Erin Napier's Stylish Kitchen Design Is A Retro Lover's Dream

HGTV's Erin Napier has a knack for taking something old and turning it into something stunning and full of life. You can see this most clearly on "Home Town," where she and her husband and co-host Ben Napier breathe new life into historic homes in their hometown of Laurel, Mississippi. Specifically, Erin Napier is well-known for her nostalgic design choices, like adorning walls with framed vintage photos of ancestors and celebrating heritage by decorating spaces with beloved family heirlooms. As such, it makes a lot of sense that she has plenty of great design tips for creating a quaint yet totally timeless kitchen. In fact, in an Instagram post, Erin takes Grandmillennial home design to a whole new level with a retro kitchen adorned with unique details, nostalgic patterns, and the sweetest color scheme. 

In the 13-slide carousel, Napier proudly showcased a gorgeous renovation she did on "Home Town." The transformation updates a 1950s home in the most charming way: By embracing the most fun and kitschiest features from the playful era, complete with bright, sunny colors, vintage glass decor, and midcentury-inspired room dividers. "I doubt we'll ever get to be so period-specific again, so we made it count," Erin noted in the caption. In the kitchen, though, is where the retro details really stand out. She dresses up an eat-in kitchen area for a stylish and cozy way to dine in by updating its seating with a diner banquette booth, adding an adorable pedestal table, installing lovely pastel tile flooring with a classic 50s pink and green, and cabinetry that singlehandedly transports you to a simpler time. Crucially, the updated retro aesthetic amplifies the details rather than working against them.

When it comes to designing a retro kitchen like Erin Napier, it's all in the details. Incorporate certain textures and materials that were popular in diners at the time. Tile flooring, steel countertops, and banquette-style seating will instantly transport you to a retro diner, and with a few styling tips, will look natural in the space. Choosing flooring first helps idealize the rest of the color palette, alongside complementary patterns, and any other details that harmonize with the bottom half of your kitchen. In the transformation, Napier uses ceramic mosaic tile with peach and powder blue hues. They harmonize with the rest of the pastel color scheme, but you can always break up continuity with contrasting shades if you want to use brighter colors around the space. Consider utlizing deeper shades, like ceramic patterns with dark blues or saturated orange hues, which pay homage to vintage flooring of the time.

Other details include floral patterns, such as cafe curtains imbued with nature motifs, like flowers and plants. Adding kitschy details such as this helps to elevate the fun without overpowering the space. Pair this with a similar pattern, but always ensure that the colors complement the shades already present. Plaid or gingham cafe curtains can help you achieve a more retro look, especially when they're toned down comparable to your flooring. Alternatively, you can use chinoiserie cafe curtains for a more elevated, elegant look. The real star of the show in Napier's kitchen design, though, is the diner banquette booth. As you can tell from the storage below the seats, this functional unit can also save a ton of space in cabinets. Leather seating emulates a diner, but upholstery can add coziness, too.