8 Things You Didn’t Know About Worst to First’s Designer, Catherine Yuen
Curious about Catherine? Scroll down for some facts you didn’t know about her!
Photo credit: HGTV Canada
Budding designer Catherine Yuen is living out her wildest dreams, going from a fan of the network to one its newest faces. Read on to learn more about this talented powerhouse, and catch Catherine transforming run-down wrecks to first-rate forever homes on Worst to First Season 2, airing on HGTV Canada and internationally.
Photo credit: HGTV Canada
Catherine wanted a job where she could help people.
Coming from a family of healthcare professionals, the compassionate designer originally wanted to be a child therapist. But in university, the natural born artist couldn’t deny she enjoyed the art studio far more than the lecture hall. Trading in her pen for a paintbrush, Catherine ended up studying visual arts and, later, interior design. Now she’s helping people by revamping their places on Worst to First, as well as through her design studio, Catherine Yuen Interior Design.
Photo credit: HGTV Canada
She grew up watching HGTV with her mom.
The channel was always playing in the background of their White Rock, B.C. home, and Catherine would curl up on the couch to watch Trading Spaces with her style-savvy mom. Inspired by these shows, Momma Yuen once snuck into a young Catherine’s basement apartment and surprised her with a living room makeover!
Photo credit: HGTV Canada
The Vancouver designer almost didn’t apply for the show.
When a former instructor sent Catherine the casting call for Worst to First, she talked herself out of applying – that is, until she casually mentioned the opportunity at a dinner party (a glass of red wine may have been involved). The room erupted into pleas for her to reconsider. Their overwhelming support encouraged Catherine to throw her measuring tape in the ring. Still, she never dreamed she’d actually get it!
Photo credit: HGTV Canada
Who enjoys folding fitted sheets? She does!
Catherine is a stickler when it comes to folding towels and sheets and making beds, even declining her fiancé’s offers to help at home. While still in design school, the folding pro worked in a linen and home décor shop where she perfected her technique, creating showroom displays and packing sheets back into tight plastic sleeves. Side note, she’s also very particular about keeping toilet lids down – but only because she has a history of dropping things in the bowl. Like her cellphone. Twice.
Photo credit: Katie Bowen Photography for Triangle Acre Cottage
She bought her first home.
Catherine and her fiancé were only casually looking when they spotted a dreamy rustic cottage a short ferry ride from the city. It was love at first viewing – and after a stressful day of bank approvals, offers and counter-offers, ‘Triangle Acre’, as they’ve dubbed it, was theirs. Unlike the homes Catherine tackles on the show, the property only needed a splash of fresh paint and a punch of rustic modern décor. But they definitely have some projects in mind for the near future!
Photo credit: HGTV Canada
Catherine has an eye for choosing art – and making it, too.
The Worst to First newcomer recently got her first art commission… through Instagram, of all places. A hobby painter and DIY master, Catherine created two line art pieces to decorate the space above her bed and posted them to her Instagram story. A follower fell in love with her work and immediately commissioned three Catherine Yuen originals in the same style for her own home.
Photo credit: HGTV Canada
She’s sticking to her day job.
As much as Catherine loves creating and selling her art, her long-term goal is still to grow her business, Catherine Yuen Interior Design. In keeping with her approach on Worst to First, Catherine’s design philosophy is a client-centric, holistic approach aimed at finding a balance between fashion and function. Even more, she’s hoping to tackle the misconception that interior design is only for the wealthy by offering services that fit any budget.
Photo credit: Catherine Yuen
You can find her in the mountains or down by the water.
When she’s not busy making the world a prettier place, the active Vancouverite can be found in the prettiest places, chasing world-class powder on her snowboard in Whistler, BC, hiking remote trails on the breathtaking Sunshine Coast, or running around False Creek in Vancouver.
Written by: K. Boychuk
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Hello! Catherine here.
I’m a Vancouver-based interior designer and love all things creative! I’ll be sharing things that inspire me, posting design tips and DIY projects, chatting about all kinds of topics, and hopefully inspiring some people to make little changes at home to create an environment that is functional, beautiful, and a perfect reflection of you! Follow along here, on instagram, and twitter!
