How time flies!

The celebration of Veranda Magazine’s 25th Anniversary will begin this Thursday.  Editor-in-cheif Dara Caponigro will be in Dallas on June 21st to celebrate the big event with a brunch and “master class” panel discussion with some of the biggest names in design, including Windsor Smith, David Easton, and Michelle Nussbaumer.

 

 

This event is one you definitely don’t want to miss! It’s open to the public and being held at the Interior Resources Showroom (1620 Oak Lawn Ave.) on Thursday the 21st, at 10am.

We had a wonderful opportunity this past week to chat with Dara Caponigro, who has been the editor of Veranda for the past two years.  We picked her brain on just about everything- upcoming design trends, the magazine business, and the things she loves most about her job. Hope you enjoy getting a peek into her glamorous and exciting life as editor of one of our very favorite shelter mags!

 

Did you always aspire to be the editor of a magazine? If so, how did you work toward this job?

I suppose, in my 20s, I dreamed of being an editor in chief. But, then I had kids and my priorities shifted. Looking back, though, every job that came before prepared me for this one. I don’t think I could have done it any sooner.

What is your favorite part of being editor-in-chief of Veranda magazine?

My favorite part of being an editor is working with my super talented team. They are rock stars:  creative, smart, funny, and hardworking.

What has been your favorite Veranda magazine cover throughout the years?

There have been so many great Veranda covers.   Personally, I would say it’s a tie between March 2011 and March 2012. Each one captures a moment. They are magical and inspiring, but you can totally relate to them.

 

 

 

How do you discover the designers/rooms you feature in the magazine?

Designers generally come to us with projects. Our Decoration Director and I know so many of them because we’ve committed our careers to covering their work. Of course, we love discovering new talent, too. We have submissions meetings every two weeks or so and review everything that comes across our desks.

What do you typically look for in the homes you feature?

I always say Veranda has a classical backbone (mind you, that’s different from traditional), but that we veer 30 percent from it. We like houses that show an understanding of what came before in design but have some surprises without gimmicks.

How do you determine upcoming design trends?

Our editors are always out and about, at markets, at press events, doing shoots in different cities and countries. Sometimes, we notice common threads and decide to do a story on what we see. More often than not though, we report on things that our editors, personally, are excited about and those become trends.

What patterns, colors, etc will be in style in 2013?

I definitely see an increased interest in pattern. Classic patterns like florals and chinoiserie are making a comeback, but they are being used with a more restrained hand than they were used in the 80s:  a club chair here, a pillow there.

Since we are the Material Girls, we like to ask- what is your favorite design material?

It’ hard to pick a favorite design material, but we just renovated a house and I am crazy about my bathroom. It’s a mini version of the bathroom in the London townhouse of Veere Grenney and David Oliver that Veranda published in our Nov/Dec 2010 issue. It’s all white marble slab with a taupe and grey vein running through it. It is heavenly.

Do you think the emergence of blogs and online magazines have influenced the shelter magazine world?

The emergence of blogs has helped generate even more interest in the design world. That’s good for everybody.

What do you see in Veranda’s future?

We have so many exciting things going on:  a website redesign, an ecommerce partnership and a very exciting special issue coming up.

Thank you so much Dara for giving MG readers insight into Veranda’s past, present and future! Happy Anniversary!