How We Test and Review Products

Why Trust Domino?
What We Test 
How We Test & Review Products 
Meet Our Experts
Affiliate Disclosure

Why Trust Domino?

Over the past 20 years, Domino has grown from a print magazine to a digital-first destination with special-edition publications, exclusive product collaborations, and partnerships with premier brands. Through it all, our editors have always been committed to bringing you the latest news and trends; inspiring, in-depth features; and thorough, unbiased product recommendations. We make sure you always know what you’re getting from us.

What We Test

Domino is the ultimate guide to bringing your personal style home. Our editors are constantly on the hunt for the latest and greatest on the market, whether that’s scouting new labels, checking in with heritage brands, or chatting with designers about their of-the-moment favorites. At Domino, form and function carry equal weight, and our hands-on testing touches on all kinds of subjects that make a house a home. We trial everything from sheets and mattresses to appliances and laundry accessories, because every item in your space should bring you joy, not just the furniture and rugs.

How We Test & Review Products 

Reading Domino’s shopping guides is like having your own personal product concierge. We do the tedious part—deep-dive research, hands-on testing, and tapping experts for advice—so all you have to do is hit “add to cart.” That’s why we call them Simply the Best.

First, we get into the real nitty-gritty of the things that matter to us (and our readers), like design; natural materials and ingredients; and care and maintenance. We then consider all the products in a category and weed out those that don’t meet our standards by considering style and sustainable features, doing our research, and conducting hands-on testing when we can. 

When we do have the chance to try items out in real time, we call in products objectively—with no promise of coverage—or we purchase as needed. We interview experts in the field to illuminate details and share points to keep in mind. Our editors and writers test products in similar scenarios depending on the topic category, so there is a clear baseline to measure against. We apply this same perspective to our product reviews.

Meet Our Experts

Samantha Weiss-Hills is Domino’s managing shopping editor. She edits and writes home tours and stories on all things shopping, and she’s the friend that everyone texts for glassware, sofa, and sheet recommendations. (Need a gift? She’ll share ideas for those, too.) She is a former senior editor of home and design for HearstMade at Hearst Magazines and contributing editor for interiors at Curbed, where she authored the weekly House Calls column. She has helmed communications and partnerships for Food Book Fair, a festival of food writing; was the first partnerships editor for Food52; and worked at such institutions as the University of Chicago and Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. Her writing has appeared in Architectural Digest, Veranda, Good Housekeeping, House Beautiful, Eater, Food52, Wine Enthusiast, Chicago Architect, Saveur, The Week, and more. 

Julie Vadnal is Domino’s deputy editor. She covers buzzy new products (and the tastemakers who love them), tours the homes of cool creatives for our splashy cover stories, and spearheads our annual Good Design Awards. She appears on panels as an expert in home design and styling and collaborates with designers and brands on stories that feel of-the-moment and timeless all at one. Vadnal has been covering design and culture since she started her career at ELLE, where she interviewed everyone from Solange Knowles to Amy Poehler. Then at Martha Stewart Weddings, she got a crash course in DIY and styling, while also bringing a fresh, pop-culture voice to the text. At Cosmopolitan, she oversaw food and lifestyle coverage, while also writing features and packages on everything from sexual health to travel.

Lydia Geisel is Domino’s home editor. She got her start at Domino as an editorial intern back in 2017, writing design news stories and celebrity content—she’s interviewed design stars like Leanne Ford, Sarah Sherman Samuel, Brigette Romanek, Nate Berkus, and more. She eventually got hooked on all things renovation, and she’s now the person behind many of the home tours, before and afters, and Renovator’s Notebooks you know and love. Catch her deep in needlepoint and taking late night Container Store trips when she’s not knee deep in DIYs.

Julia Stevens is Domino’s style editor, covering all things shopping and design. Starting at Domino as an intern, she’s grown with the brand through many photoshoots, flower market pulls, pop up installations, and trade show trips, helping coin the colorful, curated aesthetic that defines Domino. In 2023, Stevens took on a second role as style editor at Dwell, where she curates its Modern World section in the print issue. When she’s not on the job, you can find her rummaging through antique shops, restyling her shelves, or entertaining in her teeny tiny studio apartment.

Affiliate Disclosure

Domino’s editors independently curate every product on our site, because we’re just as obsessed with a great deal and an under-the-radar discovery as you are. Items you purchase may earn us an affiliate commission.