6 Decorating Ideas from 'Home Town' That You Can Steal for Your Own Home
Season one of Home Town is officially over, which means we'll have to get our weekly fix of Mississippi's cutest home reno couple, hosts Erin and Ben Napier, through their adorable Instagram accounts, reruns of the show, or maybe even a trip to the town of Laurel itself. If the first 10 episodes of HGTV's latest home renovation show had you feeling extra inspired, why not use one—or a few—of Erin's design tricks in your own home? Below, 6 of the best decorating tricks from season one of Home Town you can steal for your own house.
Put your collections on display
Or, start a new one. Erin has proven anything can be considered wall decor, from a grouping of rolling pins to a hanging set of fishing poles. Three-dimensional decor always adds more interest to a space than a predictable framed print. Plus, if the objects actually have sentimental value to you, they'll make your room feel all the more special.
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Use open shelving to create room divisions
A large opening between two rooms can certainly serve you well by providing the open-concept layout that so many people find desirable. But at times, it can make it a bit harder to define where one room ends and the next begins. This pair of built-in bookcases is the perfect solution: The shelves create a visible division and natural break between the dining and living rooms, but the lack of a wall or back on the shelves means light—and your line of vision—can travel from one room to the other, which preserves the feeling of a more open space.
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Add some color (in small portions) to the exterior of your house
When it comes to exterior colors, Erin likes to get creative and go bold. She's painted some of the Home Town houses bright yellow, navy blue, and olive green. This is one of our favorite combinations from season one, though: off-white walls with the door and window trim painted sage green and the shutters a dark green hue. It's a subtle way to add color (and character) to the exterior of an otherwise classically themed home, and using two shades of the same color gives the front of the house some dimension that isn't overwhelming.
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Layer on the neutrals
There's nothing particularly unique about the design theme of this bedroom, but it's executed so well that it has us rethinking neutral bedrooms. The layers of different textures and slightly different colors make this space feel cozy and inviting but also modern. The smart pattern choices keep the room from looking like the spare bedroom in your grandmother's house.
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Try an unexpected color combination
Flip through any magazine or scroll through Instagram, and it's clear white kitchens are very popular these days. So it may be hard to imagine anyone dreaming of a dark wood and hunter green kitchen, but this one from episode 2 of Home Town has us doing just that. This episode's entire renovation was an ode to the historic home the Napiers were working on, and this darker, almost Victorian kitchen fits right in without looking actually dated. It might seem risky, but painting or staining your cabinets a bold color combination will give your kitchen a major facelift for a small price tag.
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Add some drama
Painting a room black might be intimidating or seem like a flat-out bad idea to a lot of people. They're not wrong—every design guide will tell you lighter colors will make a room feel larger and more open. And why wouldn't you want that, right? Hear us out, because in the right space (like a hallway, small library, den, or even a dining room), a dark wall color can add some unique drama to your home. Want to ease into it? The bright white wainscoting and trim in this hallway helps to balance out the black. But if you're ready to embrace the drama, follow Erin's lead and accent the space with old black-and-white photographs, wrought iron lanterns, or old books.