Buyer: Kimberley Yant

Meet an Oakland woman who travels the world for home accessories.

Kimberley Yant has many stamps in her passport. As a divisional merchandise manager at Cost Plus World Market, the 39-year-old travels to a dizzying five to seven countries in 16 days—and she does it four times a year! Focusing on furniture and home decor, Yant visits factories, bazaars, and artisans, looking for eye-catching global accents for American households. We caught up with her between trips to get the scoop on what’s hot for home.

A Trendy Table

For festive entertaining, try mix-and-match dinnerware. The Voyage Les Indiennes collection features paintings of peacocks and elephants rimmed with traditional Indian textile patterns. Pair prints with prints for contrast, or coordinate with solid plates and chargers.
 

Statement Chairs

“Chairs are the fashion jewelry of furniture.” Embrace one with a fun color, texture, or print that will pop next to a neutral sofa. The Suzani & Gate Print Darby Chair combines two prints: a colorful circular pattern in front and a gate-inspired motif in back.
 

Top Destinations

Yant’s favorites have changed over the years, from China to Thailand to India. “India is so rich in culture. You can’t peel off enough layers to say you’ve experienced it completely.” In rare downtime, Yant shops for her own home, visiting venues with up-and-coming artists. She once bought art off the walls of a coffeehouse.
 

LED Love

For easy ambience, Yant stocks up on flameless LED candles. They’re coated with wax and flicker so they look like the real deal. Plus, they have timers so you can be greeted by a cozy candlelit home after a long day at work.
 

Minute Makeover

“One easy way to update a kitchen or bathroom is to add decorative knobs.” Dig through the stores’ bins of faceted glass and hand-painted ceramic pulls for a pop of bling on a cabinet or dresser.
 

Summer Trends

Cost Plus’ summer collections take inspiration from Bali (vibrant botanicals) to Rio (carnival brights) to Timber Cove (washed out, coastal). Expect outdoor furniture in orange hues and home decor accents in turquoise.
 

Local Inspiration

“I love the Renaissance in Oakland right now.” Yant can often be found running at Lake Merritt, dining at Luka’s or Sidebar, and browsing shops along Lakeshore Avenue, such as vintage clothing boutique Maribel (“You never know what you’re going to find”) and Silver Moon kids’ store (“phenomenal window displays”).
 

Oakland-based Cost Plus World Market has stores in Concord, Oakland, Pleasanton, and Walnut Creek; worldmarket.com.