PHOTOS: Erin Napier Says Her New Bedroom ‘Feels Like a Hotel’

Larson & Talbert / Southern Living Erin and Ben Napier stand on the porch of their new home, as seen in the November issue of Southern Living magazine, on newsstands October 21, 2022

Erin and Ben Napier have made sure their family has sweet dreams in their new dream home. The HGTV hosts’ surprise move from their Craftsman cottage in downtown Laurel, Mississippi, to a tucked-away brick Tudor located on the outskirts of town, required extensive renovations, but that’s allowed them to make every room in their new house perfect for them — including each of the darling bedrooms.

Erin Napier Says New Bedroom ‘Feels Like a Hotel’

Brooke Davis-Jefcoat/Southern LivingInside Ben and Erin Napier’s new primary bedroom, featured in the November issue of Southern Living is on newsstands Friday, October 21, 2022

Fans will get to see the full renovation on an episode of “Home Town” in early December, but the Napiers let photographers into their new digs for the November issue of Southern Living magazine, which hits newsstands on October 21.

As they renovated the house inside and out, the Napiers were inspired by the old-world charm of their new Tudor and Erin’s love of British history, from loving “Downton Abbey” to idolizing Princess Diana. The Napiers carried that theme through to the bedrooms, including sweet spaces for their daughters, five-year-old Helen and 17-month-old Mae.

“All the cozy rooms with dark wood make it seem as if you’re sitting beside a fire—that is the dream for me. I love this style so, so much,” Erin told Southern Living.

Renovations for the couple’s bedroom actually began outside. The porch that the Napiers’ primary bedroom opens up to (featured in the first photo above) hadn’t been updated since the 1980s. They installed a striped awning using Sunbrella fabric, which matches the home’s new dark green paint color (they used Sherwin-Williams’ Night Owl), and did some landscaping. Ben said there is also “about a 10-foot drop-off on one side” of the porch, so they added a rail.

“Now it feels like a hotel,” Erin said.

Brooke Davis-Jefcoat / Southern LivingA side table in Erin and Ben Napier’s bedroom, as seen in the November issue of Southern Living, on newsstands October 21, 2022

Inside the primary bedroom, the Napiers mixed woods and neutral fabrics for a light but cozy feel. The fully custom, four-poster mahogany bed was made by Andrew Reid, an idol of Ben’s who is the master woodworker behind Reid Classics in Dothan, Alabama.

“I’m obsessed with Andrew’s work,” Ben told Southern Living. “He’s my Michael Jordan.”

An accomplished woodworker himself, Ben built the English blanket chest made of birdseye maple that sits at the foot of the bed. Ben got into woodworking while the couple attended the University of Mississippi; he would hang around the art building while Erin took classes, became friends with some of the woodworking students, and began learning the craft from them.

“Building furniture really changed the way that I look at the world,” he told Southern Living. “The more time I spent building things, the more it felt like I’d grown a new set of eyes.”

Inside the Darling Bedrooms the Napiers Designed for Their Daughters

Brooke Davis-Jefcoat / Southern LivingNook in Erin and Ben Napier’s daughter Mae’s bedroom, as seen in the November issue of Southern Living, on newsstands October 21, 2022

Erin calls the second floor of the home “girl world,” a place where her daughters, Helen and Mae, can sleep, play, read, and make art. The girls each have their own enchanting bedrooms, which feature nature-inspired wallpaper designs from Rifle Paper on the walls and alcoved ceilings.

In Mae’s room, there’s a quaint reading nook with a cushioned built-in window seat under a stained-glass window that was handcrafted by artisan John Whitt of Sweetwater Stained Glass Studio in Moselle, Mississippi.

Brooke Davis-Jefcoat / Southern LivingThe big girl bed that awaits Ben and Erin Napier’s daughter Mae in her new bedroom, as seen in the November issue of Southern Living, on newsstands October 21, 2022

There’s space in Mae’s room for her crib and also a big girl bed that awaits her when she’s ready, with a sconce attached to the side wall to provide light for bedtime stories. The wallpaper in Mae’s room looks to be Rifle Paper’s Wildwood design, which is said to be “extra washable,” meaning marks and dirt can be wiped off with a damp washcloth.

Erin has also revealed via Instagram that the girls share a newly-renovated bathroom near their rooms, too, with featuring Mirth Studio’s green Folly hardwood planks. In July, the company shared an image of the flooring and thanked Erin for using it in the girls’ bathroom.

“We are thrilled and honored to have the opportunity to work with her,” the account said. “She is a dream!”

Brooke Davis-Jefcoat / Southern LivingThe bedroom of Ben and Erin Napier’s daughter Helen, as seen in the November issue of Southern Living, on newsstands October 21, 2022

The Napiers’ oldest daughter, Helen, gets her own charming hideaway, with Rifle Paper’s forest-themed Menagerie design covering the walls and ceiling over her own custom-made bed.

Reid Classics not only made the Napiers’ mahogany bed in their primary bedroom, but also made beds for the girls, which they hope can be passed down through generations of their family.

Erin provided a testimonial for the woodworker’s website, saying, “The elegance and traditional craftsmanship of a Reid Classics bed elevates any room, gives it gravitas, and eventually becomes a family heirloom. We love our three Reid beds, and someday our great grandchildren will too.”

Now that renovations are complete and the Napiers have settled into their countryside home, they’re amazed by and grateful for it each day.

“I never imagined finding a historic house that met all my criteria,” Erin told Southern Living, “but it had literally everything on my list.”