Home Town is back on HGTV with new episodes, and it's just the heartwarming viewing we need now. In the latest episode, Ben and Erin Napier helped out their friend Dr. Amanda Cooley, who runs Unlimited Dreams Christian Learning Center in Laurel. Dr. Cooley was in search of a house that she could use for her school, but she wanted it to be a cozy space for her 100+ students.
Ben and Erin found the perfect home and got to work updating it to fit Dr. Cooley's needs by creating an office, a library, classrooms, a quiet room, cafetorium, and a commercial kitchen, all filled with light and color.
Erin based the library off of her Scent Library but with a fun and playful twist. The bookshelves (pained Adieu by Valspar) were stacked with books for the schoolchildren, and the school's first graduate helped Ben build the tables. Dr. Cooley was brought to tears by the reveal and Erin stated, "This is my favorite room I have ever been in, maybe."
Erin shared photos from the renovation on Instagram, and the library raised a common question from HGTV fans. Why do home renovation shows always turn the books so the spines are facing the wall? Well, it's a legal issue. One viewer noticed that the school library showcased the books with spines facing out and wrote, "And this may be the first time you haven’t turned all the books around, hiding the spines. 🙂" Erin hopped in the comments section to reply, "somehow we got permission from the legal folks!" Another commenter chimed in to explain, "It's a copyright issue. Normally, you'd have to pay royalties to use a book, but libraries have some exceptions to the law."
Fellow HGTV star Jenny Marrs joined in the conversation, writing, "@erinapier but how?! 😆🙌 So amazing! I love the space and the mission of this school! Bravo, friend! 👏"
The emotional episode is a must-watch. If you missed it, watch Home Town on Max. New episodes air on Sunday nights on HGTV.
Katie Bowlby is Digital Director at Country Living, where she covers pop culture news including country music, Yellowstone, and all things HGTV, plus gift guides and product reviews. She has been with Country Living for more than 11 years. Before that, she worked for Southern Living. The Indiana University grad also stitches up the cross-stitch pattern for every issue of the magazine.
