Who is Vern Yip from Home Reimagined? Everything we know about the interior designer

Vern Yip is the interior designer and host of the Magnolia Network series Home Reimagined, a show that follows him as he helps people convert nontraditional buildings — like old breweries, churches, and warehouses — into livable homes across the United States.​

Born June 27, 1968, in Hong Kong, Yip moved to the United States and grew up in northern Virginia, where he attended McLean High School and graduated with the class of 1986.

He earned a double major in Chemistry and Economics at the University of Virginia, then later completed a master’s degree in management and architecture from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Though he once considered a career in medicine, he shifted his focus to architecture and interior design, eventually building a practice in Atlanta, Georgia.​

Vern Yip and Home Reimagined

Home Reimagined is a four‑episode Magnolia Network series that premiered on December 27, 2025, with episodes streaming the next day on HBO Max and discovery+.

In Home Reimagined, Yip travels across the U.S. to help homeowners turn structures never meant to be homes — such as an 1894 brick brewery in Montana and a former church with stained‑glass windows — into functional, livable spaces.​

The show’s premise centers on the idea that “it feels like home” can apply even to an echoey industrial warehouse or a church with vaulted ceilings.

In an interview with TV Insider, Yip described the challenge: “Converting a structure that was never intended to be a home is significantly harder than renovating a home that was designed to be one,” he said, adding,  

“What drives these very unique people is a genuine love and connection to the structure, along with an intense desire to preserve history for themselves and their communities. I found that completely beautiful, inspiring, and unexpected”.​

Each episode of Home Reimagined documents the progression from raw, unfinished interiors to completed homes that remain visibly rooted in their past.

Yip noted that these projects require more than surface changes; they demand solutions that bring warmth into cold, factory‑like spaces while respecting the building’s original character.​

In Home Reimagined, Yip works with owners who face zoning restrictions, structural limitations, and design challenges that go far beyond typical residential renovations.

Large open areas must be broken up so people can actually live in them, and modern systems like plumbing, electrical, and heating must be integrated into buildings never designed for such infrastructure. 

“Soaring, arched ceilings, miles of vibrant stained glass, and a kitchen sink that used to be a horse trough are just some of the many standouts,” Yip said while previewing the series’ design obstacles.​

Career before Home Reimagined

Before Home Reimagined, Yip became widely known as a designer on TLC’s Trading Spaces, where he appeared through the show’s fourth season and was recognized for his frequent use of silk, candles, and flowers in room designs.

He later became a judge on HGTV’s HGTV Design Star, appearing in 51 episodes across nine seasons.​

Yip also hosted four seasons of HGTV’s Deserving Design with Vern Yip, a show that focused on transforming homes for people in need, and two seasons of HGTV Urban Oasis, in which he designed a Chicago loft in the Trump International Hotel.

He served as host and design expert on HGTV’s Bang for Your Buck for three seasons, and later returned to Trading Spaces and While You Were Out during their reboots on TLC and HGTV.​

All of Yip’s past HGTV and TLC shows are available to stream via discovery+. His work on Home Reimagined continues that long‑standing career in home renovation television, but with a distinct focus: rather than reimagining suburban houses, Home Reimagined explores what it means to redefine the concept of home when the starting point is a space built for an entirely different purpose.​

Personal life and recent work

Yip is based in Atlanta, Georgia, and has spoken about his long‑term relationship with his husband, Craig, whom he has been with for more than 12 years. In a 2017 interview, he said, 

“My family and I think about how lucky I am to be in this position. Craig and I have been together for a little over 12 years now, and I feel so incredibly lucky — really, really lucky, like I won the jackpot kind of lucky — to have him in my life”.​​

In late 2025, Yip released a book titled Color Pattern Texture: Foundation to Your Home Own, in which he advocates for a more tactile, hands‑on approach to interior design.

He argues that relying too heavily on social media or artificial intelligence for inspiration can distance people from what truly resonates with them in a space.

In the book, he writes, “These little mementos can be revealing — observing what you value enough to keep can shed light on your identity,” and adds, 

“Be willing to create your home with elements that resonate with you — not just visually, but also because they connect to your life”.​

During the filming of Home Reimagined, Yip traveled to locations including northwest Montana, Glacier National Park, and rural Wisconsin. He said of rural Wisconsin:

“The unexpected charm and soothing energy won me over, to the point where I thought I should seriously start looking at real estate”.

The series highlights not just the design outcomes, but the emotional stakes involved in these renovations, framing them as acts of stewardship as much as design.​

Yip has described Home Reimagined as a show “packed with heart, grit, ingenuity, and remarkable people determined to create stunning transformations unlike anything you’ve ever seen,” adding:

“These are atypical renovations happening in spaces that were never intended to be homes. The necessary creativity, commitment, and passion brought to each one of these very unusual renovations is off‑the‑charts compelling, as are the journeys that lead to such stunning and very innovative end results”.​

Stay tuned for more updates.