Domino magazine, led by editor-in-chief Deborah Needleman, style director Dara 
Caponigro and esteemed decorator Sara Bengur, took on a unique project: the 
transformation of an eight-story, 40-unit apartment building in the South Bronx
into beautifully furnished homes for women and their families living with HIV/AIDS. 
Many of the families that domino set out to help had lived for years in
shelters. The magazine’s goal was to create for them a haven—a space that was serene, 
healing and life-affirming. To that end, Needleman, Caponigro and Bengur 
galvanized a dream team of professional decorators (including Bengur, Celerie 
Kemble, Katie Lydon, David Netto, Ruthie Sommers, Thomas O’Brien, The 
Apartment and Timothy Whealon) and began the process of interviewing residents 
about their personal wishes for their homes. 

Domino reached out to major retailers and smaller boutique operations to help with 
donations of furniture, bedding, appliances and decorative details. The response 
was enormous, and the magazine was able to recruit a number of contributors. 
Pier 1 Imports gave the domino team carte blanche to shop its wares; Jonathan 
Adler donated all the bathroom accessories for all the homes involved; Dyson 
offered up vacuum cleaners for each apartment; Benjamin Moore provided the paint 
for both the units and the public spaces.

Ultimately domino, its team of decorators and its generous sponsors created 40 
beautiful, well-thought-out homes, in eight different designs, plus cheery lobbies 
and hallways to welcome residents before they even set foot in their own spaces. 

When the families moved into the building, domino knew this project was a 
success. The response of residents was overwhelming. As one mother expressed 
her experience: “It’s different to live in a place where everything’s been
thought out. We’ve never had a dining-room table. Now we eat dinner together—we’d never 
done that before.”

Because of the dedication, commitment and hard work of over 50 volunteers, the 
Domino Design Project inspires people’s lives on a daily basis and serves as an 
example of the power of interior decoration and style.

Domino’s goal, to give 40 families in need a fresh start through a fresh space, 
seems to have been achieved. Residents talk of feeling cared for, inspired, hopeful 
and optimistic. The magazine is so pleased to have had the opportunity to touch 
these lives and bring together the love, concern and resources of the design 
community to make things a bit better for these families.

Learn more about domino at http://www.dominomag.com

1. Read about the Domino Design Project in The New York Times:

“A Decorator Show House for More Than Show” – New York Times (11/2/06)

2. Domino readers and bloggers loved the Domino Design Project, as 
demonstrated on the blog Design Milk:

“Domino Mag” – Design Milk (1/15/07)

http://design-milk.com/domino-mag/

3. View a video that takes you behind the scenes of the Domino Design Project:

http://access.gprovideo.com/gpro/ddp/DOMINO_WOODYCRESTFINAL.mov 

(*Please be patient! The video takes approximately 5-7 minutes to load.)’

Deborah Needleman
Editor-in-Chief
domino

Recently ranked among the media industry's 15 top talents by Women’s Wear 
Daily, Deborah Needleman is the founding Editor-in-Chief of domino.

Ms. Needleman first joined Condé Nast in 1996 as Photography Editor for the re-
launch of House & Garden and, shortly after, became Editor-at-Large, covering 
garden design, landscape architecture, and interior design. Her writing has also 
appeared in Slate, The New York Times, Horticulture and Lucky.

She launched her publishing career at The Washington Post, where she was its 
Sunday Magazine Photography Editor.

Ms. Needleman lives in TriBeCa with her husband, Slate editor-in-chief Jacob 
Weisberg and two children.

AWARDS:
Startup of the Year- AdWeek
Launch of the Year-Dr. Samir Husni (aka Mr. Magazine) and Chair of the 
Journalism Department at the University of Mississippi
50 Best Magazines- Chicago Tribune


Dara Caponigro
Style Director
domino

Dara Caponigro is the style director at domino Magazine.  Dara began her career 
as the assistant to the director at the Cooper-Hewitt Museum doing photo 
research for museum publications. Though she originally intended on pursuing a 
career as a veterinarian (she even spent a year at the Bronx Zoo handling exotic 
snakes, lizards and birds), Dara’s keen eye for the arts eventually led her to 
House Beautiful where she worked for 14 years learning how to produce a 
magazine.  After leaving her decorating director post at House Beautiful, Dara 
became the design and decoration director at Elle Décor.  

In addition to her career in publishing, Dara has owned and operated an antiques 
business, importing furniture from France. She has also decorated many houses 
on the side, several of which have been published.

Dara graduated from Barnard College and lives in Manhattan with her husband and 
two kids.