Home Town: An Eclectic Stunner Fit for an Artist

Erin and Ben turned an old Craftsman with no personality into the perfect eclectic, cozy home for an artist and her son in Laurel, Mississippi.

By: Deanne Revel

Show: Home Town

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Photo By: Todd Douglas/ Getty Images

Home is Where the Art is

"I’m feeling really warm and fuzzy about this house." -Erin Napier

Exterior: Before

This Craftsman home had been on the market for a while with no interested buyers. The exterior was pretty bland and needed some major TLC. Beautiful Craftsman details had been painted over and the home’s windows had been replaced over the years with three different styles that didn’t match.

Exterior: After

Ben and Erin replaced the home’s random assortment of windows and gave the exterior a nice cohesive look. They also painted the home a cool blue-gray and painted the trim a crisp white that allows the Craftsman-style details to really pop.

Kitchen: Before

This kitchen was dated, cramped and walled off from the living areas. The homeowner, Amy, comes from a big Italian family and couldn’t see herself hosting dinners and masking pasta in this space.

Kitchen: After

Erin and Ben blew out a wall section, opening the kitchen to the living room and creating an open layout that works for entertaining. With brand-new appliances and high ceilings, this kitchen is now bigger than ever and ready for serious cooking.

Kitchen: After

During the renovations, the Napiers learned that they couldn’t remove the entire wall from the kitchen to the living room and would have to keep the supporting beams. They did, however, uncover beautiful solid oak beams under all the sheetrock. Ben said it was "pretty sweet lemonade" for the big lemon of not being able to blow out the entire wall. And as soon as the homeowner saw the exposed wood, she said it made the house feel cozy like a home.

Kitchen: After

The new backsplash tile mimics the pattern and design of a handmade quilt which Erin said makes her think of "coziness and home."

Kitchen: After

Erin knew the homeowner liked eclectic style so she wanted to add a little whimsy to the kitchen. She chose Jadeite pulls for the cabinets because it’s old school but also a little quirky. She also painted the trim in the window over the sink a matching Jadeite green.

Living Room: Before

The old living room gave you the impression that you were being pinned in with tons of weird columns and unnecessary railings. It closed off the living room from the dining room and made the space feel smaller than it really was.

Living Room: After

Erin and Ben were able to remove the center column in the living and take out all the extra, gaudy railings to create an open layout and flow from the living room to the dining room to the kitchen.

Living Room: After

Erin created custom curtains for the home that she dip-dyed blue for a chambray-inspired look.

Living Room: After

The Napiers left the home’s original flooring which matches perfectly with the uncovered natural oak beams. During the renovation, Ben noticed that all of the columns have a similar twist to them which was likely from installing the columns before the wood had finished drying when the home was originally built. That funky twist now adds charm and character in this eclectic living room.

Stairs: Before

These stairs were seriously dated and oddly crowded with unnecessary spindles. And the additional railing separating the living from the hallway made the area feel closed off and even smaller than it actually was.

Stairs: After

Ben revamped the stairwell with clean, modern railings and took out all of the dated spindles to open up the entryway and create a better flow from the entryway to the hallway to the living room.

Dining Room: Before

This dining room had dated laminate flooring, dated wallpaper and a weird half railing that separated the space from the living room.

Dining Room: After

No more laminate floors! Erin and Ben matched the home’s original hardwood flooring and continued the wood from the living room to the dining room and kitchen. They ditched the wallpaper, too, and brought in new decor, but Erin kept the home’s original chandelier.

Sunroom: Before

This sunroom was pretty dark and depressing. The wall of windows needed a serious upgrade and the old, dated flooring had to go.

Sunroom: After

The Napiers turned the sunroom into the perfect art studio for the homeowner with tons of natural light and great ventilation for painting. Ben repurposed old cabinets from the kitchen and gave them a modern look with new paint and hardware. He also fashioned a stool from a piece of a vintage military crate.

Sunroom: After

Ben repurposed an old sink from a building downtown and created a cute little brush washing station for the homeowner. He also made a paint brush caddy out of scrap beadboard.

Sunroom: After

For the new studio, Erin chose an updated laminate flooring that is easy to clean but also features a fun, trendy pattern.

Home Town

Home Town: An Eclectic Stunner Fit for an Artist

Related To:

Home is Where the Art is

Exterior: Before

Exterior: After

Kitchen: Before

Kitchen: After

Kitchen: After

Kitchen: After

Kitchen: After

Living Room: Before

Living Room: After

Living Room: After

Living Room: After

Stairs: Before

Stairs: After

Dining Room: Before

Dining Room: After

Sunroom: Before

Sunroom: After

Sunroom: After

Sunroom: After

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