Erin and Ben Napier Reveal the Fine Line Between Decor That’s Trendy vs. Just Plain Dated

Erin and Ben Napier Reveal the Fine Line Between Decor That’s Trendy vs. Just Plain Dated

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On “Home Town,” Erin and Ben Napier know that old trends usually come back in style. Perhaps that’s why they’re such big fans of “grandmillennial” design.

In the Season 6 episode “Grandmillennial,” Erin and Ben meet with Rebekah Staples, Erin’s friend since junior high. Staples has been living in Jackson, MS, but is now moving back to Laurel. The Napiers have found her a house she can buy for $160,000, plus she’ll be giving them an extra $100,000 to upgrade this midcentury home.

But Staples’ place doesn’t get a typical makeover. Erin decides to lean into the older look of the house and fill it with grandmillennial details, which she describes as “a style where you like floral patterns, things that you might see in a grandmother’s house but in a more modern way.”

Read on to find out how Ben and Erin give this home a grandmillennial look, and learn the subtle difference between a style that’s dated versus updated for modern homeowners today.

On the exterior, pick a more modern color

When Erin and Ben first show Staples the house she’d soon buy, Staples isn’t impressed by the exterior, but she sees potential.

While Erin has big plans to use lots of color on the inside of the house, she wants to simplify the exterior with a neutral hue that will make it look more modern.

“This is an important decision, because this is where it goes from being grandma’s house to being the grandmillennial house,” Erin says, comparing paint samples.

“It’s all about the color,” Ben adds.

Erin ends up with a beautiful warm gray shade for the body of the house, white for the trim, plus a splash of blue for the door. Then, to finish the front exterior, the team removes the scallops over the entryway, creating a simpler silhouette and a more midcentury look.

The exterior is now simple but playful. It’s not quite grandmillennial style, but it does have that fun, throwback feel.

“It is a midcentury house, so it made sense to lean into that,” Erin explains.

In the kitchen, pink can work if it’s subtle

Inside the house, Staples disapproves of the dated kitchen: “It’s kind of bland and feels kind of generic.”

So Erin decides to spice it up with an all-new look and a new color: pink.

Staples loves the idea of a pink kitchen, and Erin is excited, too.

“I’ve gotten to play with pink in a house, like, three times ever, so I’m always excited when we get to do it because I get to show how you do it right,” Erin says.

She orders cabinets and a built-in banquette in a soft pink tone she calls “strawberry milk.”

The subtle color is “a pink that feels like a neutral,” Erin says.

With an elegant gray backsplash and a floral rug, the pink cabinets look charming. It’s a great example of how grandmillennial style can look eclectic in a modern way. Here, this throwback color looks perfect in a midcentury home.

Paint over wood paneling for a modern look

Erin wants to fill the inside of this house with color, but when Staples first steps into her future bedroom, all she sees is dark wood walls. She doesn’t like the look; in fact, she looks downright terrified looking around the room.

“It’s having a revival,” Erin says of the wood paneling.

“It’s not having a revival in my brain,” Staples counters.

So the Napiers paint over the wood paneling, giving the room a soft blue hue. The blue is charming and perfect for the home’s theme.

Ben and Erin prove that paneling can add some valuable texture to a room while a simple coat of paint can update the style to a homeowner’s liking.

Textured ceilings add character

During renovations, the team pulls up the acoustic tile in the bedroom only to find more tongue and groove paneling. Erin loves the look, but knows that since Staples didn’t like the dark look of the wall paneling, she might not like the ceiling either.

Erin comes up with an idea to lime-wash the ceiling so that it would be lighter but the wood grain would still be visible.

“The ceiling can be this really light, kind of bleached wood look, and I think that becomes more feminine and it just gives us a little texture in the room,” Erin says.

They lighten up the ceiling, which Staples loves. Between the paint and lime wash, there are options for making old wood paneling look new again.

Mixing metals can add to a grandmillennial look

When Staples first sees the house, the bedroom doesn’t have an en suite bathroom, so the Napiers suggest turning the old garage into a massive bathroom. From a construction perspective, this is a tricky transformation.

“It is the worst spot in the house to put a bathroom,” Ben admits.

Still, Erin and Ben are thrilled to have lots of room for a massive shower, a claw-foot tub, plus a double vanity in this old garage.

To finish the bathroom, Erin decides to mix hardware finishes, using brass handles on the vanity and chrome light sconces.

“We’re mixing metals ’cause I feel like she shines in a chrome way and in a brass way,” Erin says.

The mixed-metal look gives this new bathroom that fun, eclectic feel grandmillennial style is known for. Staples loves the finished product, and Ben even says it’s “one of the best bathrooms we’ve ever done.”

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