RICHARD WALKER / RWALKER@STARBULLETIN.COM
It was a packed house at Z Home when Vern Yip, designer on the television show "Trading Spaces," made an appearance Saturday.
"Trading Spaces'" Vern Yip
proves an interior designer
can have true star power
Some came simply out of curiosity, others wanted design tips. Most came because they're hard-core fans and watch the show religiously.
People waiting to see "Trading Spaces" star Vern Yip formed a line between leather living room sofa sets and bedroom displays throughout Z Home for its grand opening Saturday. About 200 showed up at the store on the corner of Ward Avenue and Queen Street 30 minutes before show time, and more were trickling in. The closer it got to 2 p.m., the longer the line grew, rerouted along a stairway leading to the second floor.
Evelyn Oshima and daughter Jacie, of Kaneohe, the first two in line, had been waiting nearly two hours. The Puuhale Elementary school teacher was more interested in what's edited out of "Trading Spaces" than in decorating advice.
"I watch it all the time. You don't see what's in between. Is it staged?"
RICHARD WALKER / RWALKER@STARBULLETIN.COM
Rufus Cumberlander and his wife, Celine, waited in line to meet Yip. They were carrying two copies of "Trading Spaces Behind the Scenes" for Yip to autograph. Yip spent several minutes with each fan.
Yip showed up dressed casually in white pullover and jeans. He grabbed the microphone and then the audience, within two minutes of speaking.
"Before I continue, I have to say ... it's so nice to see faces that look like mine," said the design guru, who is of Asian ancestry. Yip has lived mostly on the mainland, although his family does have a vacation home on Maui. "I'm not used to this. I feel like I'm home. It's like my family's here."
That observation met with approving chuckles, as though he were a long-lost "hanai relative" who made it big on TV and dropped by to dish the dirt on what really goes on behind the scenes.
They didn't get the gritty details, but it was just enough to quench curiosity. First of all, the hosts wear the same clothes for two days for editing purposes, so Yip has two of everything. "But I do go to the hotel and shower. I always have extra clean clothes, including clean underwear. My mother taught me well."
Yip doesn't know what's up with fellow designer Doug Wilson's obsession with brown ("I didn't know he had an obsession with brown"), and he really does find wonderful fabric for a dollar a yard ("I have great resources in Atlanta").
"When will you plan to do work here?" someone shouted from the leather sofa corner.
"Put me up in a room, and I'll come. Actually, write the show. Tell them you want 'Trading Spaces' to do a couple of homes in Hawaii. If enough people write, we will come."
When it came time for one-on-ones and autographs, Yip took three-plus minutes with each fan and gave hugs to those receptive.
Yvonne Garcia, resident manager of an senior housing complex who professes to be his No. 1 fan, said she planned to ask advice on her living room curtains. "They're very '50s and '60s, like what your parents might have. I want an update, and I wonder what he would suggest."
The show is a breath of fresh air, said Garcia, and shows women that even they can use a circular saw or power drill. "It's not just for the men."
Eric Teel, of Makakilo, waiting his turn on the second floor, didn't know the show had so many fans. "I thought I was the only one who watched it," said the Hickam Air Force Base systems administrator. He said none of his co-workers will 'fess up as viewers.
Rufus Cumberlander, of Pearl City, was in line with wife Celine and two copies of "Trading Spaces Behind the Scenes" ("one for a friend we're visiting in Vancouver").
Cumberlander had asked the question about fabric and still wasn't convinced. "Why is it the fabric is so luxurious yet so cheap? They always say, 'I got this for $1 a yard,' and I look around at fabric, the cheapest I can find that's as nice is $21.95 a yard."
It was clear to Sherri and Adam Gelbard, of Waianae, who were close to the end of the line with 9-month old Kai in tow, that Yip wasn't taking an assembly-line approach to his audience. They devised a strategy to come early, the next day, Father's Day, and be one of the first at the Salt Lake location, where Yip would again be signing books.
"We love the show; it's our Saturday night routine," said Sherri. Adam, a former chef who is now a teacher, makes a romantic night of it with a special dinner every Saturday.
"It's kind of pathetic to say TV is our weekly highlight," said Adam, "but with the baby, we try to do what we can for ourselves and 'Trading Spaces' is our thing."
Added Sherri, "When I wake up and I realize it's Saturday, I say: 'I can't wait. It's "Trading Spaces" night.'"
"Trading Spaces Behind the Scenes: Including Decorating Tips and Tricks" (Meredith Books) sells for $19.95. "Trading Spaces" airs on the Learning Channel (on Oceanic Cable's channel 36 analog and 331 digital). New episodes air at 8 and 9 p.m. Saturdays.
