The Stunning Home Town Renovation That Converted A House Into A Restaurant

Sunday, April 23, was the premier of Season 2 of HGTV's "Home Town Takeover," starring Ben and Erin Napier. This season, they're tackling the town of Fort Morgan, Colorado, with help from Dave and Jenny Marrs of "Fixer to Fabulous." To celebrate new beginnings, let's take a look back at one of the Napier's most stunning remodels on "Home Town." In Season 4, Episode 16, they broke out of their comfort zone and transformed a house into a quaint restaurant for brothers Elliot and Connor Bell. The establishment is called the "Bird Dog Cafe," and it's still operating in Laurel, Mississippi.

When they first toured the property for the new cafe, the home was filled with rotting wood, old floors, and lots of junk that needed to be removed. Once they got rid of the old furniture, knocked down the walls, redid the floors, and repainted the trim a bold, red tone, the place was completely transformed into the rugged space the Bell brothers were hoping for. 

To make the restaurant personalized for the Bell brothers, Erin Napier asked local illustrator Adam Trest and the Prince Sign Company to create signs for the cafe. The bold logo and words were painted on old windows, which were hung above the kitchen. To match these signs, the Napiers also added a divider made out of old windows in the middle of the dining area, which hung down from the ceiling and featured rustic panels in white trim. They decided to add this divider because it created a more intimate and cozy feel instead of having the whole room completely open. 

The furniture they chose on either side of the divider is mismatched and eclectic, including things like a church pew and sewing machine tables that were built by the Bell's grandfather. Finally, to pay homage to the inspiration behind their cafe's name, local artist Mark Landis painted the Bell brothers a picture of their bird dog, Emmy Lou, which was hung on the wooden back wall. 

When it comes to the kitchen, Ben and Erin Napier made sure it was aesthetically in line with the rest of the space. To make it look masculine and unique, they included butcher block countertops, a natural wood wine holder, and deer antlers surrounded by framed photographs and pieces of artwork. And, if you've ever seen an episode of "Home Town" before, you know that Ben often includes something he's built, which he does with the counter outside of the kitchen that's made out of uneven wooden planks. 

When the Bell brothers step into the kitchen, they note that the Napiers made excellent use of the space. Elliot says, "It feels like more space than I was imagining," and Connor adds, "You could comfortably work four people in here." Further, Connor also says, "The big thing I like about it is the fact that you can stand in the kitchen and see every seat in the place because we wanna know that everybody's having the experience we want them to have" (via HGTV UK).