Jinse Moran and Ruby Diggs, known as the Yum Sisters, have been turning area homes into works of art. Both have shared their talents around the world, from showcasing expositions in New York and Naples, to customizing oil paintings.
The vast scope of their designs is simply amazing. Their talents can transition from genre to genre as easily as flipping through pages in an art history book; covering faux finishes, columns, gardens, paths, mountains, Trompe L'oeil—and even cartoons for kids' rooms and fish for the bathrooms. If you'd like a wall-sized Monet landscape in your living room, they'll do it. If you want your kitchen to have permanent fresh bread and fruit baskets, they'll do it.
The sisters have a mastery of Trompe L'oeil, which is three-dimensional painting. Columns, inset carvings, mantelpieces, and decorative shelves can add depth to any home—not to mention great conversation pieces.
Besides the final results of their labors, the most interesting and commendable aspect of their business is the process they use when customizing homes. While every aspect of a client's home is considered (including the layout, furniture, and existing artwork) the Yum Sisters take into account the lifestyle and visions of each family member. Ideas are discussed and sketched, and if needed, researched long before the first brushstroke.
Born in Korea among eight siblings, the two have been living in the U.S. for a couple decades. And after full careers as painters, they seem very comfortable and happy with their latest venture.
"We enjoy what we do," said Ruby, sitting with her sister at a client's home in Riverview. They smiled as they talked about their work and pointed out minute details, explaining how they and the client family came up with them.
On a wall above the dining table, glasses of wine painted on a Trompe L'oeil shelf bear labels featuring the family name of the clients. The vintage year on the bottles is the couple's year of marriage.
Oftentimes they find new friends in their clients, who in turn become their best sales people. One can see how easy it would be to spread the news about their work once you've seen it.
Designed to be a comfortable part of a home, their paintings are also too enchanting not to be shown off to friends and neighbors. Like all great works of art, their craft begs to be shared with the world.
Sometimes people have requests that seem to push the sisters' talents, and in the end, the results exceed all expectations. A request might include recreating the Sistine Chapel ceiling and painting a recreation room with a 1920's American cityscape on the walls.
Their ethos and business model is also a simple promise: "We can make a normal house a luxury house."
For more, visit www.yumsisters.com.
