Premieres Sunday, September. 9, 10pm EST
From HGTV:

I will definately check this out. I have seen him judge on Design Star, but I am not familiar with his work. I think he gives good critiques.

Because there aren't enough surprise-makeover shows clogging the airwaves already?!

I don't know who Vern Yip is, and perhaps that's a key to the show's intended appeal, but it sounds like more-of-the-same to me. No thanks.

About time Vern Yip returned to television.

Looking forward to seeing this. I'm not sure what the premise is but sounds like "Semi Extreme Makeover".

Gaaah. HGTV finally gets its hands on one of the most talented designers around, and they can't come up with a more original concept than this?

Deserving Design??? Vern Yip deserves better. Look, forget the gimmick. Just hand him a check book and let 'im loose.

SO GLAD to see Vern's back but also agree the premise of the show doesn't wow me. I won't have as much of a problem if it really is people who are "deserving" (whatever that means). I wonder if he got seriously turned off by all the McMansion suburbia rooms they were always doing on his TS stint. I'll give the show a chance since I like Vern but please please please include some actual information on why a design is the way it is so we can learn something along the way.

Vern is one of the judges for HGTV's Design Star. The show is now in it's second season, which will be coming to an end shortly.
Thanks, Maisonette

You're welcome, Puds38.

(Edited to reduce confusion.)

Damn. I love Vern, but Design Star has been a very unsatisfying viewing experience for me. Now he gets a clean shot, and it's a recycled Extreme Home Makeover? Heck, is Ty coming over? HGTV should "start at home" itself and get some better concepts. Vern deserves design!

I noted that the name of Vern's new show was used as a title for the F3 challenge on Design Star. I gather that the people he designs for will have needs of one fashion or another, whether it be financial or, as in the case of Bridget, someone with special needs.

If the show is geared toward those types of people then it will be different from the other design shows on HGTV. I just love his personality, and I am looking forward to his show.

I'm all for good works, but I hope Vern can get past most of these types of ill/injured/disabled/widowed/faced-tragedy makeover shows. I learn about Family #395's Terrible Tragedy but never learn a thing about design. Instead of being an educational or how-to show, it's "Tragic Victim #395 receives a truckload of electronics provided by SPONSOR."

I like what Vern did for this couple, but I hated the candles. I don't burn candles regualry and all they end up doing is collecting dust.

What was with the audio? Several times during the reveal it sounded like they dubbed in Vern's voice.

That said, I liked that the design was based on the couple's likes and dislikes. They liked candles, they got candles. The color palette was exactly what they said they like and I loved the firehouse photos.

I liked that while the couple had a story, the show was primarily about the design. Much better balance than Queen for a Day... I mean Extreme Makeover: Home Edition with Vern's former coworker.

I really liked what Vern did to their living room. I'm not a huge fan of armless chairs (I like armrests), but they worked so well in the space. The new TV he got them was significantly smaller than the old one, and they seemed quite thrilled by it. The artwork was unique and a great way to pay homage to his career choice without hitting you over the head with it.

The bedroom was very peaceful when he was done. I liked the idea of giving access to the closet from the other room, but would have liked to have seen them actually close the wall off over there instead of having two doors. It just seems odd to me. I'd hate that floating shelf by the door, though. I'm a klutz and would walk into that damn thing every time I came into or out of the room.

Carpenter Kyle is quite the hottie & that's the only thing that might keep me watching. Otherwise, this show didn't impress me. I hate the concept of "deserving" design -- and I almost upchucked during one of the commercials when Vern says, after the requiste homeowner tears, "You so deserve it."

I find it somewhat ironic that Vern is judging people on "Design Star" on their hosting abilities, but he's really not that good a host himself. I found him stiff, and he's definitely not the "touchy-feely" type that "Queen for a Day..." uh, "Deserving Design" is going for. It seems to me his design sensibilities are upscale and elegant, and these people are more salt of the earth. I liked the rooms he did, and I liked that it wasn't a giant house.

For a small house Vern could cram a lot into it. It's a good thing there's a firefighter connection with all those candles. Yeah, they like candles, but that many? In a room where you're sleeping? And what if you get out of bed and stumble and knock into them. Seeing as they're strong metal and glass they'll poke out an eye. I did like that he gave the husband a place to put his clothes, while the wife (Mrs. Chipmunk voice) still has her crammed closet and shoes.

