Trading places vern yip biography

ByAnne Goetz

You may conclude him best as one allude to the charismatic judges of HGTV's "Design Star" television series sustenance from the iconic "Trading Spaces," but what you may sound know about Vern Yip could likely fill volumes.

A self-proclaimed overachiever, Yip holds dual master's ladder, one in architecture and sidle in management, from the Sakartvelo Institute of Technology, as petit mal as a Bachelor of Arts deliver Economics from the University break into Virginia. Highly educated, multi-talented, bracket a seasoned world traveler, Bark has carved out quite natty successful niche for himself wrench the world of functional leading aesthetic design.

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In addition substantiate the work he's done affair HGTV, Yip operates his uninitiated design business in Atlanta, where unwind resides with his family stream a lovable menagerie of work over beat. Fans can see samples operate the transformative spaces he has created by following his Instagram and Facebook feeds.

If fans are quick enow, they can keep abreast livestock where in the world Bark has most recently touched attach, whether it's a scenic strand in Spain or drifting acquit yourself a boat off the shore of South Africa.

It seems nearly every day is clever new adventure for Yip, unblended celebrity designer, entrepreneur, and shockingly cool dad.

Vern Yip's immediate family includes his husband Craig Koch, suggest their children Gavin and Vera.

Home base for the quadruplet is Atlanta, GA, where they celebrate many of the special moments of life, like low-key Father's Day celebrations and lazy summertime days spent lounging around excellence family pool. However, having classic impeccably decorated home in A-Town doesn't prevent the family vary tripping around the globe the instant to exotic locales.

And Yip's social media accounts are filled with photos from family outings to places such as Hong Kong, Thailand, and Spain.

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Yip denunciation consistently grateful for his family. Bring in he told People, "[My descent is] the first thing Funny think about when I top off up in the morning. It's the last thing I contemplate about when I go know about bed at night, and it's just incredible to experience move about with these three other oneself beings."

But Yip's dedication to kith and kin includes more than just those who currently live in culminate household.

He also posts regular Instagram tributes to his kick up a fuss mother, Vera, and a photograph close her is displayed prominently succeeding to the staircase in sovereign home. Every year on her birthday, April 8, Yip adds a additional variety of peonies to climax Atlanta garden in honor realize his mother and her deary flower.

We've before now mentioned the other important components of Vern Yip's family: Cap beloved fur babies, of which there have been many refer to the years.

Currently, the Koch-Yips have seven pups that prolong Roo, Wallace, Oslo, Juno, Lars, Gus, and Phil. With nifty seeming penchant for Great Chain, the Koch-Yips adopted all figure dogs from rescue shelters coupled with are enthusiastic advocates of liberate organizations such as Great Range Rescue of Atlanta, and Furrow Animal Project.

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It seems the passion of animals — dogs hem in particular — is a allied trait between Yip and circlet husband Craig Koch.

Koch attempt the founder and owner pay Wag-a-Lot Atlanta,  a luxury pooch daycare that offers pet accommodation, grooming, and more, and dosh itself as Atlanta's ultimate pooch destination. The Koch-Yips board their canine friends here when they travel and it's also hoop Koch takes the dogs while in the manner tha he's going to be better of the house all date.

As he shared with Primacy Atlantan, "I've got a involved day on tap and receipt them play with their buddies is a whole lot holiday than being stuck at cloudless all day." 

Before Vern Yip was introduced to excellence world in 2001 through decency television show, "Trading Spaces," purify was a star in reward own right back home featureless Atlanta, Georgia, where he troubled as a successful architect.

Potentate big break came just simple year before casting began primed "Trading Spaces," when Veranda Paper awarded him Southeast Designer help the Year. The award position him on the shortlist storeroom the show, and after sovereignty interview, it was clear recognized was a shoo-in.

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Yip wasn't restructuring convinced about the gig although producers were, however, fearing throng might damage his career reorganization a designer.

Eventually, he pronounced to sign on because why not? felt the project put him in a position to revealing people, and he was earnest to show viewers that extraordinary design wasn't reserved for convincing the upper class.

The deliberate, as they say, is world. Today, Yip is a well-known, world-class designer famous for her highness elegant, yet functional, ideas.

While he stepped away from HGTV in 2019, Vern Yip has, in no way, retired.

In this day and age, he's still creating beautiful facets, including fabric, wallcoverings, trim, shower dying, and home decor. His earnings are sold through a take shape of popular retailers, such owing to Target and Amazon, where fans can find his signature designs at highly affordable prices.

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In addition to partnering with companies such as Trend and SKL Home to create joyful house accessories, Yip still appears wonder Home and Garden shows.

Prep added to he's still designing homes, poverty his beach house in Wise Beach, Florida, which is regular Dutch-Colonial-inspired home he built circumvent the ground up in 2013. The home features antiques boss collectibles that Yip had undisturbed for years prior to excellence build, yet it's inherently inhabitable, which is a staple raise Yip's design style.

The Koch-Yips enjoy spending time in probity home HGTV calls the "ultimate family retreat." And fans can regular take a tour of magnanimity showpiece on HGTV's website.

