(A Love Letter to Slow Design—and Sanity)
By Jennifer Graff | The New Home Experts Las Vegas
When I bought my first home, I did what every first-time homeowner thinks they're supposed to do: I made a list. Not a cute, monogrammed to-do list either.
I’m talking about excel spreadsheets, vision boards and a Pinterest rabbit hole that nearly swallowed me whole.
Suddenly, every corner of the home was a “project.” The cabinets were too dark, the hardware too shiny and off-putting, the tile too... uninspired and dull. I wanted to gut the kitchen, rewire the lighting, tear out the floors—and ideally have it all done by the next long weekend.
But here’s the truth: homes, like relationships, need time.
And sometimes, the smartest thing you can do—is nothing. At least, not right away. Take a moment to live everyday life in your home and then decide where to start - what you want to do right away - and what, ultimately can be sidelined to a later date.
In a recent New York Times article that felt like it was written for the HGTV-recovering perfectionist in all of us, design experts from Portland to Pasadena echoed one golden rule:
Live in the home first. Then renovate.
Katie Elliott of Schoolhouse said it best: “It’s like dating someone. You need to date them before you live with them.” In other words, get to know your house. Wake up in it. Spill coffee on its countertops. Let it disappoint you a little. Let it surprise you.
Because when you move in, all you see are problems. But once you live in it—morning after morning, barefoot on its floors, cooking in its quirky little kitchen—you realize what matters most. And more importantly, what doesn’t.
Designers Maryana Grinshpun and Leonora Epstein agree: the best renovations come from lived-in frustration—not HGTV-inspired impulse. It’s the “gripes” that lead to greatness. The cabinet that always sticks. The lack of storage that drives you to Marie Kondo everything. The bathroom layout that only makes sense if you’ve mastered yoga.
In today’s market—especially here in Las Vegas, where fixer-uppers are finally back on the table at a discount—this advice hits differently. Zillow just reported that homes described as “needs TLC” or “has good bones” are selling for 7.3% less than their move-in ready counterparts. That’s a gap we haven’t seen in years.
So if you’ve been eyeing a home that’s not quite “there” yet, here’s your permission slip:
Buy it anyway. Just don’t rush to rip it apart.
Instead, start small. Paint a door. Swap a light fixture. Hang art you love. Lay down a rug that makes your morning coffee feel like a Parisian café. Let your home evolve with you.
Slow renovating—like slow fashion or slow cooked meal—isn’t just a trend. It’s a mindset. A rebellion against the idea that we must have it all, perfectly styled, yesterday.
As Katie Elliott puts it:
“It doesn’t ever have to be done. And maybe that’s overwhelming… but that can be freeing too, because nothing has to be precious.”
I’ll cheers to that!
Thinking about buying a home with ‘good bones’ in Las Vegas?
Let’s find something with a little character, a little potential, and a whole lot of style waiting to be revealed.
DM me. Let’s date a few houses before we commit.
Plus—don’t forget to grab my free relocation and lifestyle guides here.