Home Town's Erin Napier Is No Stranger To This Popular 2024 Design Trend
One of the things that sets Erin Napier's designs on "Home Town" apart from other HGTV shows is that they always have a warm, organic touch that doesn't feel completely staged. Reclaimed wood, thrifted furniture, and original architectural details are all characteristic of Napier's work. That's why Napier and her husband Ben's style is already in line with one of House Digest's 2024 design trends: natural neutral.
Natural neutral defies previous iterations of minimalist neutral that leaned more toward Japanese and Scandinavian (also abbreviated as Japandi design), favoring clean lines and cool color palettes, and a limited number of finishes, e.g., one type of wood finish or hardware color. As Alfredo Paredes said in a conversation with British Vogue, "Neutral minimalism has about run its course. The palette isn't what is necessarily going out of style, more so its application. Layered implementations of neutrals make a confident design statement and tell a much bigger story." The 2024 natural neutral is more lived-in, eclectic, and focused on restoration rather than recreation. And HGTV's Erin Napier has a bit of a headstart on this trend — she's already showcased the natural neutral look.
Don't conceal, reveal
This living room reveal on "Home Town" perfectly encapsulates the 2024 natural neutral trend. The original brick floors maintain warmth and show off natural materials but break out of the monotony of hardwood floors. Covered by a gorgeous and colorful rug, the space exudes classic, lived-in comfort. Also key to this design is the contrast of different wood types and finishes. In the living room alone, we see yellow pine in the mantelpiece and built-in countertop. The archway and barstools show off a cooler white oak wood. We love that this more organic take on natural neutrals doesn't require painting and staining different wood types to cover up their unique color and grain details.
You can see continuity between the wood and brick in how Napier has styled the sofa, which incorporates a tone-on-tone design, another key to 2024 styling trends. The ivory couch is layered with cool-toned texture grey and white pillows, as well as more camel-hued beige pillows. The combination makes for a sophisticated touch of quiet luxury while still seeming warm, homey, and lived-in.
Neutral isn't plain
In recent years, neutral was used almost synonymously with minimalism. Modern minimalism typically involves stark whites, greys, and blacks and minimal visual clutter. This fresher take on natural neutral, however, uses more color that still manages to read as neutral. That's because it draws on colors found in natural materials, which Napier showcases here with this clay, almost terracotta-colored wall paint. True white tones are falling out of trend in favor of these paint shades that draw inspiration from the natural world. Clay, sage greens, pale sky blues, and stony beiges are much more in line with this refreshed organic neutral. Also, take note of Napier's use of the archway silhouette. This is another great example of how this style stands apart, with more curved silhouettes that feel both classic and contemporary.
Finally, we love the way Napier has styled this open-shelf credenza and wall art. The brass jug, wicker baskets, and pottery, along with the naturalistic landscape on the left, and the organic abstract painting on the right, all work beautifully together.