Ben and Erin Napier Archives - Hanover Mortgages

March 2, 2021

‘Home Town’: Erin and Ben Napier Reveal the Most In-Demand Design Today

On “Home Town,” Erin and Ben Napier have renovated homes in a variety of styles, but probably the most popular of them lately is midcentury modern. And in the latest episode, they take on what Erin calls “the most midcentury house we’ve ever worked on.”

In “Clean Lines, Open Spaces,” Erin and Ben help their client Jeff Moffett buy a home in Laurel, MS, for $110,000. Built in 1960, the house already has a midcentury feel, but it’s up to the Napiers to enhance these features without making the home feel dated—all with a renovation budget of $90,000.

Here’s how Ben and Erin pull it off, which might inspire some similar upgrades around your own home, too.

Paint a house black for major midcentury vibes

This house needs some new paint to get a modern look.

HGTV

When Moffett first sees this house, he’s not impressed. And unfortunately, he’s not initially wowed by Erin’s plans for this house, either. She wants to paint the siding black, giving the exterior a midcentury modern look, but Moffett is unsure about the dark color, so she needs to convince him it’s the right idea.

“It won’t be a scary color,” Erin says. “It’ll be a happy black.”

Darker colors make this house look more midcentury.

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In the end, Moffett agrees to Erin’s plan and he’s glad that he did. The darker siding adds contrast to the brick, and it gives the whole house a clean, midcentury look, which Moffett loves. While dark colors may seem risky, this updated exterior proves it’s a gamble that can pay off.

Make your island the best part of your kitchen

This bigger kitchen allowed for this beautiful island.

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Next up: Build an island with a cool midcentury look.

“This island is really our baby. This is our favorite thing in the kitchen,” Erin says. “We put this wood veneer on the back and then the terrazzo quartz on top. Both are a nod to the ’60s.”

The black walnut veneer is reminiscent of the wood paneling that was popular decades ago, while the terrazzo (which is white, rather than the traditional multicolored terrazzo) provides a clean, retro look.

When the house is finished, this island looks great. It’s got a lot of midcentury charm while still making the space feel brand-new.

“Basically the 2020 version of 1960,” Ben says, standing in the kitchen.

Small space? Choose a bold backsplash

When Erin and Ben first show Moffett around this house, they admit that there’s a lot to be desired. So it’s no surprise when they find a backsplash tile decorated with painted fruits and vegetables.

“It’s not my style,” Moffett says politely.

Luckily, Erin and Ben get to start fresh with the kitchen design, and while Moffett says he likes using light colors, Erin and Ben decide to take a risk when it comes to the backsplash tile.

“We wanted to keep the kitchen bright with countertops and everything else,” Erin says, “but there’s not a ton of tile going in on the backsplash so I think we can afford for it to be dark.”

This dark, textured backsplash gives this kitchen a masculine look.

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Erin chooses a dark blue tile because she knows that with only a small amount of space allotted for the backsplash, this bold color won’t overwhelm the kitchen. Instead, this dark blue tile will bring some dimension to the space. Plus, the dark blue adds a bit of a masculine feel, which works great for Moffett.

Repurpose vintage materials in a modern way

Ben and Erin Napier liked this old cedar, so they thought they'd repurpose it. — Ben and Erin Napier liked this old cedar, so they thought they’d repurpose it.

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Ben finds a bunch of old cedar lining the inside of the master closet, and instead of throwing it away, he decides to repurpose the wood to make a cool wall feature in the den.

“To the right of the fireplace,” Ben says, “I am wanting to do, like, a solid cedar plank wall, like a really midmod look, and then come over that with shelves for his books. It’ll be a cool look.”

This bookshelf is a much better use of that cedar.

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Ben creates the shelves in his wood shop, and when the pieces are put together, the wall looks amazing. Not only do these shelves provide extra storage, but they’re also a cool feature that’s extra special because it’s made with authentic midcentury materials.

Get a midcentury fireplace that doesn’t feel dated

This fireplace was in good shape, but it was dated.

