BY Brian K. Robins
-Contributing Editor
The design-build firm Vanillawood was founded by Kricken and James Yaker in 2006. Over nineteen years in business, they’ve perfected the integration of clean, modern design with practical livability, ensuring that each space reflects the client’s personality and lifestyle. The firm’s contemporary creations are visually stunning and provide a calming oasis in an ever-shifting world.
RUG INSIDER sat down with co-principal Kricken Yaker, for a refreshingly candid conversation about her design and business philosophies.
RI: Family is of paramount importance to you and your husband, James, who’s also your partner in Vanillawood. As a family business, what helps you navigate your business life versus family life?
“I think what really works for us is that we’re aligned in all of our goals, our work ethic, and our values across the board. At the end of the day, our number one priority is our marriage and our family and creating something with Vanillawood that we can be proud of. When one of us needs to cut out to pick up a kid, no one’s keeping score. We’re in it together in business and in life, asking how we can support each other, how can we grow and learn together?”
“Our middle son worked for us this summer. He’s an architectural engineering major.”
RI: How awesome was that?
“It was really fun and interesting to see his perspective of how we work and for him to get behind the curtain of it beyond working construction which he’s done in the past. We’re an entrepreneurial family. We’ve really tried to share the highs and lows of what that means to our kids. That it’s not all glory, there’s a lot of blood, sweat, and tears.”
“My husband and I do very different things within the company and our middle son is gravitating more toward architecture and construction and less on interior design. Whereas our youngest really wants to be a designer, loves furniture and lighting.”
RI: That’s so cool. Could you envision a time when either of them are an active part of your practice?
“Absolutely. It would be an amazing legacy to pass on, but only if they passionately want it for themselves. Like most parents, we just want our kids to be happy, whatever that means.”
RI: What are the advantages of a design build firm?
“What we really love about it is that our clients are dealing with one team from the very inception of a project to the very end. It’s one creative vision all working toward the same goal. And for our team, to be able to touch all points of a project is incredibly creatively fulfilling.”
RI: You work on very high dollar projects. How do you suggest clients budget for the interior phase?
“When we’re approaching an interior design furniture package, we put together a very comprehensive budget line item by room, by category, because a lot of times our job is to really educate clients on what things actually cost.”
“That way they can really see and understand why their FF&E package costs what it does. It also informs us as to where we are specifying for each project. We try to empower our clients to be in the driver’s seat of how they want to spend their hard earned money.”
RI: Speaking of budget, for large areas, bound broadloom has become en vogue. When the budget is tight, does that bridge the gap for you?
“We have that conversation early on with the client. Are you a custom rug kind of family or client? We typically put a custom rug price in our budgets. After having done this a long time, we really understand the value of investing in a good quality rug.”
RI: When it comes to rug materials, do you prefer wool and silk, or do you like performance fibers like acrylic? Does it matter to you?
“Some of our clients are very specific that they want something that is high performance and very forgiving for accidents because they have kids and animals. There’s concern it won’t hold up.”
RI: Sometimes people don’t realize how cleanable wool is.
“We always want to introduce natural materials wherever possible. But again, as designers, we are stewards of our clients’ wishes. We’re not here to just tell them what to do. We’re here to listen and intuit, and help their dream become a reality, push them out of their comfort zone, introduce them to things that they hadn’t thought of or even knew existed. But at the end of the day, it’s their space and we are here to tell their story through their home.”
RI: Utilizing bold art to bring color into space is one of your signatures, which I love. Do you usually incorporate art that clients already own, or do you get to know them and then introduce them to artists?
“Mostly, we are sourcing artwork for our clients. Art brings personality, texture and character to spaces and helps to make a room feel finished. Art can really help to define a space. And collaborating with artists on original pieces is very special.”
RI: A lot of your spaces seem designed to showcase art as a focal point.
“Artwork is always a great way to not only showcase your personality but also your sense of humor. Our spaces shouldn’t be taking themselves too seriously, you know? I mean life is serious. Can your home have a little fun?”
