Home Town, Season Two: The Ponder House
Erin and Ben are undoubtedly the most thoughtful people when it comes to design and staying true to the homeowner’s practical needs and individualistic taste— last night’s episode of Home Town proved to be no exception!
Luke Ponder, a local minister in Laurel, expressed how his biggest inspirations are his love for hiking, fly fishing and baseball. He even has an amazing collection of vintage vinyl and an impressive library of books that had never been unpacked since he moved from apartment to apartment frequently. While Luke serves the community, he loves cooking vegetables from his garden but hadn’t had a proper kitchen in years.
The son of a minister himself, Ben was also in ministry for a decade and Erin dove right in with him to be a support system so this episode was important for them give back to a minister and man who has rarely treated himself in his life, always being frugal so he could give more to things outside himself.
Ben and Erin went above and beyond to spoil him for once!
Before:
After:
The exterior of the home was painted a deep teal blue, along with the cream colored windows, trim, railing and columns. The shutters (or the “eyebrows” as Erin would say) were painted a navy blue to create depth in the colorway.
The Living Room:
Erin & Ben wanted the living room to be an ode to Luke’s love for the outdoors and antiques. Erin noted that almost all of the furniture was his, as his family were antiques dealers and it fit his new home so well!
While most people would have envisioned this room as the formal dining room, Erin and Ben honed in on practical ways for Luke to get the most out of this large space. They instead designed built-in bookcases that became the focal point for this room. The shelving was practical for his impressive book and vinyl library. Erin & Ben created a space that just made sense for the homeowner and it looked stunning! We’re betting this might be the best room of the house, but we’ll let you decide...
The Kitchen:
If you thought it couldn’t get better, wait ’til you see this. For the kitchen, Erin and Ben had Davis & Cooke build custom cabinetry to replicate the existing lowers below the window so the original cabinetry became a feature in the kitchen.
Our favorite part of the kitchen were the matching AGA stove and refrigerator. Styled to look vintage, the kitchen was an open, updated space that Luke couldn’t wait to get into!
The Back Porch:
Ben and Erin created the perfect back porch for Luke to prep fresh vegetables. The Scotsman Co. potting bench was a custom piece that Ben designed perfectly to fit that space without overcrowding the cozy back porch. We can’t get over how beautiful it is!
Erin & Ben gave one more beautiful surprise to Ponder. While it’s very subtle throughout the episode, Luke reveals that he’s colorblind and that he’s never been able to enjoy much of the color spectrum. Erin and Ben gift him glasses that help those with color blindness and instantly, the entire house came to life. His new home was vibrant with bold colors and with the glasses, he got to see and revel in every single one of them. He looked at the watercolor painting of his new home and said, “a home… looks like somebody belongs there, like I belong there. Casa de Lucas!” We’re beyond happy for Luke and his new home and a place to belong.
See all Ben's wood furniture from Scotsman Co. right here and be sure to tune in next Monday to see another episode of HGTV Home Town!
All photos are property of HGTV.