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Meanwhile, the den’s fireplace seems to be original to the ’60s build, and while it technically has midcentury style, Erin and Ben know that the white brick looks dated.

“The textured brick and the deep mortar lines was a look that was really big in the ’60s and ’70s,” Erin explains, “and now I think the focus is more on the shape.”

So Erin has the fireplace brick covered so that the surface is smooth and she can have it painted gray.

“I want it to look almost like graphite, and I want it to be flat, flat, flat,” Erin says.

When it’s finished, this new, darker fireplace goes with both the gray exterior and the dark kitchen backsplash.

This fireplace and accent wall work well together.

HGTV

Frame a home’s blueprints as art

During the build, Ben comes across some blueprints for this house drawn up by Moffett’s grandfather. It turns out he was a well-known builder in the area, so it seems that he had built this very house!

The Napiers want to make the most of this special coincidence, so they decide to frame these blueprints so Moffett has a nice memento of his grandfather’s work that doubles as eye-catching wall art.

The blueprints for this house are framed and on the wall.

HGTV

Source: realtor.com

February 24, 2021

‘Home Town’: Ben and Erin Napier Reveal a Common Design Detail They ‘Hate’

“Home Town” stars Erin and Ben Napier know that sometimes a little goes a long way. In fact, that’s how they approach the renovation of their latest midcentury build. They want to modernize it, but not too much.

On the Season 5 episode “Closer to Mom,” the Napiers meet Brach and Ashley Robinson. These two live in New Orleans but started shopping for a home in Laurel, MS, so that they’d have a comfortable place to stay when they visit Ashley’s mom.

The pair end up buying a beautiful 1961 home for $165,000. Erin and Ben know this old house needs some work, but they don’t want to update it so much that it loses that great retro vibe. So Erin works hard to find design solutions that will repair and update the house, without changing its midcentury style too much or spending over their $100,000 renovation budget. Here’s how they pull it off, which might inspire some changes around your own abode, too.

Replace orate ironwork with clean paneling

The only thing wrong with this exterior was the dated ironwork.

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When Brach and Ashley first see the house, they’re impressed with the exterior, which is rare. Many of Erin and Ben’s renovation projects include an extensive exterior renovation, but this house has been well-maintained.

Still, Ashley and Brach want to replace one thing: the dated ironwork.

This wood paneling is much cleaner.

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Erin supports this choice, saying the ironwork looks out of place.

“I just hate the overly ornate wrought iron, on a house that is specifically all about straight lines,” Erin says. So the team rips out the ironwork and replaces it with a midcentury-inspired slatted wood wall.

The dark wood looks great on this brick house, bringing in some much needed color contrast.

Add some color to the kitchen

This dark kitchen was dated, but Erin and Ben Napier didn't want to make this kitchen completely bright white. — This dark kitchen was dated, but Erin and Ben Napier didn’t want to make this kitchen completely bright white.

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Ashley and Brach want everything, including their kitchen, to be clean and white—but the Napiers know better.

“White is classic,” Erin explains, “but if you have all white, it can fall flat. It feels cold, it feels sterile.”

Erin and Ben decide to paint the old island (and a second new island) light blue to add some color to this kitchen, and to match a new blue backsplash. However, it’s the original brick floor that really adds some warmth to this white kitchen.

The clients preferred white, but Ben and Erin thought some blue would look great in this kitchen.

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The team reseals the brick floors to make the colors more consistent, and when they’re finished, it’s clear that both the blue accents and the old brick give this kitchen some character. They soften the modern white features to make the space feel more homey. It just goes to show that color can be key, and some unexpected flooring could make a kitchen feel extra special.

Know which way to lay wood floors

This space was once a carport.

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When Ben goes to install the wood flooring in the den, he realizes that he might run into some trouble depending on the direction he lays the floors.

He thinks this room was an addition, so he suspects the walls may not be perfectly parallel with the fireplace. To avoid any problems with angled floorboards, Ben decides to run the flooring perpendicular to the fireplace.

