Yip Yip Yooray

HGTV’s Vern Yip does a sensational job with two Sarasota condo models.

By Robert Plunket

We’ve already talked about Savannah Preserve in my Parade of Homes blog. It was one of my favorites for value, style and location: two-bedroom, two-bath condos with den and attached garage, all upgrades included, for $255,000. Well, now the developers have gone and done something very smart. They got Vern Yip, one of the hot design stars from HGTV to come down and decorate two new models.

Savannah Preserve

The results are well worth another look. First of all, they gave him a budget of $15,000 for each unit and insisted that the furniture be readily available, mostly from stores we all know like Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware. To make the mix more interesting Vern also searched Craig’s List and checked out local stores for accessories – he’s raving about what he picked up at the Ringling Museum Gift Shop - and Steinmart, of all places. And the pieces are not necessarily low end – the lamp in the den cost over $500.

Even if you’re not in the market for a condo, I suggest you check out the models for design inspiration. They are sleek and elegant way beyond their budget, and some time spent studying how Vern uses proportions (some big pieces, some small) and how he mixes colors will be well worth it. To facilitate the process they will give you a sheet that tells where each item came from and how much it cost. They also tell you exactly what paint color is being used.

The Vern Yip models are for sale, one at $286,000 and the other at $290,000. Those are great prices for a new condo decorated by a top designer in a prime Sarasota area. And Savannah Preserve continues to get great write-ups by the town’s design writers. Marsha Fottler at the Herald-Tribune is nuts about it, and Carol Tisch here at Sarasota Magazine is doing a spread on the Yip models in the June issue.

The secret is in the details – 10- and 11-foot ceilings, great floor plans carefully arranged to give you maximum light and privacy, kitchens with granite and wood cabinets and stainless steal, lanais looking out on water views and/or nature preserves. These condos were built to sell in the high 400’s. They’re now priced at $255,000. And the location, at University just west of I-75, is where all the hot new shopping is, plus 10 major golf courses within a five-mile radius. The perfect Florida second home.

Call Kim Bockover or Barbie D’Ambrosio at 941-360-3838.

Posted: 4/8/2009 1:30:12 PM | 0 comments

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