Friday, January 30, 2009

Farewell domino

Although by now this has been covered by just about every design blog known to mankind, I wanted to voice my sorrow that such an incredible publication has come to an end.

To so many people, domino was much more than just a magazine. It was a resource that rekindled an interest, excitement and passion for interior design. It challenged the way people looked at current design trends, products and publications, and brought together a community of like-minded design-lovers from literally all around the globe. Best of all? It was delivered to the reader with a lack of pretension found in so many existing design publications.

During my first interview with domino my senior year of college, I stepped into Deborah Needleman’s office and sat down nervously with my portfolio. She asked me what I liked best about domino and I remember telling her that it was the first magazine in years that actually understood what people wanted to see, and how they wanted to be spoken to. I told her that I loved how they delivered high-style design while also choosing to highlight more down-to-earth details, pointing out Carolina Herrera Jr’s beloved chalkboard as an example, which she found outside in a neighbors trash pile. Instead of showing the reader an impossibly expensive home and offering resources that were exclusive to the trade, domino brought humility to the design process and taught the reader how to express their personalities and passions through the homes they designed. Deborah’s response? Right on lady! That’s what it’s all about. She spent twenty minutes looking through my portfolio with genuine interest, and soon hired me on as a market assistant upon graduation.

My time at domino showed me first hand that the editors and staff who created the magazine were some of the most innately talented and passionate people in the industry. While I’m sad to see such an iconic publication come to an end, I’m excited to see where this new move will take the domino team. When I had mentioned to Deborah that domino was the first magazine of its kind in years, I was specifically referring to its predecessor, Living Room, which was published in 2002 and folded after merely one issue. Deborah was shocked that I remembered the magazine, and was excited to tell me that domino’s creative director Sara Costello had founded it. No wonder I thought it was brilliant! So my point is that although we are currently in a time where shelter magazines are closing their doors, it won’t be long until new ones open. And in the meantime, domino, you will be sorely missed.

I've included some images that I scanned in from marketing material which you might not have seen! Click on each image to enlarge. In the next few weeks I'll be sure to post more ;)



20 comments:

Unknown said...

A wonderful post! Thank you for sharing. Domino will be sadly missed!

Anonymous said...

Domino was like a breath of fresh, a magazine which could lift the spirit and inspire even on the dreariest of days.
I truly hope another title just as good as Domino comes around, because the market is seriously lacking a publication for the kind of public it was geared towards... stylish, individual, eclectic people who prefer comfort to sterile minimalism.

It's a sad day.

Abby said...

Thanks for posting these, I can't wait to see more. I also felt like Domino was the first magazine that really "got it" even from the very first issue. I really hope the staff move on to bigger and better things that will continue to inspire us.

Katy said...

It is the end of an era. I am going to miss waiting for my new issue of domino every month. :(

Thanks for posting these pictures.

Anonymous said...

all around depression. there will def be something missing from all our lives.....all we can hope for is another publication that will be as inspiring as domino!

Anonymous said...

I can only imagine how it must feel for you..I'm devestated, and I just started reading Domino late 2007 when I moved on my own.

Domino to me was a place where great design was accessible to ANYONE, and it often put these jumbled ideas I had in my head onto paper.

I would read the entire issue cover to cover within an hour after I got it, anxiously waiting the next one.



PS..I tihnk I am going to do a post on your apartment/Rubie Green next week! I am so glad I stumbled upon your blog, since I have been saving for a few yards of your fabric since I saw it, where else, in Domino

Ivy Lane said...

Thanks for sharing these pictures! I am so bummed re: Domino's farewell. I just rec'd the "Farewell Email" from them in my inbox today...SIGGHH.... I hope that the staff all have somewhere to go for work.

Style Court said...

Amen Michelle. So eloquent. I'm linking to this in "made me smile."

All Women Everywhere said...

Well said, Michelle. Each month I looked to Domino to discover fabulous people, products, and ideas within my reach--things that spoke to those of us in a modest income bracket with immodest tastes....including the incomparable Rubie Green!

Though the closure of Domino is everywhere in blogworld, I can't seem to stop myself from reading about it, from scrolling through the hundreds of comments on the subject. At the risk of being overly dramatic, it's like the loss of a good friend.

And while it wasn't a perfect magazine (what is?), it got pretty darn close a lot of the time. Though I will sorely miss it, I know that from the ashes will rise a phoenix of a good magazine, perhaps at the hands of some of the very same folks.

Domino, we will miss you!

Robin said...

I knew you had worked there and so you were one of the first people I thought of when I heard they were folding. I've been a subscriber from the very first issue. They had a couple of ups and downs here and there but overall it really was such a fresh voice in shelter mags, I have so many pages torn out from past issues that still look new and fresh 4 years later, and not trendy at all. I hope the talented staff resurfaces somewhere else soon...

Unknown said...

I still can't believe it and I can't understand why because it is the most talked about and most blogged about magazine out there. Today I was nostagically re-reading my Feb issue and was thinking how I am going to miss that page of pink post it notes that are so handy. Every issue I seem to take away one very useable tidbit.
PS great images that you have scanned!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing your personal story and optimistic outlook for the domino creative team's next chapter.

I actually remember Living Room too! I saved that singular issue forever and lost it in a move. I wish I could find a copy somewhere!

I remember Sara Ruffin Costello's "editor's picks" page in the magazine (which was formatted similarly to domino's) was inspired by her distant relationship to Pocahontas!

Anonymous said...

You couldnt have written a better eulogy. I completely agree that most design magazines are so pretentious--this one, I loved.
Maybe someday it will comeback...

Anonymous said...

I remember Living Room too! Molly Sims on the cover. An apartment makeover done in Tiffany blue and white. Kept that copy for ages. No clue where it is now and strongly suspect it was victim to my latest greatest de-cluttering purge. Someone told me there were two issues published.

Red River Interiors,LLC said...

It must have been fascinating working there and yes Domino will be sorely missed... loved your images... I remember some of them but who is the lady in the beautiful red dress? Can't wait to see more... Fay

Blogging Masterclass said...

I remember Living Room - I still have that mag! I loved it too. Wonder what will come next now??

adesignaffair said...

I still have my Living Room issue!!! Thanks for this great post.

Anonymous said...

Ah, Living Room. I loved the magazine and was so sad when my roommate. threw. it. away. I was horrified and she just didn't get it. I had forgotten all about it until now.

You're right. Very sad about Domino, but so exciting to think about what is next!

Stephanie said...

UGH! I am literally grieving the loss of Domino! It is literally the only decor magazine I subscribe to. I sincerely hope for a future revival.

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