Erin and Ben used paneling in a more modern way.

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“If you’re building a house, you can make that fireplace perfectly square, but we’re pretty sure this was a carport at one point that was then converted into a den, so we’re not sure how square that would be,” Ben says.

In the end, it seems the wood was laid in the right direction. Not only do the boards look even, but they also make the room seem longer and larger.

Use wood paneling in the right spots

This paneling works great with the break.

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Wood paneling on walls was a popular midcentury design, so Erin wants to create some paneling in the den—but she wants to make sure this retro feature looks fresh.

“Think of houses in the ’60s and ’70s, they would have that, like, pine paneling. This is like a nod to that but a little different, a little more modern,” Erin says.

They cover the brick on the wall behind the fireplace with wide wood paneling, but leave some exposed brick around the firebox for safety. Then they paint the whole wall white. Meanwhile, they remove the wallpaper from the other walls and give the rest of the room a fresh coat of paint.

While midcentury homes often had wood paneling on all four walls, this one accent wall gives the space the right amount of midcentury charm, while still letting the room look contemporary.

Don’t try to match old brick

This outdoor kitchen needed some work.

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Erin and Ben had good luck when it came to the brick on the kitchen floor, but they run into problems when they work on the outdoor kitchen. They have a plan to build off of the existing brick oven, but they can’t find an exact color match for the 1960s brick.

“The problem with the brick that we found is we can’t get this exact brick that was used on the house in the ’60s,” Erin explains. “So we just used a modern brick but we stuccoed over all of it.”

With the stucco, this outdoor kitchen has a great two-tone effect that looks modern but still midcentury-inspired. It’s a great outdoor kitchen that Ashley and Brach will love using in the summer.

Instead of trying to match the brick, Erin and Ben decided to use stucco.

HGTV

Source: realtor.com

February 17, 2021

‘Home Town’ Reveals the Biggest Mistake You Can Make in Your Yard

On HGTV’s “Home Town,” Erin and Ben Napier have made over many homes in Laurel, MS—but in the latest episode, things get awkward when they help a family member with (dare we say?) tacky tastes.

In the Season 5 episode “All in the Family,” the Napiers meet up with Erin’s uncle, Danny, to fix up his new house, a 1900s build that once belonged to another of Erin’s cousins, so this project really feels close to home.

However, the Napiers run into some trouble when it comes to Danny’s personal style. He loves big, over-the-top designs, so Erin and Ben need to find ways to tone down his outsized tastes so that his old home can feel timeless—all without going over the $130,000 budget.

Here’s how Erin and Ben find a style that works for Danny that’s not too ostentatious—a good reminder that there are plenty of ways to strike a balance with decor that could save you from major renovation regrets in your own home, too.

Don’t make this mistake with your yard: overgrown greenery

This house needed some serious landscaping work.

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When Erin and Ben first see Danny’s house, they point out how great the exterior looks. The color looks great and the structure looks sound. There’s just one issue: the overgrown greenery.

“The house is beautiful,” Erin says, “so we just need to see the house.”

After cleaning up the greenery, this house has better curb appeal.

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Luckily, trimming back this landscaping is easy—Erin just needs to decide which plants to keep and which to remove. She decides to keep a maple tree, and removes almost everything else.

When the landscaping is finished, the yard definitely gives the house a cleaner look. Now, it’s the house, not the yard, that people will see first when they pull up.

Cover a doorway with a bookshelf

Erin and Ben Napier wanted to cover this doorway.

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To make this home work better for Danny, Erin and Ben decide to turn a den into a big, beautiful bathroom. This means they need to close up one of the entryways, but matching the wood paneling on the wall could be difficult. So Erin gets creative.

“We don’t need that door going to that room, though, so I want to build in a bookcase there and close that off,” Erin says.

This doorway is now a convenient bookshelf!

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Her bookcase solution is a great idea because not only does it allow them to keep the wood paneling as is, but it also adds storage to this space. It’s a great solution and in the end, the new bookcase looks like it was always supposed to be there.

