Home Town, Season Two: The Campbell House
To whomever was watching last week’s episode of Home Town, we can all agree that it was impossible to not fall in love the bubbly and strong woman that is Miss Pearl. Originally from Laurel, Ms, she moved away to venture and live life elsewhere. Years later, she found herself longing for home (as most do!)
Pearl is a blossoming, 70-something, charismatic entertainer and divine cook who runs The Pearl Diner, along with her two sons. You can find her restaurant nestled on the corner of Oak and Magnolia Street in Downtown Laurel, within walking distance of Laurel Mercantile Co. (Thank goodness!)
Her life is centered around the folks and visitors that find themselves walking the streets of Downtown, and we all know that she’s been busy when her customers walk into our store full of southern fried chicken and ready for an afternoon snooze.
Miss Pearl was as lovely on television as she is in person. Her budget for her dream home was outlandish to most who live outside than the southern regions of Mississippi. But around here, $85,000 is completely doable. Ben and Erin used every penny to bring her dreams to life!
Miss Pearl’s dream home would allow her to easily walk to her church, her business, and her family. So it’s not surprise that Erin and Ben honed in on her most important values of home, created a place she can cook and entertain that she can enjoy for years to come.
Erin and Ben used the exterior of her new home to boldly depict her vibrant personality. With a few coats of Acacia Haze by Sherwin Williams on the body of the home, and Erin's personal favorite Dover White on the trim, the front door and trim, painted Sunset by Sherwin Williams, became the focal point on this "cream sickle house."
The Living Room:
Painted a Bella Grove Valley Fog with Dover White trim, Erin designed a blank canvas to be filled with color and vibrance. She used yellow and blue accents along with paintings of various artists from the Caron Gallery. This room is as welcoming as Miss Pearl.
The Master Suite:
Because every hardworking lady needs a space to call her own, Ben and Erin gave Miss Pearl a place to gain rest and to fall into bed after a long day at The Pearl Diner. Feminine, colorful, and floral was the approach here. The walls were painted Rice Grain by SW and complimented with neutral and bold prints and original artwork.
The Master Bathroom:
What was once an inconvenient and awkward space for guests to venture to the bathroom is now a dream. Ben put all of his efforts into renovating this bathroom to make it functional and beautiful. He included wainscoting to cover the damaged bead board on the lower half of the walls.
Ben and Erin changed the floor plan of this room entirely. They created an appropriate space for Miss Pearl by installing a standing shower and creating a private, adjacent space for the other half of the bathroom. This sliding door was genius to use for such close quarters. It saves space and was cheap to install (even without instructions!)
Our favorite part was seeing Erin create art in the most unexpected part of the bathroom-- the floor! (We were impressed with her work since she was eight months pregnant at the time.) Using simple painter's tape, she created an argyle pattern to make these wooden floors the centerpiece of this room.
The Dining Room and Kitchen:
Originally two, individual rooms, now an open space to laugh, cook and join in if necessary! An essential part of the new design of this space was to center the family around the kitchen. Being the devout cook that she is, Miss Pearl needed an accessible space to fit her cooking stye. Jesse and Ben built her a Scotsman Co. island complete with the metal surface to make things easy to clean, like the kitchen at Miss Pearl's Diner.
This modular and accessible pegboard display is functional and fun for Miss Pearl. She can customize her kitchen and change out the tools with every season. She can have her rolling pins, pie plates and measuring cups in the summer and ladles for soups and skillets for cornbread in the winter. She can spend less time searching for her supplies and more time cooking for the ones she loves.
We can't wait to taste what she'll create in her new kitchen, and see what Erin and Ben will cook up next!
Be sure to watch HGTV Home Town every Monday night at 9|8ct.
Get a taste of Pearl's Diner here.
