Tastemaker: Jersey Girl

Who would have guessed that the glam pioneer of post-Martha dwelling-chic would be from our very own, very beloved Cherry Hill? Deborah Needleman, editor in chief of Conde Nast’s fashionable shelter pub Domino, grew up in suburban South Jersey, worked one of her first jobs at the Merry-Go-Round shop, and even idolized a writer from this very magazine. Now, just in time for picture-perfect Domino title The Book of Decorating, this modern-living sophisticate reveals her hometown haunts and inspirations.

SANDY DEMAIO JEWELRY
“I love looking at de-accessioned jewels from old-line Main Liners at Sandy DeMaio Antique & Fine Jewelry.”

GALBRAITH & PAUL
“I go to Galbraith & Paul for hand-blocked fabrics and lamp shades. A home needs handmade things in it.” Galbraithandpaul.com

HER MOTHER
“My mother had great taste, but it was more about the way she dressed. I have these memories of her in short white tennis skirts and Tretorns with super-tan legs, or wearing jeans, a big leather belt, a tan suede trench coat and Jackie O glasses. Chic but not fussy, very laid-back. That sensibility has carried into how I like to decorate, and even to the sensibility of Domino. It’s not a decorating influence; it’s a style influence.”

CAROL SALINE
“Carol Saline was part of my parents’ crowd, where everybody was a doctor, lawyer or homemaker. Except Carol was a writer for Philly Mag. She was on the radio. And she was so glamorous to me.”

BARNES FOUNDATION
“Forget about the Barnes’s art for a minute. Just the way it’s all hung is so genius. And seeing that, a floor-to-ceiling hanging, pictures above the door frames — it’s so fabulous, so idiosyncratic, so personal.”