I also don't care for armless chairs, but since the redo is for the tv camera and not really for people, they have it set up in bright colors that will show well on tv and arranged for optimum tv angles. Thus the mirror tiles to the ceiling above the fireplace. What was with that?

I couldn't agree more. One of the things I hate the most about so many of these make over shows are the fact that they always seem to pick McMansions to do over.

Yes. When they showed a master bedroom exactly the size of mine - with a similarly-sized closet, I was intrigued to see what he was going to do. Although I did notice that they were lucky that a 1940s home had drywall rather than lathe/plaster (which my childhood 40s home did).

AwNutz, I'm guessing that he left it as two separate closets with one being a "jack and jill" closet for resale purposes. That way there were theoretically two closets, one for each bedroom. If they'd have turned it into one long closet with a door to each room, there wouldn't be a closet for each. (Yes, I would think it kinda weird to find the two-doored closet now as an adult - but as a kid, I'd have loved the idea.)

Yes, particularly as the piece was so huge that the top portion overlapped the small molding along the ceiling, and looked like something that didn't fit. I'm surprised they stuck with something with that multiple of rows, instead of going with a mirror piece that would stop before the molding. I did like the whole of the room, though.

Also, I'll have to watch a couple more episodes to get a better feel for his two sidekicks and their interactions. But not sure I'll make it a "regular" on my schedule. (Particularly as it conflicts with the USA offering on Sunday nights :-)

Wasn't impressed. Forgot Vern liked candles so much. As someone else mentioned good thing the guy is a fireman. And I honestly didn't see where the family was so deserving. They both had jobs and they probably spent over $400,000 on that little house.

The fun thing about the show was that hubby was born in Bellflower and that house could very well have been the house his dad built when he was 2 or 3. Looked just like it. Hubby's uncle still lives within a mile or 2 of that house.

I too liked that they didn't have a McMansion. Hate those houses. Wouldn't live in one.

And yes I thought Vern appeared stiff. How about they give him a show where he analyzes other's design and gives some tips on how to improve it. And on a shoe string budget. OOPS that would be a great job for Will and Sparkle Josh from Design Star!!

The thing that I really hate about this show is the title. Couldn't they come up with anything less humiliating? It just reeks of noblesse oblige for the deserving poor.
sapienta, I wasn't implying that all the families on the show were poor, or that it was one of the requirements of the show. I 'm saying that it's what the title of the show implies(at least to me), which is why it is a really bad choice of a title.

From what I saw of the first episode, deserving isn't to be necessarily equated with poor. I'm sure that in later episode there will be some lower income families but from what I got, it's also for people who do good things in the community and stuff like that.

OK, I checked it out. I was anticipating an Extreme Makeover style pity party but luckily this was no such thing. No lingering, no overemphasis. That wasn't really their story, though, so I still have fear that future episodes may turn the show into just such a Pennington beast. That house could have been my sister's! It was certainly a couple of miles from it. I recognize the tiny rooms; I actually wouldn't be surprised if they paid in the high $500Ks or $600K+ for that postage stamp property. Good ideas, then, for space problems you'll find in a very common house layout.

I loved both rooms but thought it was over the top with all those candles in the bedroom. Does anyone actually think they will light those candles ever again? Plus, how does one clean out those cube candle holders? I'm thinking something a little more realistic should have been placed there, but otherwise I adored the decorating style totally.

On Trading Spaces Vern did great rooms, but they all tended to be of a similar graphic, contemporary look. I'm glad to see he's able to go in a different direction. I really liked what he did with the house, but agree that the candles were over the top. I'm also glad that it was more about the design and less about the deserving. IMO deserving doesn't need to mean impoverished, either. Here was a guy who contributed to his community and he received an unexpected reward. Soooo glad it wasn't over the top like Extreme Makeover. The one thing I always like about Vern was that he never did anything less than quality, meticulous work on Trading Spaces, unlike the slapped together work of many of the other designers. It's good to have Vern back on my TV.

