Interior design instincts must run in the blood because Erin Napier‘s 6-year-old daughter Helen is already imagining the “little cottage that’s wood with a brick chimney” that she plans to build “in the field by the pond” on her family’s farm when she grows up. Napier — who shares Helen and 3-year-old daughter Mae with husband and fellow HGTV star Ben Napier — just shared a montage of inspiration photos for said little cottage in the field by the pond.
And while the internet fawned over it, Helen had one serious critique.
“*as dictated to me at bedtime and illustrated by pinterest images i could find*,” Napier captioned the video before sharing some details that couldn’t be captured visually. “Also, ‘it will smell like s’mores inside and we will play Christmas music mostly but sometimes fall sounding music.'”
So what exactly is Helen looking for? Well, the exterior of the house will be dark green with white windows (and don’t forget that brick chimney!). A screened-in porch will face the pond, and there will be “SOME” stained glass windows, Napier wrote over a photo of doors that have only SOME of the panes stained.
The front door will be painted “like a darkish lightish blue,” there will be a little bathroom near the door “like at yaya’s house,” and a guest bedroom with a rocking chair and little TV. And for each of these requests, the Home Town star found a beautiful match on Pinterest. Even the “darkish lightish blue.”
“The kitchen will look like the furniture daddy builds,” Helen continued, “I mean like wood colored.”
To get to the second floor, the stairwell will have “a shortish hallway that’s got a rug with flowers.” Helen then reminded her mom that the rug would not be long since it’s only a “shortish” hallway.
Interestingly enough, Helen’s bedroom will have a fireplace — “not the living room” — and the walls will be covered in wallpaper that has flowers and animals. And then her kids (YUP! She’s planning ahead.) will sleep together in the toy room next to her room.
As for the exterior, Helen foresees a little white fence and a garden for strawberries, mint, and tomatoes and “a ramp that goes to the pond and a spot I can fish on that’s about the size of my bed,” Napier wrote over a ramp and dock with two Adirondack chairs.
“I’ve never wanted to visit a place that doesn’t exist so badly. 😍,” Napier said in her caption.
And we understand why! Based on the photos, this house is going to be so beautiful and charming. And after all that work of pulling together photos, it almost got Helen’s seal of approval.
“UPDATE: I have shown Helen these images and she said I got it all exactly right except ‘the ramp and fishing spot on the pond would need some hand rails and a little gate to keep the kids from falling in.'”
*Sigh* That’s such a good idea, Helen. We love that you’re already thinking about your future kids’ water safety. But we also feel for Napier who was so close to being exactly right. How satisfying would that have been?!
Fans were so enamored by the post and were begging Napier to either turn this into a children’s book (the title The House that Helen Built was thrown out there) or for her and Ben to build this home on their next show. Others congratulated the Napiers on their parenting, remarking that this might be because of their nonprofit Osprey, which is designed to create communities that support social media-free upbringings
“This sweet girl has been given the gift of a childhood that allows her to dream and use her imagination to its fullest. One without screen time/social media. Dream on sweet Helen! 🥰,” one person said.
Dream on, indeed! And if you, dear reader, want to bring a little bit of Helen’s style into your own home, there’s one easy way to start:
“Pls ask Helen to advise on the ‘fall sounding music’ because I’d like to add to my playlist ❤️😊,” one follower said.
“Hero by Family of the Year is her current fall jam,” Napier replied.
Before you go, check out these celebrities who have shared their technology rules for their kids.
Leave a Comment