Last May, Dara Caponigro, the editor in chief of Hearst’s bimonthly shelter title Veranda, announced that she was planning to step down this fall. In a nod to the magazine’s Southern roots, Hearst revealed today that Caponigro’s replacement will be Clinton Smith, the editorial director of Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles.
Smith has led the Atlanta design title since 2003, save for a brief stint as a senior senior editor at Time Inc.’s now-shuttered Southern Accents from 2007 to 2008. (Atlanta was also the original home of Veranda—the magazine kept an editorial office there until 2011—and its founder, Lisa Newsom, helped launch Southern Accents in 1977.) In his new role, he’ll report to Hearst Design Group editorial director Newell Turner, the House Beautiful editor in chief who was tapped to oversee the design group's edit side when it was consolidated last year.
“Clint has devoted his career to covering style, design and decoration, and there is no one better qualified to take the helm of Veranda,” Turner said in a statement. “His strong relationships with designers and manufacturers are a tremendous asset, and his passion for great design will inspire readers of every issue.”
Veranda's newsstand sales rose about 5 percent in the last half of 2012 (overall circ was up 7.4 percent) while ad pages were up 4.5 percent in the first half of this year.