Maybe after the incredibly bad season of HGTV's Next Design Star I shouldn't have been surprised at Vern delivering such a turd. But I was. And even underwear model goodness like Kyle could not save that hald hour that fell into the black hole of wasted tv viewing (the first shirtless Kyle hammering and nailing though and I am so there!).

First, as much as I loathe the pollyanna approach to the show, I never really got the derserving part of the couple. Sure the guy is a volunteer fireman and I appreciate and admire that tremendously. And wants to go on to be a regular one. Again. Admirable. But they seemed like a young couple on the go that just got handed two rooms that seemed to say nothing more than "We've maxed out credit line to the hilt at Pottery Barn". I thought there would be a bit more pathos and a bit more life hurdles overcome in this advertised weepfest. I'm not sure why I am complaining about Designing for Tears not living up to its commercials but I just want to know what the criteria is for the whole "derserving" bit. Of all the firemen in the southern California area, he was the most deserving? Or just he most telegenic with a house Vern could work with.

And damn but Vern can't present worth shit. Though poor Kyle was even worse. Both often fell into barely held titters of nervousness. When Kyle was trying to comment on the light fixture I thought he was going to piss himself. And he had such a horrible time giving his lines about the door change over. Vern through the first half seemed like he had never been on television before. And his awkward moment shopping trip? Oy.

I thought the candles on the wall was also extremely problematic for whoever slept on that side of the bed. Nothing like getting several imprints of "made in China" imbedded in your skin as you try to get up in the dark to use the loo. And the light in the living room. First of all, I hate the looks of most ceiling fans. But I have also sat and dripped sweat in rooms that people mistakenly declare that it does nothign for the room and looks ugly. And then the huge heavy iron looking thing Vern had dangling down below head height of the two residents?

All in all, I thought the living room was a huge steaming mess. Many good things but way too much mish mashed all together into a big mess. The pictures were lovely. But too big for that room. They did not have to be poster sized if Vern was going to do so many. He easily could have done them in half-portrait that in groups of three would still have made an impact and not be so overpowering. By th etime Vern got done with the living room, I thought it looked worse merely because it looked so cramped and claustrophobic. Well without the movement of air from the removed ceiling fan, at least the atmosphere of the room will match the climate.

Overall, there was really nothing to distinguish this from the herd. And many of the little production tweeks (Vern giving them the video tease) have been done to death already and add nothing to show that, at least in my book, should have started out being as sleek, elegant and gracefully stunning as Vern's style used to be for me.

Am devoutly hoping this was a training wheels episode.

Way too many "huh?" moments and not enough Wows.

Oh, and can we lose the "sneak preview" a la Design on a Dime? Wasn't good there, isn't good here.

Vern, love you madly, but get a better show.

Ooh then maybe they can redo my boyfriend's house.

I'm glad to see Vern's designs back on TV but I agree that he's not as good at hosting the show. I think if they got rid of the narration it would be better.

I'm glad to see Vern back on my TV. I loved him on Trading Spaces and I think he does pretty well as a judge on Next Design Star. I also think he would make a good host if they would let him take a more mellow-but-earnest tone and geek out about process and details, because that's his natural rhythm and strength, it seems to me. I think he rings a bit hollow when he's trying to be perky and feel good and show big picture awesomeness, because he's not naturally Ty Pennington (thank god).
There were things I loved about those rooms and things that I didn't hate, but wouldn't have chosen if it had been up to me. The homeowners seemed to love it though. So, I think Vern did good. (Quelle surprise.) I wonder how they plan to keep the "surprise" extra room renovation a surprise.
All in all, it felt like a decent show, not the best vehicle for Vern, but not the worst. I bet, if it is allowed to continue, it'll get the wobbles out after a few episodes.

Oh, if the commercials are any indication, there'll be a whole lotta weeping and wailing on future shows. And when the homeowner's a'crying, Vern so calmly, so paternally, says, "You so deserve it." Excuse me while I go throw up a little in my mouth.

Not that photogenic. Maybe he was sunburned or maybe it was rosacea, but he had quite the noticeable red nose.

I am with you on the

I'll keep tuning in to see if they work out the kinks. We've seen what Vern is capable of on TS. If he brings his A game he could be in the top tier of HGTV (not that that's saying much) along with Candice and Kenneth. I guess I didn't see a hideous, hot mess, but a show that needs some tweaking.

