Vern Yip will sign books and answer design questions during an appearance at U-Fab on Oct. 25. (Photo courtesy Vern Yip)
As a member of the original cast of the home makeover show “Trading Spaces,” interior designer Vern Yip helped to launch a revolution in the way Americans decorate their homes — and watch TV. Since “Trading Spaces” first aired in 2000, Yip has gone on to host the HGTV programs “Deserving Design,” “Urban Oasis” and “Live in Vern’s House” and has appeared as a judge on “Design Star.” Yip also writes regular design columns for both The Washington Post and HGTV Magazine and last September published his first book, “Design Wise.” In addition, he has designed two collections of fabrics and trims for Trend, and continues to help clients of his Atlanta-based design firm to create beautiful homes.
Following the news that “Trading Spaces” will return to airwaves in 2018 with members of its original cast — including Yip — the designer will visit U-Fab (7921 W. Broad St.) on Oct. 25 to introduce his second fabric collection, sign books, answer questions and dispense design advice. Register to attend here.
We spoke to Yip by telephone to talk about his entry into the design field, his design inspiration and the lasting legacy of “Trading Spaces.”
R•Home: Tell us about your new fabric and trim collection and the inspiration behind it.
Yip: My inspiration is always very consistent no matter what I am designing. … I have the same goal, which is to create things that are purposeful and timeless but also fresh. It’s really easy to design things that are timeless, and it’s really easy to design things that are fresh. But it’s really hard to design things that are both timeless and fresh.
R•Home: You have such an interesting educational background, with degrees in chemistry [from the University of Virginia], economics and architecture. How did you come to be a world-famous interior designer?
Yip: I come from a culture that has a very, very strong and deep appreciation for medical professionals. If you’re a boy born into a Chinese family, you almost don’t have a choice but to become a doctor. … I always was a very obedient son. I always wanted to please my family. … I sort of trudged through all the pre-med classes — that’s why I have a chemistry degree. I did research at the NIH when I was home for the summer in Northern Virginia. I was just completely bored out of my mind with what I was doing. … Growing up, I loved drawing, I loved art, I loved designing anything. I was a LEGO fiend. I especially loved building houses. … A few weeks before medical school was about to start, I worked up enough courage to approach my mom. I said, ‘I’ve known my whole life that design is what makes me happy, and so have you.’ … Instead of going to medical school, I got my master’s in architecture at Georgia Tech. I got an MBA at the same time as a backup, just to make my parents happy. It ultimately became me standing up for myself and saying, ‘I need to do what I was put on this earth to do.’ I feel incredibly fortunate to be able to make a living doing something I enjoy so much.
R•Home: ‘Trading Spaces’ was the show that launched a seemingly insatiable appetite for home makeover and design shows. Why do you think this topic resonates so much?
Yip: We used to live in an environment where only the top rung of the socioeconomic ladder could really afford to have their home designed by an interior designer. … I think the advent of ‘Trading Spaces’ and the shows that followed really spurred a lot of retailers to begin offering goods that were well-designed and well-crafted and were more economically accessible. We moved out of that era where everyone felt like they had to buy a certain level and style of furniture to convey a certain level of success. … All of a sudden, you have the freedom to make your home unique and special and tailored to you. We really kind of engaged homeowners to be an active participant in this.
R•Home: Has the willingness of homeowners to DIY reduced the role of interior designers and decorators?
Yip: There will always be a place for interior designers. It has actually kind of expanded the profession. You still have interior designers who are working at the very high end of the market … but now there are new jobs, jobs for interior designers who want to help people with more economical budgets. I think it’s really boosted the profession. I think most everyone realizes that being an interior designer doesn’t just mean I’m the best person for picking the right green for your living room. … [My job] is to improve somebody’s life by improving their environment. That’s how I’ve always felt about design. Maybe I didn’t become a medical doctor, but I’ve become a design doctor.
R•Home: You keep busy with a lot of projects. How much hands-on design work do you do with clients of your design firm?
Yip: I do all of it. I do not farm out the design. That was a choice I made deliberately. I have peers who have set up successful business models where they have managed to train people to understand their aesthetic point of view … but for me, I always felt like, gosh, that’s the fun part. The fun part isn’t the administrative part of the business, it’s not the supervising, it’s the actual design process and the creative process.
R•Home: You and your partner, Craig, have two young children. Has being a parent and living with kids changed your design sensibilities at all?
Yip: Yes and no. I think it’s definitely made me a better designer because I feel like I’m a better human being now. I got that warning from my friends before our first child was going to arrive: ‘See all that stuff on your coffee table? You’re going to have to take that away.’ I didn’t grow up that way. My mother had a real appreciation for beautiful things, and she trained me to have the same appreciation. It was really impactful for me to grow up in an environment with beautiful things. Even when we didn’t have a lot of money, my mom still had great taste and a lot of pride in her home. I wanted the same thing for our kids. I wanted them to be visually sensitive … having that kind of environment at home where they can appreciate things on a daily basis.
R•Home: What will you be talking about at U-Fab?
Yip: I will be doing a book signing and will be there to answer questions people may have. One of the exciting things were seeing in design is people finally learning how to understand designing with pattern. … For a long time, you heard that paint is an easy way to express your personality. Pattern is the same thing, but people really were fearful about how to incorporate pattern in their homes before. … People are beginning to feel more comfortable layering patterns and understanding how to do that. I will be explaining how you pull those things together that you really love so that your space reflects you.
