Jody Minns's Stories: Need a Vacation? ‘Home Town’ Reveals How To Have One at Home

On “Home Town,” Erin and Ben Napier work hard to make new houses feel like home, but in the latest episode, they meet a client who’s pining for a vacation getaway. Can her house be renovated to feel like a ritzy resort?

In the Season 5 episode “Retreat Yourself,” Erin and Ben are helping their own show’s producer, Angie Tarrant, find a new home in Laurel, MS. Tarrant ends up buying a 1910 Victorian for $170,000, which leaves Ben and Erin with a renovation budget of $140,000.

After living in New York City, Tarrant is excited to settle down in a small town, but she’s also itching for the luxuries of a five-star hotel.

“We love vacationing. We love going to resorts,” Tarrant says. “What I would like to do is feel that way at home.”

Here’s how Erin and Ben infuse this old home with vacation vibes, which contains plenty of lessons that might inspire some changes around your own abode, too.

Make a statement with a bold house color

Erin knows that Tarrant loves bold, saturated colors, so she decides to take a risk and paint the house orange.

However, Erin knows that she’ll need to use just the right tone of orange, or the house could look too wild. She tests different colors on the side of the house and chooses a soft, pumpkin hue. The warm tone stands out without seeming too eccentric.

When the color is finally on the house, Erin says that she’s relieved to see how it turned out.

“Sometimes you think you’ve swatched it enough and you’ve made the right choice,” she says. “And then you see a lot of it and you’re, like, ‘Oh this is a little stronger than I thought it’d be.'”

Sometimes making a bold choice can really pay off. When Tarrant finally sees her house, she loves its unique look: The house is warm and playful, the perfect vibe for someone new in town.

Pick a front door that matches the exterior style

From the very beginning of this project, Erin is determined to replace the dated front door.

“I hate leaded glass,” Erin says. “I want to find a historic door that is appropriate for the architecture.”

So she finds an antique door that complements the 1910 architecture and stains it so that it has a natural wood tone.

“We’re going to stain it so that’ll be, like, this quiet, natural wood moment in an otherwise vibrant color palette,” Erin says.

In the end, it’s a beautiful door that matches the classic architecture of the house and also complements the new color.

This proves that sometimes a house doesn’t need exterior work. Sometimes simply switching out the front door updates the whole look of the house.

Add ocean vibes with mermaid tile

This bathroom is fancy enough to be in a beautiful resort.
HGTV

Tarrant has a deep connection to Florida because that’s where her mother lived before passing away recently. So when Tarrant says she’d like her house to feel like a resort, Erin decides it should feel like a Florida vacation retreat.

But how can Erin transport this Mississippi home to the Sunshine State? With small, Florida-inspired details, of course!

shower tile — This small bit of fish scale tile is a great touch.
HGTV

For example, Erin uses an ocean-inspired accent tile in the bathroom.

“I want her house to feel like a Key West Victorian, and so Floridian little elements like fish scale, I think that kind of does it,” Erin says.

Tarrant loves the tile pattern, which David, the tile installer, calls “mermaid tile.” It’s a fun, nautical nod, and since Erin uses it only in the shower niche, it gives a suggestion of the coast without making the bathroom feel like it’s themed.

Rearrange plain tile for a fresh look

While the right tile can make all the difference in a shower, Erin knows it can change the look of a kitchen, too. She smartly chooses a plain, average tile with stripes, but she lays them in a pattern so that the lines go in different directions, creating visual interest and a unique look.

“It’s going to kind of look like a seersucker quilt,” Erin tells Ben.

When the backsplash is done, the tile looks great. The pattern makes this simple tile look like a unique (and far more expensive) feature.

When Tarrant finally sees the kitchen, she adores this tile treatment most of all.

“The backsplash is, like, my favorite ever,” Erin says.

Give your swimming pool features that feel like a resort

Tarrant wants her new home to feel like a luxurious vacation spot. Obviously, she’ll need a relaxing pool—but the pool in her new backyard is ugly, dirty, and far from relaxing.

Still, Erin has a vision for this yard.

The team makes sure to clean up the landscaping, making the yard feel like a lush resort space rather than an overgrown jungle. Then, Ben lays down a new pool liner, which has a pebble print, making the pool feel a little more like a beach. But this liner isn’t just for looks.

“The padding is there to be like a moisture barrier, but if something hits it, it won’t puncture the lining,” Ben says.