RI: Another design technique you employ is mixing light and dark woods in the same space. What’s your process in creating balance between a really light wood and dark, because it looks amazing!
“Ah thanks! I think texture, contrast, and color bring life to a space. We are always seeking organic elements to layer into our spaces and wood is such an amazing way to do that by having variation where you aren’t just seeing the same element in every single space.”
RI: You’re also not afraid to mix textures and materials from wood to a wool-silk rug, to brick, to a metal coffee table. Your work looks clean and modern, but never cold.
“I’m self taught, so everything is very instinctual. Architecture is often very masculine with lots of hard corners. So it’s the soft goods that give the femininity and softness and the kind of inviting textual moments. We try to achieve that by introducing lots of texture through rugs, in our fabrics, our furniture, or with really beautiful, interesting sculptural lighting that feels like an art piece. We always want a space to feel visually calming. There’s definitely a sweet spot there.”
RI: Tariffs are an evolving challenge, what messaging helps your clients understand their potential impact?
“It’s been a really crazy year since last fall. A lot of clients were worried about the election, the stock market, mortgage rates were higher than they had been, and there was some definite panic. It was kind of this record screech of like, "what just happened?" And it is still happening. I feel like each of these moments is almost the new normal. Everyone needs to just take a breath, play the long game, and really take care of yourself. How do you take care of yourself? You create a sanctuary.”
“We’re dealing in higher end homes, with higher net worth clients. They have more disposable income, which is really a great place for people to be in. And so just reminding them that the volatility of what’s happening, it’s ebbing and flowing, but it’s only gotten more expensive since COVID, and I don’t really see that reversing. So if you are wanting to build or redesign a space, you’re not going to be making some massive savings by waiting. If you want to do it, do it.”
RI: Do you utilize any online product sources? And if so, do you have a favorite?
“The internet has really made sourcing accessible to everyone, but I still really value sourcing in person. Walking into a showroom, touching and feeling, seeing the quality and color, talking to people who are really knowledgeable about whatever it is that they’re selling, that’s the fun of it. It enables us to confidently specify for our clients. They are putting a tremendous amount of trust in our expertise and knowing the true quality of something is imperative. Just sitting behind a computer and designing, that’s not nearly as exciting.”
“Living in Portland also means that we need to travel to source in order to bring cool things to the table. LA and New York are big resources for us. Obviously, we go to High Point, and Vegas for the shows. Getting out of the studio, that’s where I get the most inspiration.”
RI: Do you like it when vendors come to visit you?
“Yes, we do. Relationships are what make business fun. If it’s just transactional, it’s boring. And again, tapping into the knowledge of all of the people around us only makes our projects better and more beautiful. I learn a lot from our vendor resources. And then I can in turn teach my clients why this is an important investment.”
RI: Craft has value, not only to the person who is fortunate enough to possess the item, but also for the people making it and all the hands that touch it, especially in the rug industry.
“Our clients are coming to us because they want one-of-a-kind. They don’t want to have their home look like everybody else’s or the catalog that arrives in their mailbox. So we’re really seeking to align ourselves with artisans and craftspeople that can make our projects unique and special.”
RI: How do you envision AI impacting the design industry?
“If you don’t get on the AI train, you are going to be left in the dust, and we are diving in and incorporating it. The ability to render from a 2D drawing to a 3D in five minutes? That used to take hours. That is radical change. I’m very excited about it. For us, it’s always, how can we be better tomorrow than we are today?”
RH: Any final thoughts on the rug biz?
“Rugs are such an important part of the design process, not only do they help define and ground a space, they add color, dimension, texture and especially in an open-plan design, we need them for sound dampening. Making sure that you get the right size is really important. I personally do not like it when it looks like the furniture in a room is trying to fight for space on a postage stamp size rug. I don’t think I’ve ever said, oh, I made the rug too big.”
RH: I’m sure rug people won’t mind hearing that you like a big rug!
“A rug grounds the space and helps tell the story. It’s really important.”
IMAGES COURTESY OF VANILLAWOOD