Lights should be grand but not gaudy

Ben and Erin know that a subtle chandelier will make a better statement.

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Erin worries that Danny’s flashy tastes will take over this house, so she is careful to make understated design choices while still including features that Danny will like.

“Uncle Danny likes the finest of the finest, and he likes really huge, big chandeliers and light fixtures,” Erin says. “And he likes ornately big, carved desks and beds. So it’s going to be my job to reel that in a little bit.”

One way she does this is with the chandelier in the dining room. She chooses a big statement fixture, but makes sure that it’s not overwhelming the room. The light is large, but it has a simple style in a muted color.

Luckily, Danny loves the chandelier.

“I would have never picked that out; mine would have been gaudy,” Danny says. “This is the way it should be.”

Paint the fireplace for a quick makeover

Erin and Ben need to fix up lots of rooms in this house, but most of the place doesn’t require a lot of changes. In fact, the living room just needs some new paint. The team paints the lime-green walls a creamy off-white, and the brick fireplace a brighter white.

“The white fireplace, all that brick, and then having that wood wainscoting and trim around it, that’s going to look good,” Ben says.

White paint gives this fireplace a fresh look for a low price.

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This white paint is a simple way to update the space. It also highlights the wood paneling in this room, making the space feel grand. While Danny prefers big features and overstated design, the simple paint job and soft furnishings let the wood paneling in this room really shine.

Go big with the kitchen island

Sometimes it's OK to go big—on the kitchen island. — Sometimes it’s OK to go big—on the kitchen island.

HGTV

While much of this house is in good shape, the kitchen is, as Danny says, a “total redo.”

So the team rips out the old cabinets and counters to create a beautiful kitchen with forest-green cabinets, big windows, and two ovens.

Of course, Erin and Ben want to include an island, but they know that Danny wants lots of extra space for big family gatherings. They decide to install an extra large island that’s farther from the perimeter counters, so Danny can have extra space.

“Having that big island, pushed out from the kitchen a little bit, double ovens, it’s going to be awesome,” Ben says.

It all shows that, sometimes, bigger is indeed better.

Source: realtor.com

February 4, 2021

‘Home Town’: Erin and Ben Reveal 5 Trendy Renovations To Ditch Todayâand Why

“Home Town” stars Erin and Ben Napier know which home renovations are most popular these days. But they also know well that sometimes, upgrades aren’t the best idea—particularly if you want your house to have character.

In the latest episode, “A Laurel Hug,” Erin and Ben meet up with an old friend, Kendall, who recently lost her husband. She’s decided to move back home to Laurel, MS, to be closer to family, and has bought a house for $110,000. She loves this 1940s build, but Erin and Ben know the place will require a lot of work—and more cash than her $115,000 renovation budget will allow.

Yet the Napiers find a way to make this house look amazing while pushing the budget only a bit higher. And their secret is largely avoiding a lot of the most popular renovation trends! Here’s what they do—or more importantly, don’t do—which might inspire some changes around your own abode, too.

1.Don’t paint the front door if it looks great already

Erin and Ben know this yellow house needs a fresh coat of paint, so they plan to give the house a brown exterior with a green door, which will provide a pop of color.

The brown paint looks great, but when the new door comes in, unpainted, Erin has second thoughts about giving it a new color. The deep wood tone works great with the new, darker house color. In the end, she decides to keep it as is.

“It was more peer pressure from all the neighbors,” Ben says when he and Erin finally get to show Kendall the new exterior. “Everybody was texting, like, ‘Hey, so ya’ll aren’t going to paint the door, are you?’”

Everyone on the block loves the wood front door, and it seems Kendall does, too.

2. Don’t knock down walls if you like nooks and crannies

living room — This old home is far from open concept.

(HGTV)

While lots of buyers these days want homes with an open floor plan, Erin and Ben note that this old home still has lots of walls, and they plan to keep it that way.

“I like rooms, and I like little nooks,” Erin says when explaining her decision to keep the walls up in the living space. “That’s what makes a house interesting.”