In terms of 'deserving'...I don't think it was the fact that this guy was a volunteer fireman; it was the fact that he saved someone's life when he wasn't on the job. It's not cancer, premature widowhood, or natural disasters, but I don't begrudge the guy his room full o' candles. That said, I'd prefer it if they dropped the 'deserving' part altogether.

Just watched the Katrina family episode. While I thought Vern was a lot better, he seriously needs to back away from the candles & never use the word 'deserving' again.
I must admit I was kinda hoping his second suprise would be helping rebuild their home in New Orleans.

I missed the beginning-- why was the family separated? I was hoping the mother hadn't brought those girls out to LA just to try to start them in show business (but they did have head shots!)

This was the first episode I saw and it was a little over the top, I thought. I didn't like Vern's explaining everything they had done in the mother's bedroom-- his voice was very nasally and whiny, I thought. And I loved him on Trading Spaces.

The family's home was destroyed by the storm and the dad stayed behind to rebuild. The mom thought that since her daughters wanted to be comedians, they might as well go for it now as they had nowhere to live anyway.

I don't know why it is that Vern can be so entertaining when he's being candid, yet not so great when he's being the host. His snarkiness without cruelty is so refreshing. I'll still watch and see what happens. Oops, wrong network!

I totally get that people may have differing criteria in deciding who is deserving of Vern's designs. That said, I'm waiting for an episode featuring a young couple who have financially overextended themselves with their no-interest mortgage on the McMansion they just had to have NOW, their new mercs in the driveway and the swimming pool in the backyard (for entertaining, dontcha know) to be selected as very deserving. The couple will wah-wah about how their toddler's growth will surely be stunted if he/she has to reside in such cramped quarters. All 2,800 square foot of it. And the lamenting couple can't enjoy any romance in their marriage because they have to share a sink in their master suite. Vern will choose them as very deserving because the couple will say the stress of it all is eating away at them. "You so deserve it", says Vern.

Just caught the episode where the mom left the hubby in New Orleans while she lived in Hollywood because her daughters wanted to be comediennes. What the heck was deserving about them? I could maybe understand if Vern had redecorated a couple of rooms in their rebuilt home in Louisianna.

Vern was my favorite designer on TS because his rooms weren't godawful and actually looked like he'd spent more than a $1,000 (unlike hay on the walls Hildi.) But the two rooms in tonight's ep were very generic imo. And I totally agree with those of you who say that taking his efforts on this show into consideration, Vern has no right to sit in judgement of anyone else's hosting skills.

Very disappointed. I thought this show would be a must-see, but I stand corrected. :(

The entire family left NO. Hubby then went back to rebuild and she took the daughters to LA. Maybe Vern thought that they were deserving because they lost everything in HK.

But at least with Candace and Kenneth, there's no vomit-inducing "deserving" and crap like that. I presume that Candace's and Kenneth's clients pay for their own renovations, and while I'm sure budget is a consideration, they spend considerably more than $1000. Candace and Kenneth are professional designers; didn't they both have their own design firms? While Kenneth and his helmet hair bother me, he redid a studio apartment that was exquisite. I generally like Candace too, although Chico bugs me; then again, he's obviously not from the mold of pretty-boy handyman so prevelant on any other HGTV show.

While I enjoyed Vern's work the most on Trading Spaces (where Hildy & Doug seemed to be engaged in a pissing contest to see who could make the ugliest, nonfunctioning client's room possible), he is kinda bland.

I missed the recent episode, but the concept is wrong for Vern. His show should have been like Kenneth's or Candace's -- let him get real clients and makeover a room. Enough with all the gimmicky stuff. I laugh when Vern's commercial comes on and he says, "Deserving Design is perfect for me" because it's not. He doesn't project warm and fuzzy. And was the Katrina family the one with the big fat black woman screamin' and cryin' at her new rooms?

So did a lot of people. I didn't see what made this particular family so special. Vern's reason for choosing them appeared to be because the husband and wife were living apart while hubby rebuilt the family home. But the wife *chose* to live hundreds of miles away to play Stage Mother, which is not what I'd consider 'deserving' of a free makeover of their temporary home. If Vern had redecorated the home that was destroyed, at least that'd make more sense.



