Washington Post Q&A with Vern Yip

February 23, 2023

The Northern Virginia / D.C. area is as excited as we are about the return of the Capital Remodel + Garden Show, taking place this weekend at the Dulles Expo Center! Check out this great Q&A the Washington Post did with Vern Yip, who will be headlining the stage at this year's show!

Full story can be read here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/home/2023/02/16/vern-yip-advice-home-design/

[What’s the next ‘desirable gray’? Vern Yip of HGTV takes your questions.

Vern Yip, who runs his own design company in Atlanta, became nationally known during his four seasons remaking homes on the original run of TLC’s “Trading Spaces.” He has been on HGTV shows, including “HGTV Design Star” and “Bang for Your Buck,” for more than 10 years. He also designs products, including fabrics, wallcoverings and sheets. He is working on his third book, which will be released next spring, and also on a new show to debut in the fall. He is scheduled to appear Feb. 24 and 25 at the Capital Remodel & Garden Show.

His vibrant style reflects his love of travel, something he wrote about in his 2019 book “Vern Yip’s Vacation at Home: Design Ideas for Creating Your Everyday Getaway.”

Ask Yip about the best ways to incorporate favorite trips in your home design, the key things to avoid when displaying travel treasures, how to make a bathroom feel like a spa, or anything related to home decorating.

Every Thursday at 11 a.m. Eastern time, Jura Koncius helps you in your quest to achieve domestic bliss. She and weekly guests — whether it’s Martha Stewart, Marie Kondo, Jasmine Roth of HGTV, Paula Sutton of Hill House Vintage or TikTok’s Folding Lady, Sophie Liard — answer your decorating, decluttering, design, entertaining and home-keeping questions. For more than 20 years, our Q&A has hosted conversations about how to make your home comfortable, stylish, organized and fun.

Welcome Vern!

Jura Koncius

10:00 a.m.

Hi Vern and thanks for being with us today. I know you are just back from a trip to South Africa. I want to ask you what you bought when you were there? And where will you put it! And did this trip bring you some fresh perspective on colors and textures that you'll bring to your work?

Vern Yip

Thanks Jura! I firmly believe that travel is one of the most important and valuable activities for anyone in a creative profession. It exposes you to the unique skillsets and meaningful traditions that different cultures have found worth preserving to tell their story. And it shows you how people all over the world have thought about solving common challenges most of humanity shares. On this trip to South Africa, I was in the Western Cape region visiting Cape Town as well as the wine region towns of Franschhoek and Stellenbosch. I'm building a new farmhouse, in the Cape Dutch style, so inspiration and research was the most important thing I brought back! I always raid local book stores for tomes I won't be able to get stateside. Heavy and impractical to put in your luggage but I can't resist books. Additionally, I bought some great photographic-collage works from a South African artist named Karin Miller, some locally woven blankets and throws, and a large rabbit-shaped candle sculpture...all designated for the farmhouse-to-be. I don't believe in purchasing everything all-at-once for a new home. For it to feel layered and tell your story properly, it's best to start accumulating along the way! This trip certainly brought fresh perspective on color, pattern, and texture that will most definitely influence my work on my fabric, trim, and wallcovering collections. Traveling always does. The Western Cape region is a magical blend of tribal, Malaysian, Indonesian, Dutch, German, French, and British influences that you won't experience anywhere else. I love the resulting balance of vibrancy and restraint, rough and smooth, and raw and refined that is the end result!]

Continue reading for more Vern Yip expertly answered questions at:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/home/2023/02/16/vern-yip-advice-home-design/