Home Town’s Ben and Erin Napier Tackle an Airstream Reno That’s Cuter Than Most People’s Homes

Jolene the airstream is pristine, as Ben put it! After being gifted this vintage beauty from country music star friends Chris and Morgane Stapleton, Ben and Erin set about restoring the Airstream to her former glory (it’s a bit of a pattern for our Home Town design duo!). Before doing anything, the Napiers took “Jolene” to a company that restores vintage Airstreams, ensuring everything is in tip top shape for family travel. People tend to jump right in on the design work with airstreams, only to discover after the fact that the exterior leaks or there are mechanical issues. After running Jolene through her paces, including a rainstorm simulation that Ben deemed, a soundtrack for “the greatest rainy day nap ever,” the Airstream was ready for renovations!

Read: Ben and Erin Napier Restore This 1920s Craftsmen Home to its Former Beauty and Charm

Erin and Ben chose the name “Jolene” for the Airstream because their daughter Helen loves Dolly Parton, and “Jolene” is her favourite Dolly song. And as Erin pointed out, the Airstream has great curves. It was exactly those curves that posed the first obstacle, if you will, in Erin’s planning for the design. The unique space was something new to the couple, and not only that, they had to factor in “earthquake proof” everything that could handle sharp turns, bumpy terrain, and whatever else a great American road trip could throw at an Airstream.

Watch this episode of Erin’spired and go behind-the-scenes to see how Erin Napier brings a modern style and traditional touches to a home in need.

A view through one of the Airstream windows shows how Erin seamlessly blended that exquisite vintage silver exterior with warm and modern elements inside the vehicle. Like all of the Napier’s projects, honouring history is paramount, and when it came to the Airstream, Erin had the task of taking 1970s style and giving it a modern interpretation that wouldn’t feel old and stuffy.

10 Tiny Homes That Will Make You Want to Live Small

The Airstream is pretty snug, so Erin chose a colour palette that was light and bright and would work to keep the tiny home feeling as spacious as possible. Ben worked with warm woods, like maple and oak, for the floors, walls and cabinetry, and Erin paired a bright white countertop to balance the wood, and introduced modern touches in her hardware selection.

Watch: Get a behind-the-scenes tour of Jill and Todd’s trailer on the set of Love It or List It Vancouver.

Seeing Ben standing in the Airstream gives a clear sense of how tight the space is, but they really worked to maximize the Airstream, and ensured certain aspects were as comfortable as possible, like accommodating a large bed and shower. These are the features that can make all the difference when spending long periods of time travelling in a small space.

Even the smallest spaces are deserving of Erin’s expert touch! The bedroom in the Airstream literally fits a bed, and that’s about it, but Erin managed to give it personality with a decorative pillow and throw in a rich and warm palette. She also had Ben whip up custom floating shelves that fit the curvature of the Airstream walls and provide a shelf just large enough for phones at night. There’s even an outlet and USB plug underneath the shelves! The entire Airstream design process focused on practical features like these shelves. Nothing is frivolous, everything is purposeful (and petite!).

Read: 10 Bedroom Organization Tips That Practically Do the Cleaning for You

The Airstream’s bathroom is snug, but Erin made sure there was cabinetry and counter space to create as much storage in Jolene as possible. Even though the cabinets aren’t that deep, they still provide space to tuck away toiletries, toilet paper, and all of the young family’s necessities! We especially love how Erin carried through the same warm wood, modern hardware and glossy white countertops from the kitchen to the bathroom. With such a small space, mixing up styles would have crowded the sight lines. This way, it’s simple and serene, and won’t overwhelm them.

Related: Go Behind-The-Scenes to Get the Latest on Ben and Erin Napier

For Jolene’s shower, Erin sourced a super unique tile that played perfectly into the ’70s vibe of the Airstream, while still feeling hip and modern in a geometric pattern. She paired the tile with a grout that was gold to match the warm wood of the cabinetry. It’s these little choices that make Erin’s spaces so special! While watching the tile go up, we learned that to accommodate the constant motion of the Airstream, the tile has to be applied in such a way that maintains flexibility, so it doesn’t crack when it gets jostled! (Now that’s certainly something we didn’t think of before watching this renovation!)

This view of the kitchen gives a better sense of the layout of the Airstream. The bathroom is opposite the kitchen, and the bedroom is off to the side of both, and extends across the entire width of Jolene. The kitchen might seem snug, but it actually fits everything the young family will need on their adventures: mini fridge, microwave, burners and a sink! There’s even a decent amount of counter space for meal prep! But it does look like Ben and Erin will have to take a leap of faith each night to climb into bed! The end of their bed is right up against the entryway to the bedroom. (They can enjoy breakfast in bed literally every morning!)

Related: Home Town’s Ben and Erin Napier Risk it All on This $65,000 Blush Pink Craftsman

Valentine’s Day may just be one day, but Erin and Ben Napier of Home Town take a whole week to celebrate their anniversary in December. So while we don’t know what they have planned this year for Cupid’s day, we imagine it’s full of love letters and a whole lotta huggin’.

If you can believe it, while redesigning their Airstream, Erin and Ben also whipped up a chic little loft for empty nesters David and Taneia Sullivan. They already owned the unit when they came to Ben and Erin, but they wanted to renovate what had been an income property, and make it functional and cozy for their years as empty nesters. One of the unique features Erin created was a piece of DIY art over the fireplace, made from reclaimed wood found at David’s family’s property. It immediately caught the couple’s eyes, and they couldn’t believe its origin story!

The Sullivans invested $100,000 into their loft renovation, and the finished result was hip and inviting, the perfect space for parents who are free of their kids (as sweet as they may be) and ready to enjoy life as empty nesters. Erin gave the kitchen a fun and eye catching wallpaper but kept the cabinetry super simple to balance the pattern. They also removed a greenhouse from the roof, which gave them opportunity to add sliding doors to the walkout and increase the natural light in the space. The result is so beautiful, David and Taneia shouldn’t be surprised if their kids end up crashing at their so-called empty nest!

Read: This Vancouver Home Was Originally Two Apartments, Now It’s an Industrial Loft Dream