Quote Of The Day By Erin Napier: 'To Make A House Feel Like A Home For A Family...'

Every house isn't a home, and Erin Napier knows that. The designer, author, and business owner became a household name across America by co-hosting the hit HGTV show Home Town with her husband, Ben Napier. For 10 years and as many seasons, the designer and her husband have been busy renovating homes in their hometown of Laurel, Mississippi, revitalizing the area in the process. Over time, the show became one of the network's most successful franchises, which helped hoist the couple to the status of home renovation royalty.

When she's not busy redesigning a house, Napier has plenty to do. She's authored and co-authored several books, including some that made the coveted New York Times bestseller list. She's also opened several shops and co-starred in a few spinoff shows on HGTV, and she heads a nonprofit to help kids avoid using social media. Sometimes, she also takes the time to write long and thoughtful posts to her 1.5 million Instagram followers, some of which are full of clever advice and wisdom nuggets. And that's why Napier is today's quote of the day.

The quote reads: "To make a house feel like a home for a family, I think it's important to design the home around their personality, their story, the objects that are meaningful to them."

The quote comes from an Instagram post that Erin Napier shared in 2017. The entire caption is much longer and goes into detail on how she applies these principles at work. Before renovating a home, she sends homeowners a survey to share some of their favorite childhood memories and their hobbies and passions. The goal, she writes, is to learn about what's important to them so that she can add personality into their home decor. "A house should not be decorated, but collected, and it should not be about my style — I only take their story and assemble it in a visual way," she writes further down in the caption.

The post is accompanied by a template of that survey, where homeowners Kristen and Kelvin share about their respective passions. One loves to hunt and camp, and the other loves to bake and sew. It's not clear how Napier chose to incorporate these concepts into their home renovation, but we're sure she found a way. So if you're learning how to make a space truly personal and unique to you, this quote is for you.

At its core, what this quote means is that interior design should be people-centric. Instead of making beautiful spaces that would work for anyone, Erin Napier highlights the need to build interiors around specific family members and the things they love. This isn't a surprising take from her, considering she's known for having a homey, welcoming, and warm interior design style that often dips into vintage charm. 

This isn't just about picking a favorite color. It's about highlighting objects in the home that have a deeper significance and say something about the people living there. These aren't necessarily things you'd think to mention to an interior designer, which is exactly why Napier uses this type of survey in the first place.

And this is also true for things that are "ugly" to look at. Maybe, like Napier, you have a porcelain Elvis that you cherish. For others, it might be awkward childhood art, framed jigsaw puzzles, DIY wall art, failed pottery projects, or nerdy figurines. No matter what, Napier says those items have a role to play in making a house feel like a true family home.

So, take a moment and look around the room. Are there things around you that are related to what you love and enjoy? If a friend walked in for the first time, would they instantly know that they're at your place? Those are good questions to ask yourself, especially if you're struggling to feel at home in your house. 

• "We are all old houses, altered by time and circumstances. Our lives are shaped by the good and the bad, and we take it all in and make it a part of us." — from "Make Something Good Today: A Memoir"
• "That's the secret to mine and Ben's marriage — the reason I think we have a happy marriage with very, very little conflict is that I don't let myself tell stories about him. I just say it, I say it right to him." — from a 2025 episode of The Heirloom podcast 
• "When we're seeing these images of these perfectly styled houses, there is a place and a purpose for that: It can inspire decor and design, and we should use it as such. But not use it as like, 'This is what my house should be.'" — from a 2023 Realtor interview 
• "Figure out what colors make you feel good. For me, they are creamy colors with honey undertones or anything that feels aged. I went to art school, so color is the most important factor for me [...] The room I'm sitting in now is painted a shade of cream; that's the perfect backdrop for my maximalist life. Dingy whites are my love language." — from a 2023 Homes & Gardens interview 
• "[Early on], if Ben ever did anything that was irking me — like leaving cabinet doors open — I would say something. But at this stage of our mature marriage, instead of feeling angry when I see something like him leaving his coffee cups everywhere, I immediately think of all the wonderful things he's done for me and our girls today. And I take his mug and put it in the sink, and I don't complain." — from a 2025 Us Weekly interview 
• "Writing down only the good moments of each day was my way of controlling the narrative of our life. Even [when] I was out of control of the events of the day, writing what I chose to remember changed life as I knew it." —  from "Make Something Good Today: A Memoir"