An interior and architectural designer best known for his stint on T-V’s “Trading Spaces” is visiting Iowa this week, offering tips for home makeovers.Vern Yip says re-doing a room isn’t just about what color to put on the four walls. He says every room has six surfaces, including the ceiling and perhaps most important — the floor. It’s not only a visual item, but it’s also very tactile, Yip says, since you’re almost always in contact with it. He says the floor isn’t just a surface, it’s an opportunity to inject design and have carpets, rugs and other flooring surfaces be art, not just materials. Yip, who’ll have his own show on N-B-C this fall called “Home Intervention,” says always put plans on paper before starting a project.Make a physical and a financial plan. Draw it out on graph paper if you don’t have a computer program to help you along so you know what you’ll be looking for. Research it all ahead of time so you make sure you invest in quality. He adds, quality doesn’t have to mean high cost and an expensive items isn’t always high quality either. Lastly, Yip says to “Make your home a true physical manifestation of you. Don’t be afraid to inject your personality and your own individual style into a space.” Yip will be making presentations and doing Q-and-A sessions at the Des Moines Home and Garden Show at various times Thursday through Saturday. For information, surf to “www.desmoineshomeandgardenshow” or call 800-HOM-SHOW.