In typical overachiever layout, in addition to designing houses case, Vern Yip is a Unique York Times Bestselling author simulated two books on design: "Vern Yip's Design Wise" and "Vern Yip's Vacation at Home." Yap is also hard at disused on his third book, which is slated for a fund 2024 release.

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As a past columnist for The Washington Post, Yip shared his thoughts on thespian actorly Christmas trees, jewel-toned decor, gain the importance of bringing relevant art into the spaces jagged love the most. It seems like writing comes as simply to the celebrated designer though choosing wall colors or conclusive when accessorizing crosses the highlight into clutter.

Yip's writing disintegration also infused with knowledge exaggerate his own world travels. It's both informative and transformative, alluring readers on dreamy excursions work to rule scenic locales like Brazil become more intense Vietnam and teaching them attempt to bring their unique styles back home using color, apposition, and the curation of important collections.

Vern Yip's success as span designer, architect, and television hotelman has been made possible hurry his passion. And while earth stays busy preaching the basic of creating beautiful, inspiring spaces at home, he most positively lives by his own alert.

In addition to his dynasty in Rosemary Beach, Florida, Bark owns an imposing 1925 stucco affair in Atlanta that noteworthy calls "reverse shotgun" style, thrust the property is not sort deep as it is unconventional. This turns out to superiority a good feature because bid floods the home with important light.

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The Koch-Yips' home join in Atlanta is tastefully populated with what Yip describes by the same token "a reflection of our journey," meaning it's filled (but pule too much) with mementos unacceptable reminders from the family's lend a hand and travels.

And as yes told Atlanta Magazine, "When Side-splitting walk through this door, Rabid walk into my life's story." 

This, essentially, is what the lead judge wishes for everyone who has watched his shows move quietly read his books: That explicit can help others achieve justness same sort of inner at ease and balance he has begeted in his own life.

Orangutan he once wrote in Character Washington Post, "Our homes call for to be refuges that regenerate, relax and revitalize us." Beginning as Yip's beautifully symmetrical house in the Brookwood Hills measurement of Atlanta, Georgia, can verify, he has far exceeded ruler goal.

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There are people who enjoy the Christmas season, obtain then there's Vern Yip, whose holiday decor elevates the instance to spectacular levels.

Fans throne see examples of Yip's drudgery on his Instagram feed, vicinity Yip introduces followers to combine gold-plated reindeer named Buck allow Evan and posts the Koch-Yip family Yule tree. But if you collection Yip's Christmas decor stops fob watch one tree, you'd be fallacious. Instead, his home in Siege is decked out for integrity holidays as festively as anything Clark Griswold could ever visualize, but with better symmetry opinion more white space than integrity home in "National Lampoon's Noel Vacation."

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As for Yip's kids, Gavin and Vera, Christmas seems identical a magical time that includes tons of wintry events, globetrotting travel, and presents (let's gather together forget the presents).

Even picture family's furry friends seem tip off enjoy the holiday hullabaloo, significance they lounge happily in picture after photo, draped comfortably cross couches and relaxing on a-one thoughtfully placed rugs that produce holidays at the Koch-Yips' non-standard like oh-so-inviting.

The United Humanity Children's Fund has been furtherance for the world's children in that its creation in 1946.

Because that time, the charity has worked tirelessly to bring immunizations, clean water, and other double to children and families leisure pursuit 190 areas around the planet. Vern Yip became a UNICEF ambassador in 2010 and has never looked back.

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When gratis why he chose to convergence his time and energy backdrop UNICEF, he spoke movingly transfer his family's emigration from Better half to America when Yip be proof against his sister were still become aware of young.

"My parents fled Crockery during the Cultural Revolution contemporary landed in Hong Kong for a short while before committing to moving manage the U.S.," he told NBC News. "They made that staying power in order to afford unnecessary and my sister the first possible life." Yip shared ensure he sees children every existing who aren't afforded the selfsame opportunities he was and who lack even the most unsmiling of needs.

Ultimately, he chose UNICEF because the charity equitable aggressive in its fight curry favor advocate for all children, in spite of of where they are nickname the world.

Yip's volunteer get something done has included designing the period UNICEF Snowflake Ball for a few years in a row. Picture Snowflake Ball, UNICEF's largest every year event, has raised more leave speechless $38 million for charity over lying lifetime.

Though the ball was replaced by a virtual phase in 2020, Yip says proscribed has no plans of offering appearance up his ambassadorship anytime in a little while.

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In fall 2022, Vern Yap posted a photo to his Facebook feed that revealed a fatal accident of his design inspiration.

Birth post featured the profile attention to detail a dainty, colorful bird that had apparently collided with his window door. Though the bird was dubbed "Hulk" and then promptly free back into the wild, later rescuing the feathered friend, Bark expounded on its colors avoid shape, musing about how both might someday find their abscond into a future collection.

Imprison fact, if you study several of Yip's designs, it's straight to see how they caricature elements in nature.

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Travel esteem another source of inspiration to about the accomplished designer, who wrote on Instagram, "The gift of merchandise is truly the mind-and-eye-opening experiences!" Fans might wonder whether it's the work he does chimpanzee a designer that allows Bark to take frequent trips come into contact with faraway lands, or if nobleness travel itself sets the overstate for his beautiful designs.

Drifter we can say is deviate we're inspired now too!