Leaving your small town to pursue your dreams is a classic move—but returning home can be even more fulfilling. After an upbringing in Laurel, Mississippi, three dispersed siblings found themselves craving a home base closer to their father, where their kids could experience the community that shaped them. Together, they purchased a crumbling Victorian house built in 1900 for a price befitting of its disheveled state: $14,000.
The building needed a major overhaul—not just so it would be livable, but to amplify its historic charm and make it functional for large family gatherings. So the siblings called on the best game around to resurrect the property: Ben and Erin Napier, the renovation wunderkinds (and famous locals) behind HGTV’s Home Town.
Spanning 2,000 square feet, the two-bedroom, two-bathroom home had been neglected for many years. The foundation, siding, and flooring were all rotted. Dilapidated front steps, peeling wallpaper, and a dank kitchen rounded things out. “We honestly were thinking that someone would, one day, buy and tear it down,” Ben says, noting that would’ve been “a shame because Laurel doesn’t have a big collection of Victorians.”
The homeowners—siblings Pam Paulsen Danielson, Tom Paulsen, and Jennifer Paulsen Thornton, who range from their late 40s to early 50s—agreed on most design decisions and compiled a $178,000 budget for the project. But each had specific requests: a soaring kitchen ceiling, wallpaper galore, and distinct Victorian accents. With Ben’s woodworking skills and Erin’s design expertise, the husband-and-wife team has tackled a range of complicated projects on their show—but this was the first time they’ve had three homeowners to please for one renovation.
“The whole goal of this project and the way we renovated it was to restore and return it to what it was—what we think it was,” Erin says. They got to work on the exterior, living room, dining room, kitchen, and laundry room addition.
The home’s quintessentially Southern showpiece? A welcoming wraparound porch with a gingerbread railing and decorative upper brackets, and outfitted with rocking chairs for alfresco chats. “I’ve never done any kind of gingerbread work, but it was amazing how simple it was and what a huge impact it has,” Ben says. Siding painted Rookwood Jade and porch flooring in Renwick Olive, both by Sherwin-Williams, make the home reflect the natural landscape.
Beyond the front door, a “welcome mat” parquet design was built into the wood floor, replacing a rotted patch of oak boards. Original pine trim and wainscoting, stained a dark chocolate brown by former owners, is now shiny with a gloss varnish that preserves and shows off the unique grain pattern. “Most people want to paint their historic trim,” Erin says. “I think it’s a huge mistake 90 percent of the time.” “Once you paint it, you can’t go back!” Ben adds.
At the heart of the home, through French doors, is the dining room—and central to that space is a custom, expandable table built by Ben and the team at Scotsman General Store & Woodshop. Made of maple wood, it rotates, collapsing or expanding to fit up to 10 people. In the middle, there’s a star design—made of salvaged wood from a basketball court at the University of Mississippi, the Paulsens’ (and the Napiers’) alma mater. “As a woodworker, I don’t want to just build something because it’s beautiful,” Ben says. “I want there to be a story there.”
To make the kitchen a place where the families would actually like to spend time, the ceiling height was raised and seven layers of flooring were removed to reveal the original pine underneath. Shaker cabinetry with metal fretwork inserts on the uppers, painted Restoration by Sherwin-Williams, fit the house. A granite countertop adds a little texture and warmth. “I’m so tired of seeing slabs of white,” Erin says. “It would feel really out of synchronicity to put a countertop like that in a house from 1900.”
Art brings the whole space together: A framed piece of the home’s original cheesecloth wallcovering hangs in the kitchen. And a painting of the street where the siblings grew up, a commission by local artist and their longtime friend Shelley Bolton, greets visitors at the door. Since the renovation, the Paulsens’ father has passed away, but the house still stands as a testament to the family it brought together. Each little quirk and nuance is celebrated: “Imperfection is a sign of the growth and evolution of a house in history,” says Erin, “not something that we should cover up and be ashamed of.”
Watch the Napiers fix up this house on Season 7, Episode 3 of Home Town, "New-stalgic Restoration."
Living Room
New wallpaper, Fernwater Cranes from York Wallcoverings, brightens the once-dark space.
Sofa, pillows, and armchair: Southern Antiques. Coffee table and shades: Shotgun Design Group. Quilt: Laurel Mercantile Co. Table lamp: Target. Drapery: Wayfair. Wall art: Caron Gallery.
Dining Room
“I wanted it to feel like this very intimate and cozy hug in the center of the house,” Erin says.
Wallpaper: Canopy in Sage, York Wallcoverings.Table: custom, Scotsman General Store & Woodshop. Chandelier: Lark Manor. Dining chairs and sideboard: Southern Antiques. Rug: City Home Center. Table lamp: The Laurel Leaf. Shades: Shotgun Design Group. Drapery: Wayfair. Wall art: Caron Gallery.
A simple gloss varnish preserves the old millwork. “If you tried to sand this, it would turn into gum,” Ben explains. Console: Shotgun Design Group. Table lamp: Tuesday Morning.
Kitchen
“Historic appliances were typically enameled, so our Viking range is a nod to that,” Erin says.
Paints: Soft Suede (walls) and Restoration (cabinetry), both Sherwin-Williams. Ceiling and trim paint: White Dove, Benjamin Moore. Countertop: Stoneworks. Backsplash: Anatolia Tile & Stone. Sink: Kohler. Cabinetry hardware: Wayfair.
Breakfast Nook
Tucked into a corner with windows, the breakfast nook is like a hug in the house. It's perfect for watching both the sunrise and sunset. The chandelier, found in the house, was repurposed with linen drum shades. "Anywhere you eat should feel intimate, where you can have great conversation," Erin says.
Table: The Remnant. Curtains: Target. Pillows: Southern Antiques. Dining chair: European Antique Auction.
Porch
The Napiers played up the home’s Victorian roots with a gingerbread railing and decorative brackets for the new porch. Rocking chairs from Sam’s Club set an inviting atmosphere.
Siding paint: Rockwood Jade, Sherwin-Williams. Flooring paint: Renwick Olive, Sherwin-Williams. Trim paint: Creamy, Sherwin-Williams. Pendant, sconces, and ceiling fan: Sunbelt Lighting, LLC. Rug and pillows: Lowe’s. Wicker table: Southern Antiques.
French doors off the living room lead out onto the wraparound porch. “The porch makes this house,” Ben says. “Without it, the house was bland and ignorable.”
Table: Wayfair. Rug: Walmart. Wicker chairs: Southern Antiques.
See the Photos of this Transformation
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