How Vern Yip Designed a Living Room That's Sophisticated—and Durable
What if you could really live in your family room? Like, kick back, feet up, and jump on your sofa with no worries? Ultimately, you should walk into your home, and feel instantly at ease. That’s why Vern Yip, the Atlanta-based designer and television personality who tackled the entry and living room, focused on livability as much as looks: “Nobody wants to live in a museum where everything is so precious,” he says.“We don’t live like that today.”
He wrapped the two-story foyer in a dragon-themed wallpaper, pairing it with a quieter—and wipeable—vinyl shagreen in the living room next door. A supersize 15-foot sectional from Fabricut features a chaise on both ends so there's, ahem, limited fighting over who gets to lounge. It's covered in one of Yip’s new indoor/outdoor fabrics that can withstand boisterous children, wine-slinging adults, and playful pets. “I’ve literally taken a black Sharpie to this fabric. You can remove anything from it,” he says.
All of the gray-washed tables, including the entryway and coffee table, were created by Iowa-based furniture maker, Clay Aronson, who Vern found through Instagram and immediately became a superfan. “His patented wood grain finish is practically impermeable—you don’t even have to use coasters!” he says. The wood goes through multiple processes to ensure they are super durable and can be scrubbed down if something spills on them.
Both of the rugs are custom by Milliken, and are stain repellant, stain resistant, and have soil release, so they're super low-maintenance and will last longer. While function was key to a space where the whole family gathers, he didn't sacrifice beauty, layering in art from Jackson Fine Art Gallery in Atlanta and tons of accessories from Oly Studio. The end result is a space that welcomes everyone in and lets people immediately be at ease.
Foyer & Living Room: Artists: Christopher Anderson, Herman Leonard, Ruud van Empel, Angela West, and Bastiaan Woudt. Cosmopolitan 30" Picture Light, in Hand-Rubbed Antique Brass; Barrett Large Knurled Chandelier, in Natural Brass, and Custom Chandelier: Circa Lighting. Wallcoverings: 30007W in Citrine and 30017W in Gray; Sofa: Webster Sectional in F-N0000738/01120024 Railroaded Fabric; Throw Blanket Fabric: 04229 Citrine and 03350 Mustard; Helga Lounge Chair: in 04250 Citrine Fabric; Marielle Bench: in 04222 Peridot Fabric; Drapery Fabric: 03351 in Alabaster, Citrine, and Charcoal, and 04268 Onyx, Fabricut, fabricut.com. Rug: Custom, Milliken, milliken.com.
Follow House Beautiful on Instagram.
You Might Also Like
