MAKING YOUR SPACES YOUR OWN
Renowned interior designer Vern Yip chats about creative, effective choices
Vern Yip is known for his lively interiors and for his creativity in changing up homes in shows such as TLC’s Trading Spaces and HGTV Urban Oasis. He runs his own design company in Atlanta and creates his own home furnishings and lighting products. He writes on design and travel, and recently penned a book titled Vern Yip’s Design Wise: Your Smart Guide to a Beautiful Home. Yip answers questions on colour trends, to DIY or not DIY and even preferred types of shoe moulding.
Q It seems bolder colours, including the daring use of pattern, is coming back in. Where do you find it most effective to use these?
A Pattern and colour are both great tools for making your home a physical manifestation of you, which should always be the objective. I love using colour and layering pattern with fabrics in a space through upholstery, throw pillows, bedding and drapery.
When mixing multiple patterns in a space, make sure to employ a wide variety of scales: small, medium, large and extra large. Also, have a colour thread of continuity so that there’s a visual link between all of your patterns.
Having these two rules in place will allow you to pick patterns that make your heart sing without worrying too much about whether their styles are too different.
Q I hear greys are no longer “on trend” or considered neutral. What is replacing them? My living room needs to be repainted, and I want a colour that is classic yet fresh. Any suggestions?
A Grey, especially warm grey, has been the go-to neutral for over a decade now. It can go with anything, which is why it’s been so popular. If you like warm grey, you can freshen it with the colours you pair with it.
Warm grey and deep gold is a great-looking current combo. If you want a new neutral, warm white has been really surging. Navy, although not really a neutral in my opinion, is considered a fresh colour choice for walls too, especially when paired with emerald green.
Q I’m moving from a 2,000-plus-square-foot house into a 1,330-square-foot condo. The living and dining rooms have 18-foot floor-toceiling, north-facing glass windows. How can I decorate the condo to make it feel more like a house and home?
A One of your most powerful tools is texture. Both physical and visual texture can really add dimension and make your place feel more homelike.
The other thing is lighting. Too often people employ lighting with too cool a colour temperature. Look for warmer-coloured LED bulbs that are dimmable.
The fixture over your dining room table should be at 66 inches from floor to its underside (as long as your dining room table is standard height, which is about 30 inches tall) no matter how tall your ceilings are.
Floor-to-ceiling drapery, for that 18-foot floor-to-ceiling window, will also help, as will appropriately-sized rugs. (Tip: Rugs should reach within 12 to 18 inches of the wall.)
Q We have a large, linen-upholstered arm sofa. It is perfect except that the seat cushions collapse in the face of multihour gaming sessions. They are currently feather-wrapped foam. Is there an alternative that can stand up to this abuse? A Sofa cushions take so much abuse from all of us! The firmest cushion would be a high-density foam. On its own, it will feel pretty firm, so most folks prefer the feel of high density foam wrapped with down.
Even if you have high-density foam, though, the foam will eventually break down and you will have to replace it.
Also, ensure that your sofa has a spring bed. Eight-way hand-tied is the gold standard and will help with the support.
QI am currently DIY-ing my bathroom and picking out tile for the shower, backsplash and floor. Do you have any advice? I want to avoid a mismatched disaster.
A There are a couple of rules that I like to stick to when choosing different bathroom tile. First, avoid accent tiles, unless you’re really in love with the idea.
Accent tiles tend to visually break up a space and make it look smaller. Plus, they tend to be trendier and date your bathroom quickly.
Second, if you can, go floor-toceiling with your tile and cover as many walls as possible using the same wall tile. Of course, you can change up the floor tile.
I like one wall tile throughout the bathroom because it helps visually expand the space.
Aside from the classic subway tile, I love herringbonepatterned tile and honeycombpatterned tile. All of those options tend to be both fresh and timeless, especially if you go with a neutral. If you want to have something more adventurous in your bathroom, stick to a more classic wall tile and pair it with a more dynamic floor tile.
Q I’m planning a master bathroom remodel and love standing tubs. Is it OK to have only a bathtub in a master bath without a shower? Or should I do a combo?
A I think you need to first determine what your long-term plan is for the place you are living in. If you’re keen to make decisions for the best possible resale, I would say it’s important to have a shower and suggest a combo tub/shower.
If you want to do this for you, and don’t have to worry about reselling it soon, I think it’s fine to embrace what makes you happy and go with just the tub.
Q Where do you stand on white vs. stained shoe moulding ? My contractor and I disagree.
A This is your home so you should do what makes you happy regardless of what your contractor or I havet o say.
Having said that, I like stained shoe mould that matches the floor when you have substantial baseboards. The stain tends to be a little more durable and hides scuff marks a little better.
If you have short baseboard, having your shoe mould painted white helps to make it look taller so take that into consideration, too.
Painted shoe mould is also generally less expensive.
Q Any advice on making large fish tanks stylishly fit into your home decor?
A As someone who’s had both freshwater and saltwater tanks, I know the challenges with making them work with your decor. My suggestion would be to let the fish be the primary focus.
I prefer a neutral gravel to coloured gravel, for example, and like real plants rather than plastic ones. The more naturallooking, the better. Keeping your tank and tank support simple is a plus. Something with closed storage below, vs. something open and exposed, helps keep unsightly equipment hidden.