A New Kitchen, Vern’s

s an HGTV designer

awith decades of experience, Vern Yip knows when a room works and when it falls short. The old kitchen in his Atlanta, GA, home? “It just didn’t cut it,” says Vern. With its choppy layout, limited storage, and crammed together appliances, it was in need of some serious love.

So Vern set out on a renovation to create a space where he and his partner, Craig Koch, could prep meals and do dishes but still hang out with their kids, Gavin, 6, and

Vera, 5. By combining a little-used seating area with the existing kitchen, he doubled the square footage. But that’s not the only way he went big. “I used lots of really strong, unique graphics,” Vern says, of the zebra-print tablecloths, the subway tiles with beveled edges, and the bold black-and-white stripes on the walls. The result is a familyfriendly space with a look all its own. “I don’t think you’ll see another kitchen like it,” says Vern.

lighting Eight crystal eggs fitted with LED bulbs from Vern’s new collection with Stonegate Designs deliver plenty of task lighting. Their subtle look doesn’t compete with the room’s patterns.

island At 9 feet long, the island is the kitchen’s natural gathering spot. Built by Omega Cabinetry, it features deep drawers and a Cambria quartz top that resembles marble but is impervious to spills—and Gavin and Vera’s art supplies. The brushed-aluminum stools are from Design Within Reach.