See How Erin and Ben Napier Turned Their Basement Into the Ultimate Play Area for Their Kids (with Swings!)

While many prefer to spend holiday time off on the couch in pajamas sipping hot cocoa, Erin and Ben Napier were still hard at work — just not for work. Rather, the Napiers tackled a DIY project in the basement of their farmhouse. And, as one would expect, the results are gorgeous. 

“We are very bad at resting,” Erin wrote in the caption of a December 23 Instagram post. “No renovating on #HGTVHomeTown this week for Christmas break, so what to do on the coldest day ever in our heated basement at the farm? Get started trying to make it something nice and not so scary so when the tornadoes come, the girls won’t be scared to hunker down in here.”

She added, “Day one of this little update and I feel like we made good progress!”

“If anyone can make a scary event comfortable it would be the two of you,” one comment read. And the Napiers did just that and then some.

Not only did Erin and Ben bring down two comfy Chesterfield sofas and dot the exposed-beam ceiling with warm string lights, but they also transformed half of the basement into a playroom for Helen and Mae, complete with swings, a dollhouse, a craft table lining a back wall, and a rug that mimics the color of grass. 

This place isn’t just a spot to wait out a potential tornado warning. It’s the ultimate playroom for every day of the week.

As Erin wrote, the pictures show the result of just one day of work. So with a few more weekends put into it, the basement is probably going to be magazine-worthy by the time the Napiers are finished with it.

More update photos, please and thank you!