HGTV's Ben Napier Explains the Sweet Story Behind the Crib He Made for Daughter Helen

Presenting... the June 2021 cover of Country Living magazine, featuring Erin and Ben Napier! The stars of HGTV's Home Town (and now Home Town Takeover) are expecting their second child very soon, and before he becomes a father of two Ben took some time to chat about the unexpected parallels between parenting and woodworking.

Read the full story below, and pick up a copy of the June issue for more heartfelt (and hilarious) celebrations of fatherhood! On newsstands everywhere May 11.

Parenting is its own kind of craftsmanship.

"My parents are both United Methodist ministers, and while I grew up doing little projects around the church or parsonage, it wasn’t until college that I started woodworking and building furniture. I was studying history and had always been drawn to the stories behind antiques, the way furniture reflected how people lived and worked. On our TV shows, I get to design pieces I hope people will keep and pass on, so when my wife, Erin, and I found out we were having our daughter, Helen, I wanted to make a crib that would become a family heirloom.

Building my firstborn’s crib was special on so many levels. It was a culmination of the love I have for my wife, of becoming a father, and the chance to check a new type of furniture off my bucket list. Just like each life lesson helps build a person’s character, meaningful details can add character to furniture, too. Helen’s crib has bobbin turnings on the legs inspired by Erin’s childhood bed, a Jenny Lind. The Jenny Lind bed is an iconic piece of furniture named after the famous singer, who was said to prefer sleeping in beds with bobbin turnings during hotel stays. While Helen has now moved on to a big-girl bed, her favorite movie is The Greatest Showman, which is, funny enough, about Jenny Lind."

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