of the interview, read more.

For the Summer, I'm just hanging out with my children, gardening, and being as lazy as possible. I've loved working with HomeGoods because oddly the store is a well-kept secret among design snobs - and I love spreading the word about great design sources. That was what Domino was about: sharing ideas and resources. And creating a style quiz was something we wanted to do but never got around to at Domino.

What current trends do you think have staying power?

Decorating that has personality and a sense of reality rather than rooms that are too matchy or too perfect. Rooms that are stiff and lifeless really depress me!! Mixing high and low design and price points will remain chic, and not simply for economic reasons - it shows personality and confidence. Also, now that nearly everyone is interested in design, there is no going back. It's a better decorated world than it used to be, and that is so nice!

What are your favorite go-to resources for furniture? How about accessories?

I am decorating my house upstate (well, really former Domino editor Rita Konig is!) and I can't get enough of the fabrics, rugs, cushions, and accessories from John Robshaw, Madeleine Weinrib, and John Derian.

What’s your number one tip for finding great bargains?
I am married to a man who will buy something truly awful because he "saved so much." Something is only a great bargain if you would want it even if it cost more. I learned from Domino editor Dara Caponigro to never let anything in my house I don't love. Even free stuff is not a bargain if you don't need or love it - it is junk, clutter. Also, you must know your own style more if you're wading through a flea market or garage sale than if you're in a boutique where the owner has done all the taste-editing for you already!

What types of furnishings should one splurge on/invest in? Any to cut back on?

It's so personal. It really only matters what matters to you. I believe in expensive sheets. I like sleeping, and good sheets are a wonderful indulgence.

How did working at Domino influence your own decorating habits or design choices?
As a reader, I craved a magazine like Domino because I was a person who I felt had good taste, but not great style, if you know what I mean. I could never make a decision because I could never decide who I was stylistically or how to express myself!! I surrounded myself at the magazine with people who I thought had great taste and great style (and all rather different style sensibilities actually), and who were all also really smart and nice - so they could teach me and the readers simultaneously. I learned to edit! I learned I could have a lot of different styles I like but just not all at once!!! And I learned to both be braver and to loosen up more. You can't avoid making some mistakes. But truthfully, I also learned that there is a lot to learn, that decorating well isn't easy, and that there are people way better at it than me - and that I still want their help! I love the advice of experts. Sadly, for me, the more I know, the more I know I don't know! Domino also made me realize how important decorating can be to the life of a home, and the life of a family.

This interview will be continued, so stay tuned for more. And we have a special giveaway for you CasaSugar readers on the way! One of you lucky readers will win a $500 gift card to HomeGoods. Check back for the rest of the interview and details about the giveaway tomorrow!

Have You Purchased Anything You Spotted in Domino?

CasaSugar — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 10:00:00 -0800

Since Domino folded, I've been thinking about the mark the magazine has left on the design world, and how much it inspired people to shop. I myself purchased a West Elm Parsons Desk after seeing it on the pages of Domino. Others went nuts for this For Like Ever poster, which was featured in the apartment of accessories designer Jesse Randall. Did you ever make a purchase after seeing a must-have item in Domino?
Source

Match the Celeb With the Home

CasaSugar — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 08:00:10 -0800

As part of my long process of saying goodbye to Domino, I've spent many hours leafing through the magazine's awesome house tours. To give you a taste of some of the great style inherent in these tours, I thought I'd see if you could match the celeb with his or her home. See how well you do!
All photos courtesy of Domino

Question 1 of 10

This awesome office is owned by a quirky actress in a new movie.

Which Shelter Mag Closure Is the Saddest?

CasaSugar — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 05:30:10 -0800

Domino is the latest of our beloved shelter magazines to announce that it's shutting down. But is it the saddest in a recent string of bad news for magazine browsers?

Goodbye, Domino

CasaSugar — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 09:00:37 -0800

Yesterday, I sadly reported that reader favorite Domino magazine is folding. I thought we'd take a little tour back to reflect on the inspiration that this magazine has provided over the years. One of my all-time favorite articles was the piece on Domino contest winner Catherine from Mill Valley, CA, whose amazing style made me want to stand up and applaud. Check out the slideshow for some of my favorite things about the magazine, as well as the favorites of other Sugar staffers.
All photos courtesy of Domino
View Slideshow ›

This Just In: Domino to Close

CasaSugar — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 09:53:10 -0800

You'd better sit down for this. I came across some terrible news today that has sent me into shelter-mag mourning. Condé Nast has decided to fold its prize decorating magazine, Domino, just two weeks after sending in Senior Vice President Bill Wackermann to increase ad sales. The shelter category has seen the close of O at Home, Home, Cottage Living, and Wish this year alone, and last year we said goodbye to long-running title House and Garden and beloved newbie Blueprint. Seeing as we all named Domino as our favorite shelter magazine of 2008, this is a sad day for all of us. Hopefully, the magazine will live on in some format or another, but regardless, I'm stashing my issues away for safe-keeping.