In the end, Erin and Ben prove that keeping the walls up is the right choice. With the original layout intact, this home is able to keep its unique 1940s charm. Even with a fresh coat of paint and some new furnishings, this home still feels old in the best way possible.

3. Don’t try to fix imperfect floors

kitchen — Erin and Ben Napier find these floors have lots of character.

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When Erin and Ben first give Kendall a tour of this house, it’s filled with orange carpet. The carpet doesn’t make the best first impression, but Kendall is able to see some hardwood floors peeking out from underneath, which gives her hope for this house.

So Erin and Ben make sure to have the carpet removed and the wood floors sanded. However, these old hardwood floors aren’t perfect. While one would expect a uniform look from new hardwood, these floors have patches of darker and lighter wood. The color isn’t consistent, but Erin says this is actually an asset.

“This is what I love about old hardwood floors. … They really tell the history of the house,” Erin says.

Indeed, these old floors add extra character to the home. When the renovation is finished, these floors turn out to be a great feature—and a big upgrade from orange carpet.

4. Don’t go wild with tile if you like a classic look

David and Erin talk tile in Kendall’s new bathroom.

(HGTV)

White subway tile is classic, beautiful, and inexpensive—so it should be perfect for Kendall’s 1940s house.

However, Erin believes that subway tile has been overused, so she chooses a tile that is ever so slightly different from that classic look: a white tile with a beveled edge. The bevel gives it a bit of texture.

David, the tile installer, says he loves this look because it reminds him of antique mirrors, which have beveled edges as well.

Erin seems happy with the comparison, explaining that one of her biggest goals with this renovation is preserving the classic feel.

“It’s so much about the historic architecture and keeping it the way it is,” Erin says.

When the bathroom is finished, Erin loves the look. To the naked eye, this shower tile looks like it’s lined with typical subway tile, but up close, there’s a classic detail that’s reminiscent of an older style.

5. Don’t make a kitchen too clean and pristine

With Erin already finding a unique alternative to subway tile for the bathroom, she decides against using that tiling in the kitchen as well. Instead, she finds a white tile with a touch of color to give it a slightly aged look.

“I love the way these tiles have a little patina and an aged color about them,” Erin says. “Like, I didn’t want anything perfectly white and shiny in this house that feels historic and a little bit aged already.”

When the tile is installed, it looks great. It gives this kitchen a bit of character, helping it blend in with the rest of the old house.

This backsplash has a little bit of color, making it charmingly imperfect.

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Source: realtor.com

January 26, 2021

‘Home Town’ Reveals One Thing in Your House That You’ll Regret Tossing

“Home Town” stars Erin and Ben Napier know that there’s a fine line between classic and dated, so they need to be careful when it comes to their latest renovation.

In the episode “Big Apple to Little Catfish,” Erin and Ben meet with Susan and Seth, who have moved from a tiny New York City apartment to a big old house in Laurel, MS. The couple love the classic Cape Cod style of their house, and they want to keep its old-fashioned charm. Still, Erin and Ben know they need to make some important updates with their $140,000 budget.

Read on to find out how Erin and Ben update the house without taking away from its classic style, which might inspire some upgrades around your own abode, too.

Use limewash instead of paint to keep the character of brick

This home has a beautifully classic look, but Seth and Susan don't like the dark brick. — This home has a beautifully classic look, but Seth and Susan don’t like the dark brick.

HGTV

When Seth and Susan first see this old, brick-covered house, they aren’t impressed. Seth says he never pictured himself living in a brick house, and Susan says it seems a little dark from the outside.

So Erin and Ben decide to limewash the house, which, she explains, is not the same as painting it.

A limewash helps make this home look brighter.

HGTV

“Limewash is movable for about 48 hours,” Erin says. “So you have the opportunity to distress it, to rub it off. It’s really pliable.”

The team has the opportunity to show some of the brick through the limewash, giving the house back some texture.

