For 10 years, we have watched Erin and Ben Napier transform homes across Laurel, Mississippi, on HGTV’s “Home Town.” In fact, this small city in Jones County might now be one of the most stylish places to live in the U.S., thanks to the uber-talented couple. So, if you want to transform your kitchen, it’s a good place to look for tips. But don’t worry, you don’t actually have to travel to the Deep South to get a Napier-level upgrade in your kitchen (unless, of course, you want to, but note that peeking through windows is very much not advised).
Instead, you can binge-watch all 10 seasons of “Home Town” and take plenty of notes, but it would be much quicker to check out our list of tips below. We curated this list of brilliant upgrades by looking at Erin’s advice on her social media account and by watching clips of “Home Town,” of course. Whether you’re looking to break the bank on a major overhaul or you just want to experiment with some small, budget-friendly upgrades in your kitchen, there is something for you.
Add floating shelves to windows
Let’s be honest, needing more storage in the kitchen is a common problem. But there are many things you can do to solve it, without resorting to a likely very expensive renovation. Wall-mounted spice racks, over-the-door organizers, and stackable baskets are just a few examples of pantry storage ideas that will keep your kitchen looking nice, tidy, and organized without breaking the bank. But a storage upgrade you might not have considered is installing clear glass shelves in front of the windows. Yep, Erin has done this in her own kitchen, and it works.
The designer posted a photo of the glass window shelves, stacked with tomatoes, onions, and okra, on her Instagram in 2024, with the fun caption “I need to make salsa.” While many who responded were inspired to start cooking, others were more focused on the ingenious storage hack. “I LOOOOOOOOOVVVEEE your glass shelving at levels up along the windows,” commented one Instagram user. “I would never imagine that and it’s PERFECT.”
It looks like they were very easy to install, too. In fact, it appears that Erin chose to simply hold the shelves up with matching patterned vases. “[I’m] sure this post is about tomatoes, but glass shelves across the windows??,” raved another user. “GEEEENIUS!!”
Select worn tiles for backsplash
Modern, dark kitchens can look sleek and sophisticated, but sometimes, they can also look a little unwelcoming. Some don’t mind this vibe, but others, like Erin, prefer to bring in a little warmth to soften the whole look. For example, while making over the kitchen of a 1920s cottage in Season 4, Episode 8 of “Home Town,” the designer opted to warm up the “modern masculine” vibes with one very simple touch: using worn, patterned tiles for the backsplash.
“I wanted to bring in this warm, patterned backsplash tile because it gives you some age, patina, and warmth,” Erin told the owners. People loved the upgrade. In the comments on YouTube, one user wrote: “Love the colors, the style, the shapes … and the patterns (like the backsplash for instance) … and it looks [cozy] and cute as well.”
Feeling inspired? Many companies specialize in reclaimed tiles, but you can also search for bargains on eBay or Facebook Marketplace, too.
Choose pale natural stone for countertops
If you want to upgrade your countertops, there are many, many different material options to pick from. If you want to keep it affordable, you can go for laminate or beech, for example, but if you’re going for luxury, consider White Pearl quartzite. That’s what Erin Napier chose for a family home during Season 9. “This kitchen is max level, finest of everything,” she declared, after explaining her material choice.
Not to be confused with engineered quartz, which is man-made, quartzite is a natural stone. Well, technically, it’s a metamorphic rock formed when high pressure and heat are applied to sandstone. It comes in various colors; Blue Roma, for example, is gray with a bluish tinge, while Mont Blanc is white with grey and green veins. White Pearl, Erin’s choice, is one of the rarer varieties and is known for its vanilla color with taupe veins.
Quartzite is durable, hard-wearing, and aesthetically pleasing, but it does cost more than quartz because it’s more labor-intensive to produce. It’s also incredibly heavy, so if you do choose quartzite, installation may be best left to the professionals. “This was the biggest and heaviest countertop job we’ve had in a long time,” admitted Ben Napier to the owners of the newly renovated home.
Install a farmhouse sink
Erin Napier is a big fan of a farmhouse sink. The designer has featured them in multiple renovations, and while sometimes she opts for classic white, she isn’t afraid of color, either. In Season 8, Episode 20, Erin helped renovate a 1970s house in Laurel, but she didn’t want to strip away its identity completely, so she opted for a blue farmhouse sink. “The house was built in the ’70s, and you saw colorful sinks, toilets, tubs,” she explained to the owner. “I think it’s fun to bring it back.”
