The Old School Technique HGTV's Erin Napier Uses To Inspire Kitchen Decor Ideas

The digital world of Pinterest makes things move faster, allowing ideas to come together with just a few clicks. While this makes it super-easy to curate a vibe for your kitchen, the best ideas take time. Erin Napier, co-host of HGTV's "Home Town," has been going old school when it comes to kitchen inspiration, ditching on-screen methods and using cut-and-paste collages to develop ideas for creating her personal culinary haven. 

In a viral Instagram video, Napier shows herself alongside her daughter, Helen, as they create collages with old "Cottage Living" magazines. Taking a step back from screens and actually cutting and pasting photos together can help you assemble a look that's truly your own, rather than grabbing inspiration from a kitchen designed to fit the aesthetic preferences of a fellow home decor Pinterest board owner.

Making a bespoke design board of your home or kitchen decor desires is simple. Grab some old magazines, a pair of scissors, a glue stick, a large piece of poster board, and go to town. Feel free to remove or add items as your tastes change, and don't forget to snap a photo of your board for inspiration before you hit your favorite home decor stores.

Erin Napier is known for her "grandmillenial" style, which combines vintage and modern elements for a look that can't be copied. To embody Napier's old-and-new style, you can add vintage touches like old school picture frames, braided rugs, and patterned curtains to bring past decades to life in your kitchen.

One of the easiest ways to bring vintage charm into your modern kitchen is by using freestanding furniture, which brings flexibility and old school charm. When choosing vintage furniture inspiration for your design board, follow Napier's lead and choose pieces that were built to stand the test of time rather than simply opting for big-box store kitchen furniture items that have vintage style elements.

Napier told House Beautiful that she's a big fan of butcher block countertops, a heritage design that's back in a big way (of course, you'll want to know how to properly clean a butcher block countertop before you add one to your kitchen decor design board). Another old school trend Napier loves to add to her designs: a kitchen scullery — everyone should have one when space permits. A scullery is a just-off-the-kitchen room for work only (think a pots-and-pans storage space with a sink for washing dishes) that allows the rest of the kitchen to serve as a more social area. If you have the room for it, including a scullery on your kitchen design board can give you the space you need to make your kitchen into a vintage-yet-modern hang-out spot for guests to gather.