When the limewash is finally set, the house looks great. The spots of exposed brick give the house an aged look. Now, Seth and Susan can hide the dark brick without losing its character.

You don’t need to demo a wall to bring in more light

Erin and Ben Napier couldn't open up a wall to give this staircase more natural light. — Erin and Ben Napier couldn’t open up a wall to give this staircase more natural light.

HGTV

Inside, this old house is closed off and dark, so Erin and Ben get to work opening up some walls to let in natural light. However, there’s one dark area that can’t be opened up: the staircase.

So Erin comes up with the idea to fill the space with mirrors. She buys a bunch of old mirrors from an antiques store, knowing the classic gold frames will go with this home’s elegant style.

These mirrors brighten up the space.

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When she finally puts the mirrors on the wall, they look great. The mirrors themselves are classically beautiful, and the light they reflect gives the staircase a more open feel.

“I love it because it reflects light, and it makes this darker area feel brighter, almost like you have all these windows,” Erin says.

Don’t toss your wainscoting!

Erin and Ben were determined to keep this millwork in the dining room.

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Erin and Ben are delighted to see some old wainscoting in the dining room, but when they widen the doorway to the kitchen, they realize that this old paneling will need to be removed or shifted.

While simply removing the paneling would have been easier, they definitely don’t want to ditch this old wainscoting. Why? Because it adds character to the room.

So they start the painstaking task of taking each panel off, and moving the pieces over so they’ll fit in the new space.

With some dark paint and new wallpaper, this dining room is back to its former glory.

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“We could have taken off that paneling. We could have popped it off, trashed it, and then just painted out however we wished,” Erin explains. “But it was beautiful and it made a lot of sense for that dining room to have the formal little moment of millwork.”

When the panel shifting is finished, Erin chooses some new paint and wallpaper, which highlight the elegant wainscoting. The room is now filled with classic charm, and it’s clear that these panels were worth the trouble.

A kitchen can have both a modern look and classic style

While Erin works hard to keep this home’s classic look, there’s one room that she’s eager to modernize: the kitchen. The original kitchen is small and dark, so Erin and Ben want to give it a 21st-century update. One way they do that is with a new quartz countertop. The countertops Erin chooses have gray veining with just a hint of gold. It’s so beautiful and elegant that Erin decides to use the same material on the backsplash.

This kitchen has all the modern comforts and a classic style.

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“The veining is so much more defined,” Erin says of the quartz. “And once it’s on the backsplash, it’s going to look like abstract art.”

Of course abstract art may not go with the style of this old home, but when this modern kitchen is finished, it has a timeless look. The white materials and wood hood vent give this space an old-fashioned look that Seth and Susan love.

Wallpaper can look modern in the right color

This wallpaper was too dated to keep.

HGTV

Upstairs in the master bedroom, Erin and Ben want to continue with the classic theme, so while they remove the original wallpaper, they replace it with a similar look.

“Seth and Susan have bought a house that’s pretty formal, but also it’s very dated,” Erin explains. “I’m paying homage to some of the things that were original to the house, like trim and wallpaper, but not the colorful and crazy wallpaper that was there. It’s a more modern take.”

The new wallpaper is a little simpler and a little darker. It still has that classic look, but in a more modern style. To finish the room, Ben helps build an elegant wooden bed that fits the era of this home.

Erin and Ben decide to put this wallpaper on only one wall for a more modern look.

HGTV

Source: realtor.com

January 25, 2021

‘Home Town’: Ben and Erin Napier’s Top Upgrade To Give a Home Happy Vibes

Ben and Erin Napier of “Home Town” usually renovate single-family homes, but in their latest episode, they’ve turned their keen reno eye toward a good cause.

In “Color Psychology,” Napier’s clients Lisa and Mike Cochran have bought a house in Laurel, MS, for $25,000 in order to turn it into a women’s home. They want this nonprofit to be a welcoming place for women who have run into tough times. It should be comfortable and beautiful, but they also know it needs to function for multiple people (and their kids) at once.

