Patrick Mele in Conversation with Dara Caponigro

Schumacher specializes in fabric, wallcovering, trim, furniture, and home accessories. Established in 1889 by Frederic Schumacher, F. Schumacher & Co. is a fifth-generation business and the only supplier of decorative textiles from the 19th century still privately owned and managed by direct descendants of its founder. F. Schumacher and Co., or FS&CO, creates and manufactures products through a family of six distinct yet collaborative brands: Backdrop, Frederic Media, Paramount Prints, Patterson Flynn, Schumacher, and Tillett Textiles.

Dara Caponigro serves as Chief Creative Officer for the design house F. Schumacher & Co. and Editor-in-Chief of the design magazine  FREDERIC. Over her career as a magazine editor, she has held senior roles at House Beautiful, Elle Décor, Domino, and Veranda. Caponigro is also the author or co-author of a number of books about design, including Domino: The Book of Decorating; The Authentics; S is for Style, Decorate Like a Decorator,  Frederic: The Last Word in Chic, and Glorious Gardens.

In 1986, Dara began working at House Beautiful magazine as Editorial Assistant, rising to Decoration Director under Editor-in-Chief Louis Oliver Gropp. In that role, she contributed to the discovery of emerging interior designers who would go on to high acclaim, including Miles Redd, Thomas O’Brien, Sheila Bridges, and Vicente Wolf.

In 2000, she left House Beautiful to become Design and Decoration Director at Elle Décor magazine. In 2004, she joined Condé Nast as Style Director at Domino magazine. In the spring of 2010, Caponigro returned to Hearst as Editor-in-Chief of Veranda magazine, contributing to its transition from a primarily regional southern magazine to one with more of a national audience. In 2013, she joined F. Schumacher & Company, the iconic design house, originally founded in 1889, as Creative Director, where she launched exclusive collections with high-profile designers and prominent brands, including Vogue. In 2021, Caponigro was named Schumacher’s Chief Creative Officer.

Patrick Mele is recognized for his unique approach to design, culling the best from the past and present to create environments that feel distinctly personal and timeless. 

With a degree in Art History and Cultural Studies from New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study, his aesthetic is informed by the intersection of art, architecture, the decorative arts, fashion, and cultural shifts throughout history, which his work often reflects a keen understanding and appreciation of.

 His early professional experience was honed at some of America’s most iconic lifestyle brands, including Ralph Lauren and Kate Spade, where Patrick played an integral role in the presentation of both companies’ aesthetic DNA across all flagship locations worldwide. 

Starting in 2011, Patrick launched his namesake design firm and has worked on a wide range of highly acclaimed residential and commercial projects throughout the United States and Europe.

The firm’s work has been featured in Architectural Digest, ELLE Décor, FREDERIC, House Beautiful, New York Magazine, Domino, L’Officiel, and The Evening Standard, among others. Patrick has been named to the prestigious AD100 List as well as Elle Decor’s A List, and has also been recognized as one of “Five Designers to Watch” by Vogue, “The New Guard” by W Magazine, and “Designer to Watch” by Departures. 

As a natural extension of his design business, Patrick opened his first retail shop in his hometown of Greenwich, CT, in the fall of 2017. 

Patrick is based in New York City and Connecticut.