The Crib Ben Napier Made For Daughter Helen Became The Sweetest Hand-Me-Down
Prior to welcoming his second daughter Mae in May 2021, Ben Napier spoke with Country Living about fatherhood and the surprising parallels he's found between woodworking and parenting—a relationship illustrated by the crib he made for his firstborn Helen.
The Home Town star shared that he's always been fascinated not just by antiques, but the stories behind them as well. "The way furniture reflected how people lived and worked," he explained.
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"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," he recalled to Country Living.
The solid oak crib that then also held the couple's second daughter was revealed for the first time in 2018, during the episode "Room to Grow" from Home Town season two.
"It's the most beautiful thing you've ever built," a teary-eyed Erin told Ben. "Everything about it is perfect."
"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 told Country Living. "Just like each life lesson helps build a person's character, meaningful details can add character to furniture, too."
The talented woodworker went on to explain the significance of some of the smallest details of the crib.
"Helen's crib has bobbin turnings on the legs inspired by Erin's childhood bed, a Jenny Lind," Ben said. "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."
How sweet is that, y'all?
