Ben Napier Built His Daughter’s Crib as a Sweet Tribute to His Wife Erin

When Erin and Ben Napier’s first daughter Helen entered the world in 2018, Ben knew he wanted to surprise Erin with a handmade crib. The HGTV “Home Town” stars appear on the cover of Country Living’s June 2021 issue, and in their interview, Ben notes that he was greatly inspired by a piece of furniture from Erin’s own childhood — a “Jenny Lind” bed.

“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,” Ben told Country Living. “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. 

Ben noted that Helen’s crib features “bobbin turnings” on the legs, which are a direct inspiration taken from Erin’s childhood Jenny Lind bed. “Just like each life lesson helps build a person’s character, meaningful details can add character to furniture, too,” Ben said, explaining, “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.” If that isn’t the cutest coincidence ever…

In 2018, Ben told HGTV that he used quarter-sawn white oak to make the crib, “because nothing but the best for my baby,” he explained. “It’ll be something that, the longer we have it in the family, the better it’ll be.”

With baby number two on the way, the crib is well on its way to getting major Napier-family mileage.