That's my main problem with this show. The concept doesn't suit Vern, who I always thought was out-of-place on TS because of its low budget. If Vern wants to be considered in Candace Olsen and Kenneth Brown's league, he needs to stay away from the 99-cent Store makeover type shows.

The only thing I did like about the show was the cute carpenter/handyman. He needs to be part of Lisa LaPorta's DTS team (him and Steve - yowsa) or on David Bromstad's show (cuteness overload *sweet*)

I agree with all who say that Vern needs a format that suits his talents better. I would love to see him bring some of his architectural skills, but we sure haven't seen anything like that yet.

To me the second show felt like one big audition tape for the daughters. "Look at us - we're cute, we're funny, we're talented!!!" Not really.

I don't mind that this family was selected. At least they'll be able to bring their new furnishings back down to NOLA when their house is finally finished.

My biggest issue is the name of the show. It puts a judgement out there that IMO is unnecessary and kinda mean. Does the family "deserve" this because they decided that they would pursue showbiz while displaced? Does a volunteer fireman "deserve" a homemaker? More than who? Who's the mesuring stick on this? I wonder who did the focus study on this? I'd watch a stiff Vern hosting a design show if I learn something or see something new. The most annoying thing is condescending vibe I get from this title bugs, and every time Vern emphasizes the word desreving it bugs a little more.

Agree!

I imagined the sound guy wincing during the reveal. There may be another reason dad stayed in NOLA, at that distance the sound of their shrieking was muffled.

To be honest, they did seem like a close family. They just seemed ON all the time and it got annoying.

Add me in to the sucky premise of the show. And Word about "deserving". Says who? So far, the two families haven't struck me as any more deserving than the rest of us. Vern should have gone to NOLA and found someone deserving, except the show didn't want to front the cost for that. The fireman? It's his job to save people.

The show is so over-the-top slobbering over these people it's a little disgusting. Vern called the NOLA husband a hero because he survived Katrina. Huh? Vern should be in NOLA putting up Katrina Cottages for people still living in Fema trailers and decorating them in true Vern-style. I'd love to see what he could do with an 800 sq foot house for a family.

Give Vern a real show, please.

The show that Vern could have worked wonders with went to his old Trading Spaces cast member Barry - Hidden Potential. If Vern had been given that show, he could have utilized his skills as both an architect and a designer, and had a decent budget, to boot.
I don't watch HIdden Potential, b/c Barry's designs on TS made me cringe, but I would definitely watch it with Vern as the host. He was very good at giving clients what they wanted and needed, so his take on the home remodels would be really interesting.
Deserving Design, however, is a disaster.

That's a great idea, jerseydevil. He really would've been a better choice for that show.

I caught the Katrina themed episode today (thanks TIVO!).
I LOVED IT! I thought it was a nice combo of design with the sort of explanations and fun I get from A&E's "Flip This House."
I love how Vern explained everything and unlike most shows, did not repeat the same several lines over and over again.
That family had the BEST reaction!

So funny Renier! Absofuckinglutely true!

Too true Bartleby## (sorry can't remember number, but I loved Bartleby story).

I love Vern too. The Katrina girls, not so much. The mother looked very familliar--maybe another reality show? Makeover? Not sure.

Deserving? I agree it's not a concept I would associate as Vern's or any designer's niche. Vern's niche is beautiful simplicity based on elements of repetition. He does high quality work. Kind of like Candace but without the crowding stuff into a room. Maybe he could do a show about "less is more" design. High impact, low cost.

I will wait and see what else DD has to show, and keep watching bec I loves me some biceps.

Does anyone remember if Vern was still doing TS when they started doing the two weeks later bit? I always liked the fact that he left his rooms a wee bit bare to allow the HOs to accessorize themselves. I wish he could find a format where he could just be his natural self. Maybe a reality-stlye show would fit him best, following him around as he works with his own clients? I'd just hate to see him tossed aside because he can't find the right fit for a show for himself.

Vern is one of my favorite designers, but I don't think this show is the right fit to showcase his talents. I like the idea of a show where he's working w/ his real-world clients. Kind of like a Divine Design type of show; that's what I could see Vern doing well.

Thank you! I came here to say just that. Take the emotions out of it and show us how damned talented you are. Love Candice and Vern!