Ben and Erin set out to create the ultimate “roommate house” with a modest all-in budget of $100,000. Read on to find out Erin’s favorite beautiful (but inexpensive) upgrades, and find out if you can use them in your own space.

Use bright colors for a welcoming home

Before: This house looked dark and dreary.

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Erin knows that the women who will move into this house have been through a lot, so she wants to create a welcoming, happy ambiance.

One way she does this is by using color to make the common spaces and the exterior give off a joyful energy.

“I did a lot of research in college about color psychology, and certain colors make you feel hungry or happy or sad or sleepy,” Erin explains. “In a color palette of sky blue, light-coral colors, lemon-meringue yellow, and then lots of neutrals and creams around those colors together give you a feeling of happiness.”

After: These colors are bright and welcoming.

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So Erin paints the exterior a beautiful blue, with a playful coral on the front door. Inside, she brightens up the living room with sunny yellow walls set off by creamy white trim.

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Watch: Exclusive: HGTV’s Orlando Soria Gives Us a Tour of His Home

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When the paint is dry, the house looks like it’s bursting with joy and life. Sometimes, the right colors can make all the difference.

Erin Napier used bright, uplifting colors in this living room.

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Invest in small updates everyone will appreciate

Everyone will enjoy the new, improved window.

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Just like a fresh coat of paint, new windows are something everyone in the house will enjoy, and a window upgrade doesn’t have to cost a lot.

That’s why Ben and Erin decide to upgrade this house by replacing a window upstairs. While this only brings extra light to the attic, it also gives the exterior a more elegant look.

“That window is beautiful,” Erin says when she sees the new window installed. “That small change is like changing the world for this house.” This new window proves that sometimes the smallest update can have a huge impact.

Create a designated workspace for everyone

These desks add extra function to this space.

HGTV

Erin knows that a home should be beautiful as well as functional, which is why she decides to add two custom desks to the living space.

With kids living in the home, she wants to make sure they have space to do their homework—but these convenient desks could also work in a house with roommates.

“We can make it even more multipurpose,” Erin says when looking at the dual kitchen and dining room. “We’re going to have kids. I want to think about how we have a really communal sort of dining space where there’s also maybe desks.”

Ben Napier made these desks in his wood shop.

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Ben and Erin find space in the corners of the dining room where one desk could be tucked in on either side of the room, away from the dining table and out of the way of foot traffic.

The desks look lovely and prove that, while there might not be room for a dedicated office in a shared house, there can still be workspaces for everyone.

Use inexpensive and easily-cleaned materials

This backsplash is inexpensive and fun.

HGTV

Ben and Erin next move onto the kitchen, choosing a backsplash that is beautiful, inexpensive, and easy to clean. They use vinyl wallpaper as a clever substitute for tile, giving the room a pop of color that doesn’t cost a lot. To protect the wallpaper from messes, Erin covers it with plexiglass so it can be quickly cleaned.

“We went with this because it’s affordable but it’s really pretty, because we want this to be a lovely, soft first landing for these women and their kids,” Erin says.

Best of all, Erin’s wallpaper is peel-and-stick, so it’s easy to put up and easy to take down. This makes it an especially great choice for any roommates who want to be able to change up the look of their kitchen without spending too much money.

Don’t go too pricey with kitchen features

Erin learns how laminate counters are made.

HGTV

With a great roommate-friendly backsplash, Erin wants to continue the theme of inexpensive, sharable space with style. So she uses laminate countertops in the kitchen, knowing that this durable material will look great—and cost just $300. And that frees up funds for the nonprofit to use somewhere else.

“People want to be down on laminate,” Erin says, acknowledging how laminate might not be the popular choice. “But it wouldn’t make sense if we had put $2,000 worth of countertops in this house that was all about the budget.”

And the laminate counters look just like marble, giving the new tenants a beautiful kitchen that isn’t breaking the bank.

When the house is finally finished, Erin and Ben get to present their clients with a happy home that will be enjoyed by many deserving women for years to come.

Source: realtor.com

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