Erin isn’t alone. Many designers love farmhouse sinks because they’re classic, practical (the extra depth makes doing the dishes a breeze), and, well, they just look good. Plus, they’re timeless, which makes them a good investment for any modern kitchen renovation. “It’s not just a trend anymore,” Artem Kropovinsky, interior designer and founder of Arsight Studio, assured TastingTable in 2025. “Like shaker cabinets and subway tiles, farmhouse sinks stay because they’re rooted in both history and great function.”
Go for warm-toned whites in coastal kitchens
The coastal grandma look has been trending for a while, and at the time of writing, it’s showing no signs of going away anytime soon. But if you’re still wondering what exactly “coastal grandma” means, we’ll loop you in: It’s basically about keeping things light, cozy, and beachy, all at once. Bold colors are out for coastal grandma; instead, it’s about the kind of neutral shades you’d find, well, at the coast, like deep blues, beige sands, and warm whites. For that last shade, Erin recommends Valspar’s Shell White tone.
The designer used the shade, which is white with warm undertones, to make over a Florida kitchen for “Home Town Takeover,” and fans were impressed. “Beautiful colors,” commented one Instagram user on Erin’s post of the kitchen. “Love this look. My favorite ever. Good job all.” Another added: “Beautiful texture and color scheme. Feels so cozy!”
Use butcher block for countertops
Butcher block countertops, which many Boomers will remember from the 1970s and 1980s, are cool again. It makes sense; these thick countertops, made by gluing together different cuts of wood, are incredibly durable and robust. Traditionally, they were used in butcher shops (of course), so they had to be able to withstand a lot of wear. But they can also look chic, too, according to Erin Napier.
“Did you know we’re seeing a big return of butcher block countertops?” she asked in an Instagram post, which showcased a kitchen with the material in full force. “Walnut is huge right now, and oak was the prettiest in this kitchen from [Scotsman].” Erin and Ben Napier own Scotsman, and clearly, they are betting big on butcher block because the brand has several options available in various woods, including white oak, cherry, and mahogany.
Many agree with Erin that butcher block is the perfect, practical kitchen countertop upgrade. “We put butcher block in our kitchen a couple of years ago when we remodeled,” one Instagram user commented on Erin’s post. “I still like it.” Another added: “The butcher block countertops make the kitchen look so warm.”
Line backsplash with V-groove walls
Most of the episodes of “Home Town” see the Napiers transform other people’s homes across Laurel, but not always. During one special, the duo allowed viewers to peek behind the scenes of the renovation of their own vacation home in the country. And for her own retreat, which she wanted to keep “classic,” Erin Napier decided to do away with backsplash tiles altogether. Yep, instead, she just opted for simple V-groove walls. “No tile backsplash,” she said. “Just V-groove walls everywhere in the kitchen.”
Like Erin, many designers love upgrading kitchens with simple V-groove walls. It’s a timeless look, and it stops the space from looking overly modern (which is perfect for anyone going for that classic, country vibe, like Erin). While some might be concerned that V-grooved walls are not as practical and are harder to keep stain-free, especially when used as a backsplash, others say that they are actually pretty easy to maintain and just as easy to wipe clean as tiles. If it’s good enough for Erin, it’s good enough for us.
Opt for black cabinets for a dramatic look
When choosing kitchen colors, you should ignore trends, says Erin Napier. Instead, you should opt for shades that you love. So if you’ve been craving a dark, dramatic kitchen, but you’re worried it might go out of style, then consider this your green light to give it a go. “When it comes to using bolder colors in a room, you just have to not care about other people’s opinions,” Erin told Homes and Gardens.
When renovating a home for the 100th episode of “Home Town,” Erin put this advice into practice. She chose black cabinets for the kitchen, giving it a bold and dramatic-yet-sophisticated look. “I had doubts we could pull this one off and make it look like a home,” Erin wrote in an Instagram post about the whole renovation. “But somehow … Our incredible team did it.”
Fans were equally impressed with the dark kitchen choice. “I’m into dark and moody,” said one commenter on Instagram. Another chimed in: “Love the kitchen!! I’m not a fan of white cabinets and these are fantastic!!”
