On “Home Town,” Erin and Ben Napier don’t simply make houses look beautiful—they also focus on function, creating custom features that make sense for a client’s passions and personality.
In the Season 7 episode “What’s Good for the Goose,” Erin and Ben meet Marissa, who’s just moved to Laurel, MS. The three-bedroom, two-bathroom house she purchases is small but charming, with a big backyard that’s perfect for Marissa’s beloved dog.
However, there’s a lot that needs to change in order to make this 1958 home the entertaining space that social butterfly Marissa needs. To add to the challenge, she can’t spend more than $195,000 total, so after buying the house for $115,000, Ben and Erin have only $80,000 to completely renovate the house.
The Napiers end up adding lots of custom features to make this old house feel like it was made especially for their client—from a special bar area to a dog-friendly mudroom.
Read on to find out what “secret” functionality Erin and Ben add to surprise their client, and get ideas for personalizing your own space to your unique tastes.
Don’t let foliage crowd your curb appeal
Before: This house looked great, but the greenery needed to be trimmed.
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One of Marissa’s most prized possessions is a goose statue, named Lucy, which she inherited from her grandmother. Marissa has fond childhood memories dressing up the goose in special outfits, and she’s excited to honor her grandmother’s memory by proudly displaying the piece.
While Erin is happy to include Lucy in the front yard, she knows that in order to properly display this special statue, the team will need to trim the yard’s overgrown foliage.
“I hate the lantana,” Erin says of one of the plants in the front yard. “It’s my least favorite flower. There, I said it.”
She also asks the team to remove a stone waterfall feature left by a previous owner. While some homeowners might want more commanding foliage, Erin doesn’t want this small home, or the small goose, to be overtaken by greenery.
After: The home looks more welcoming with refreshed landscaping.
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When the house is done, Marissa is happy to see her grandmother’s goose and the modestly sized bushes in her front yard.
“The landscaping cleanup was the really big change out here,” Erin explains.
“It is so much more welcoming than what it was before,” Marissa says, who is delighted that the Napiers have carved out a special space for her favorite family heirloom.
Marissa wanted her grandmother’s goose statue to have a prominent spot in her yard.
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A Dutch door is a dog-friendly addition
This Dutch door will allow Marissa’s dog to see outside the mudroom.
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Marissa wants to create a safe space where her dog, Daisy, can lounge during work hours. So Erin and Ben come up with an idea to create a dog-friendly mudroom. Ben even suggests making a Dutch door for the space, which would allow Daisy to see out into the next room.
“I will never turn down a Dutch door,” Erin says to Ben’s offer.
When the door is finished, Marissa likes the handy feature. It makes the space a little more comfortable for Daisy without making the mudroom design seem too dog-specific.
“You have the cutest dog gate,” Erin says of the addition.
Such a small but thoughtful customization, like a Dutch door, can make a big difference to a homeowner’s (and the homeowner’s pet’s) daily life.
Create a clean aesthetic with clever built-ins
These dog bowls can easily be hidden away.
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To make this mudroom even more dog-friendly, the Napiers install custom built-ins that are perfect for serving and storing Daisy’s food. The big bins are easily accessible in a cabinet, and the pull-out food and water bowls can be quickly hidden away.
The best part is that these two spots blend in with the rest of the mudroom storage, giving the room a clean, uniform look.
“Everybody loves a custom secret compartment, don’t they?” Erin says. “She’s going to show it off to everybody that walks in that room. She’s going to be like, ‘Look at this!'”
Sure enough, Marissa is impressed with the hidden features. The special additions make feeding Daisy easy, without compromising the uncluttered look any homeowner would want in the laundry room.
Add a mantel—even if you don’t have a fireplace
This living room felt big and empty.
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When looking at houses, Marissa fell in love with the idea of having a fireplace to hang stockings from at Christmas. Unfortunately, the house she bought doesn’t have a fireplace, and Erin and Ben know they can’t add one and stay within budget. Luckily, Ben comes up with a way to add a faux fireplace with an old mantel from another property.
“What if we make it more of an art installation?” Erin asks when Ben suggests setting up the mantel in the living room. “Fill the entire ‘firebox’ with the ends of cut logs.”
Ben cleans up the mantel, while Erin lines up pieces of wood in the empty space where a fire would go.
This fake fireplace is a work of art.
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When the feature is finished, it warms up the room even though it doesn’t radiate actual heat. It also fills up the awkwardly long living room.
“We couldn’t give you an actual fireplace, but we could give you a visual anchor in the living room because it felt so long and like there was something missing,” Erin says.
Design a bar to serve up snacks as well as drinks
Before: This corner of the room was under-used.
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Marissa loves to entertain, so Erin and Ben decide to add a custom bar area to her living area, complete with shelves and cabinet lighting.
“When the lights come on, it’s going to shine through the glass shelves,” Erin says. “There’s going to be pretty decanters, and it’s going to be really, really good.”
After: The bar area is a perfect addition for anyone who likes to entertain.
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This bar also has unique charcuterie board storage down below, which is perfect for Marissa, who loves making intricate charcuterie board appetizers.
It’s a thoughtful addition that will surely get good use as Marissa invites friends and family over to her new home.
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