The Kitchen Color Mistake That's All Too Common, According To Erin Napier

Design phenom Erin Napier is celebrated for her warm, slightly vintage, comfortable decor style. Combining old and new trends, Napier has a knack for creating unique spaces — and many turn to her for inspiration when it comes to kitchen decor and renovations. In a recent interview with Homes & Gardens, Napier shared her thoughts on design tips to keep in mind when redecorating a kitchen. 

When it comes to choosing a color for your kitchen, Napier says that the only true mistake you can make is failing to follow your heart — it's all about choosing a color that makes sense for your preferences, not those of design experts or potential future buyers. "Let's stop worrying about what other people think about our red kitchen or our green cabinets and just enjoy our spaces," said Napier.

The decor expert talked about an instance on her TV show, "Home Town," where she saw this ideology work out well. She said that one of the homeowners adored super-bold patterns and wanted to use them throughout her kitchen, even though she knew more neutral colors were typically recommended. "So many people watched that episode and said they could never live with a red kitchen, but in the end, all that mattered was that Iris loved it," Napier said.

In addition to sticking to your gut when it comes to making color choices for your kitchen, Erin Napier recommends kicking it old school and making a collage or vision board to help you bring your ideas to life before you start priming walls and tearing out cabinets. Actually moving the pieces you cut out can help you visualize your potential new kitchen in a way that a Pinterest board can't seem to quite touch. 

Napier also loves to blend vintage ideas (like scullery kitchens, which are making a huge comeback in 2025) and modern touches into kitchen renovations, allowing some nostalgia to be present while still enjoying sleek appliances. Napier says that butcher block countertops are back in a serious way — to the point where she's had to hire additional workers in her countertop-manufacturing factory. If you decide to go with the gorgeous vintage look of butcher block surfaces in your kitchen, be sure that you understand how to clean butcher block countertops the right way. She's also a serious fan of using glass inserts in kitchen cabinets to create a gorgeous dish and/or cookbook display area (remember, you don't have to glass-panel all of your kitchen cabinets — choosing to use glass paneling in a section of your kitchen can create an eye-catching focal point).