HGTV / YouTube Erin Napier
HGTV’s “Home Town” star Erin Napier is taking a walk down memory lane as she shared photos of her childhood home on Instagram on February 23.
The post included an excerpt from the preface of Napier’s third book, “Heirloom Rooms”, which hits shelves nationwide on October 3. The purpose of “Heirloom Rooms” is to highlight homes that are lived in and share the memories that take place there, as Napier admitted “I’ve become bored of the photos of perfectly styled and staged interiors you see so much of in the online world” when she first announced the book on February 7.
See the photos of Napier’s childhood home below.
Erin Napier’s Childhood Home
In keeping with her “Heirloom Rooms” inspiration, the photos Napier shared of her childhood home are not perfectly staged, but rather naturally lit photos of the home as it is lived in day to day, all shot by Brooke Davis-Jefcoat.
“My attachment to my parents’ house is strong. No matter where I may live with [my husband Ben] and the girls, that house will be home for me, part of my DNA forever,” Napier wrote in her post’s caption. The home includes many family photos, including one of a trip to Disney World, as well as magazines laid out on the living room ottoman, and photos and magnets on the refrigerator. Napier shared the memory of Helen taking her first steps in the home’s dining room, where portraits of Napier and her brother hang.
Napier also shared that her “first house drawing in 7th grade was drawn from the driveway at Christmas time.” Napier’s house drawings have become a recognizable trademark of “Home Town”, as she presents a watercolor drawing of all of the homes that she and her husband and co-host Ben work on for their clients. Napier’s seventh-grade sketch was done in pencil and shows a wreath on the front door, a Christmas tree in one window, and a couch in the other window. It’s signed “Erin Rasberry 97” (Napier’s maiden name).
In August 2020, Napier released a coloring book with more than 50 of her sketches of various Laurel, Mississippi homes and buildings that viewers have come to know over the course of her show.
Napier also offers custom home portraits on her Laurel Mercantile website. These portraits are done by a local Laurel, Mississippi artist under Napier’s supervision and in her style.
Erin Napier Was Bullied as a Child
Despite having positive memories in her childhood home, Napier previously opened up about her history of being bullied as a child. Southern Living heard from Napier in 2020 that she was “a bit strange and introverted” when she was younger.
“One time, during hide-and-seek, I was it, and they all left me there and went to the house next door,” Napier remembers. Despite her difficulty fitting in with her peers, her mother always told her not to let the other children get her down.
“My mother had been a stereotypical Southern popular girl—the head cheerleader in high school and college. But she never tried to push me into that mold. She told me to be exactly who I wanted to be and to never ever do anything just to fit in,” Napier said.
READ NEXT: Erin Napier Shares ‘Bittersweet’ Update While Filming ‘Home Town’