RICHARD WALKER / RWALKER@STARBULLETIN.COM
Evelyn Oshima was first in line at Z Home on Saturday, waiting nearly two hours to meet Vern Yip and get his autograph. Oshima said she wanted to know what it was like behind the scenes of "Trading Spaces."
Q&A
Designing spaces "is why
I was put on this Earth"A television crew, two designers and a carpenter swoop into town. They're given two days to redesign one room in each of two homes -- and $1,000 for supplies for each one.
It's the scenario for the popular television series "Trading Spaces," and Hawaii fans were treated to a close-up this weekend when Vern Yip, show design guru, signed copies of "Trading Spaces Behind the Scenes" at the opening of Z-Interiors.
Before taking the stage and swapping paintbrush for autograph pen, he took a few minutes to chat:
Question: If you weren't a designer, what would you be doing?
Answer: I was originally supposed to go to medical school and was accepted. Then, two weeks before med school was supposed to start, I pulled out and decided I would do what's in my heart, which is pursue architecture; I sort of fell into design from there. But it's so hard to imagine doing anything else, because this is what I love. I feel like this is why I was put on this Earth.
Q: What does the interior of your home look like?
A: My home base is in Atlanta. Unfortunately, I don't get to spend a lot of time in it, but it's very eclectic.
Having an architectural background, I really appreciate clean lines, so my home is very representative of that, but it's also representative of my heritage and culture. I have lots of modern, clean pieces mixed in with 19th-century Asian antiques, more traditional things. It's a representation of my backgrounds and travels.
Q: How would you define your design style?
A: I would say my approach is more architectural. It's more about the strength of a line vs. a lot of pattern. I always tell people who have a lot of things, it doesn't mean you can't have them in your room, but maybe not all at once. Maybe rotate them in and out. I would definitely say that is one characteristic of the way I design: Whether it's a very traditional, country or modern environment, it all has that consistent theme of a clean approach.
Q: Has anyone not liked your work, and, if so, do you rectify it?
A: It's happened a few times, where people have had negative reactions to other designers on the show, but I've been extremely lucky. But you never know, it could happen to me one more week or two down the road. ... Certainly, if there's anything that can be done to improve a situation, I don't have any problem with that. But the show dictates that you get what you get. (Each applicant signs a release acknowledging that the show will not redecorate a room that isn't to the owner's taste.)
Q: Who pays the $1,000, and is labor included in the budget?
A: The show pays. ... What we're trying to demonstrate is that these are projects that you (or a friend) can make. The labor isn't in the budget, the materials are. Most people aren't under this crazy deadline that we impose on ourselves, but that's kind of what makes it fun. Even if people aren't necessarily the most skilled, we do show the homeowner that most of these projects they can do themselves, with little or minimal skills.
Q: With $1,000 what do you look at first?
A: I like to leave something significant behind, so I'm probably the last person who'd do a lot of little projects. I like to pick one major thing to transform the space, whether by putting down a wood floor or installing tile or building something.
Q: Some designers go totally against what the homeowner would like. Do they get to talk to the homeowner at all? Is anyone planted?
A: You do not get to talk to the homeowner. There is no staging, no planting. I think that's what makes the show interesting. We're not actors, we're not scripted. The way that you see us on television is pretty much the way we are.
Q: What are two basic tips to you'd give people who have $1,000 to spend for one room?
A: Whether your budget's $500 or $5 million, I tell everybody, 'Invest in quality.' Just because you have a very small budget doesn't mean you should go out and buy a bunch of inexpensive furniture that's going to break down or wear out in two or three years. Then you'll have to start all over again. If you are on a limited budget, take more time to build your room, because in the end you'll have something that you treasure and love and will last a lifetime. It's also much better for the environment than the constant dumping of furniture into the trash heap.
Second thing, don't be afraid to have your space be a physical manifestation of who you are as a person. A lot of people feel pressure to have their have room look a certain way that they saw in a catalog, or they want their room to be all traditional or contemporary because they expect that a room has to be that way. Really, spaces are an opportunity for you to express yourself ... so when people are in your space, they take in a little bit of you.
Q: What do you do when you're not on the set?
A: I have my own firm in Atlanta. We do architectural and interior designs, so between "Trading Spaces" and keeping the practice going in Atlanta, free time is really scarce. I do enjoy hanging out with my friends. I'm a big hockey fan, so during hockey season I watch a lot of that. I'm a really kind of an outdoors person, which is a funny thing for someone who designs interior environments.
Q: Single?
A: I'm not married, let's put it that way. I hope to be at some point, just right now things are so crazy, it's a lot of time on the road. I love design, but the one thing I feel passionate about more so than design is having a family someday. It's just finding the time to do it.
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