'I feel most qualified in matters of color': Home Town's Erin Napier reveals her paint color secrets
Love HGTV's Home Town look? Us too – this is the first step to recreating it
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Erin Napier's decorating style has garnered fans across the nation.
But while it's often the choice of authentic fittings and furniture that get the most attention from viewers of HGTV's Home Town, there's no denying that Erin's consistent color palette is what makes many of the spaces she works her magic on successful.
Happily for us fans, she revealed her favorite room color ideas in a blog post (opens in new tab) on her Laurel Mercantile website. 'People often compliment my use of bold color in homes, but in actuality – I keep it surprisingly neutral on the walls and sometimes introduce an unexpected bold color on the trim, or just in the furnishings we bring into the room,' she shares. 'The key to choosing colors that feel part of their surroundings, that feel aged and part of their environment rather than a brand new color that feels just a little day-glo [...] is... Dinge.'
Below, we reveal what Erin means by 'Dinge', and her favorite paint colors.
Erin Napier's favorite paint colors
Before we share Erin's list, what does she mean by 'Dinge', and why is it important?
'Choose whatever color you like that has a bit of yellow in it to make the color feel integrated and truly part of its environment instead of too-new, too bright, not quite right, and out of place.
'It is so subtle, but an important delineation between a house that's comfortable in its color vs. a house that's squeaky. I mostly use neutral palettes of white and green and build on that with the furnishings [...] You may think green is not neutral, but I say it certainly is. Look out your window and tell me what naturally occurring color you see the most of! These are my favorite paint colors, each one with its own little bit of "dinge".'
Sherwin-Williams Dover White SW6385
This is Erin's go-to white paint, and the one she most often use on the trim (below) of her own home. 'It makes any room feel warm and crisp,' she says.
You can buy Dover White at Lowes (opens in new tab).
A post shared by Erin Napier (@erinapier) (opens in new tab)
A photo posted by on
Benjamin Moore Misty Air OC-44
Benjamin Moore Celery Salt OC-136
Erin used this soft green-yellow in Rice Cottage (Season 1 of Home Town) (opens in new tab) as a neutral for the house walls. 'It’s so cheerful!' she says.
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Valspar Brown Buzz 6005-3B
Erin put this color on the walls of the Carson dining room (Season 1 of Home Town) (opens in new tab). 'The dining room needed to be a non-descript and aged color that reminded me of the wall colors I’d seen in old French country homes,' she explains.
You can buy Brown Buzz at Lowes (opens in new tab).
Sherwin-Williams Rock Bottom SW7062
Erin describes this color as 'a chameleon in the changing light. Sometimes it’s black, sometimes it’s green, sometimes it’s deep blue.' She says it's a dramatic shade, but never cold; you can see if as the exterior trim on the Smith home (Season 2, Home Town (opens in new tab)).
You can buy Rock Bottom at Lowes (opens in new tab).
Sherwin-Williams Comfort Gray SW6205
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Sherwin-Williams Woodland Lichen HGSW3283
Benjamin Moore Caldwell Green HC-124
Megan is the News and Trends Editor at Homes & Gardens. She first joined Future Plc as a News Writer across their interiors titles, including Livingetc and Real Homes. As the News Editor, she often focuses on emerging microtrends, sleep and wellbeing stories, and celebrity-focused pieces. Before joining Future, Megan worked as a News Explainer at The Telegraph, following her MA in International Journalism at the University of Leeds. During her BA in English Literature and Creative Writing, she gained writing experience in the US while studying in New York. Megan also focused on travel writing during her time living in Paris, where she produced content for a French travel site. She currently lives in London with her antique typewriter and an expansive collection of houseplants.
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