Ben & Erin Napier’s surprise move: In their new home

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Ben and Erin Napier from HGTV’s “Hometown”

Thanks to her hit HGTV Show, Ben and Erin Napier have become known worldwide for renovating charming old homes in their small town of Laurel, Mississippi. But in their most important project to date, the couple has been busy renovating a new place that their family can call home. Although the couple previously said they bought a “vacation home” in the country, they’ve actually moved into a renovated dream home they didn’t know existed on the outskirts of town.

Erin Napier says she was “scared to death” when she first saw the house

The Napiers’ big move and renovation of their historic home will be documented in a new episode of Home Town in early December Southern living gives fans an exclusive first look at the family home in its November issue, available in stores October 21.

In the cover story, Erin revealed that her quaint 1925 Craftsman cottage was House she dreamed of living in She felt a little cramped when she was a little girl when she and Ben welcomed their first daughter, Helen, in early January 2018 — especially if they had overnight guests.

When they were expecting daughter Mae, who is now a year and a half, it was clear that they needed more space not only inside but also outside. Since their longtime home was in downtown Laurel, the couple often spoke about getting a weekend place in the country.

In fact, in March 2022, the Couple exclusive to Heavy that they were “right in the middle” of setting up their “little escape house out in the country”.

“We call it a vacation home because we never leave Laurel, and that’s why it’s ours, this is our vacation home,” Ben said at the time.

Erin shared several Instagram posts In early 2022 the ongoing renovation and also calls it the “country house” of the family. But it seems the couple have decided to make the Tudor their family’s primary residence, partly because of the plenty of outdoor space it offers.

“I grew up on a 100-acre chicken farm and would choose a chick to be my pet every time a new batch came in,” Erin told Southern Living. “My playtime consisted of climbing a lot of trees and digging in the woods for arrowheads. Our girls in town can’t do that. I want their bathwater to be dirty at the end of the day, so that means they didn’t just play on screens.”

The couple came across the home in the spring of 2021 when Erin was nine months pregnant with Mae. Ben showed her a property listing for a house she’d never seen before: an old brick Tudor house tucked away behind rolling hills and pine trees just outside of town on a dual carriageway.

“I was instantly in love — and it scared me to death,” she said. “I thought, ‘We don’t need another house… but maybe we will.'”

Erin Napier’s new kitchen was inspired by her love of Downton Abbey

Larsen & Talbert / Life in the SouthInside Ben and Erin Napier’s Renovated Kitchen featured in Southern Living’s November issue is available on newsstands Friday October 21, 2022.

One of the things Ben loved most about the old Tudor was the many original woodwork, including huge pine beams, wide plank floors, tongue-and-groove paneling, and custom millwork.

“It’s incredibly well built,” Ben told Southern Living. “Supposedly all the wood throughout the house — the floors, the crown molding, the beams — was cut and milled on the property. And that’s pretty cool for me as a woodworker.”

But the old house was in dire need of renovation. in the an Instagram post On October 11, 2022, Erin said they’ve spent the last year renovating the property. Changes include a new laundry room, work on the outside areas, updating the porch that connects to her master bedroom and a more functional kitchen – inspired by her love of the British show Downton Abbey.

“It’s the only room we use all the time,” Erin said of the kitchen, the family’s favorite room in the house. “It’s all new, but I wanted it to feel like it could be straight out of Downton Abbey – a classic and casual English style that’s utilitarian but somehow elegant.”

That British influence is evident throughout the house, with touches of southern charm that blend in seamlessly, like Erin’s favorite piece in the kitchen: the biscuit picture above the kitchen door, which is from her grandmother Ouida’s house.

“Part of the reason we had to have this house was its very British look,” explained Erin. “It feels like you’ve crossed the ocean and you’re no longer in Mississippi. For us it’s like vacation. In all the cozy dark wood rooms it feels like sitting by the fire – that’s the dream
To me. I love this style so much.”

New season of HGTV’s “Hometown” featuring the Napiers’ renovations

Ben and Erin Napier’s new living room and November issue of Southern Living, out October 21, 2022

The Napiers finished filming season 6 their hit show “Home Town” in mid-September. The first episode of episodes aired through April 2022, but a new episode will air later this year. Although HGTV has yet to release the premiere date, Erin has hinted on social media that new episodes will be released around the holiday season.

The couple told Southern Living that the episode dedicated to their new home will air in early December. With no customers to impress, Ben and Erin are going to make a big reveal for their moms who weren’t allowed to see the progress during the renovations.

“My mom is a realtor and it really killed her that we wouldn’t let her come visit,” Erin said. “The day she came, she just cried the whole time.”

And her mother also recognized the cream sofa in the front living room.

“My mom bought a couch in 1999 and it was the most amazing couch in the world,” explained Erin. “Then she wanted something different and gave it to us. We’ve used it for years. I reupholstered it and Ben made new feet for it. Every time she comes around, she says, “I can’t believe I gave you this. I want it back.'”

Despite the Southern Living cover story and the upcoming episode of Home Town, the Napiers may not be finished renovating the home.

“It’s still a work in progress,” Erin said in a joint Instagram post with the magazine. “But like many historic homes, it was incredibly well built and the families who lived here before us took great care of them and were talented designers themselves.”