Slow and Steady Wins the Renovation Race
I have spent the best part of the last year making my home renovation my entire personality. Why, you ask? Because it’s taken over my and my husband’s entire lives – and we’re only about 40% complete. And I know that sounds rather negative, but in fact, I’m about to tell you that a slow renovating has truly been a blessing in disguise.
Now I want to preface this by saying I’m extremely privileged to be in the position I’m in. We’re currently a year into our second full-gut renovation project that’s in our dream location and will become our dream home. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that renovating a house is hard and it’s a long, expensive, and all-consuming journey.
In a world of instant makeovers and Pinterest-perfect interiors, it’s no wonder as a society we’re obsessed with quick fixes and instant results in all aspects of life, including renovating. But whether you’re short on budget, time, or both, it can be hard to transform your home the moment you turn the key. So, I’m making a case for Slow Renovating. Welcoming a newfound appreciation for the deliberate, the thoughtful, and the joyful journey of creating a home that tells a story, evolves naturally, and minimizes decision fatigue. Let’s get into it.
The Benefits of a Slow and Mindful Approach
We’re so accustomed to seeing quick home makeovers on social media and TV with instant results and it can often make us and our homes feel like we aren’t keeping up. But, unless you’re immune to lead times, have an endless budget, and have a team of contractors on speed dial, creating a home just as you want it requires a lot of thought, love, money, and time. Years even.
Slow renovating is the antithesis of snap-your-fingers, quick-turnaround, interior design trend led decorating. It’s all about taking the time to pause and appreciate the process of renovating, decorating, and designing gradually. And while “slow” can easily just refer to the pace at which you’re completing a home reno, it also alludes to a greater intention with the process.
‘Forget the pressure of instant gratification. Slow renovating allows you to enjoy the process, leading to a home that truly reflects your soul,’ explains interior designer Emily Brown, founder of Emily Lauren Interiors. ‘Unlike the rushed, often regretted choices of trendy fixes, slow design offers many benefits.’
Combating Decision Fatigue
As someone living in a home mid-reno, I’ve got one solid piece of advice to give you: decision fatigue is real, and it’s incredibly stressful. Imagine you’re standing in a room with the roof taken off, no walls, and no floor, and a builder asks you to choose where to put your light switches… How, you think, am I supposed to decide that right now? Times that by how many rooms you have and suddenly you’re extremely overwhelmed.
‘Thousands of choices, from ceiling treatments to countertops to base trim, can be overwhelming,’ agrees Emily Brown. ‘Slow renovating combats decision fatigue. Breathe, explore, and choose with confidence. Good design takes time, but the reward is a space that tells your story,’ she adds.
Tom Rutt, founder of TR Studios, highlights the toll of rapid decision-making during renovations. ‘Design fatigue is a real thing!’ agrees Tom. ‘If you’re renovating and feeling overwhelmed with the thousands of decisions you need to make each day, perhaps try one room at a time so you can close the door on that room and open it to another when you’ve gained back your energy.’
Slow renovating can offer a respite from the choices that often accompany such projects. By taking the time to consider each decision, from sockets and switches to furniture placement, you can help to significantly reduce decision fatigue.
Living in the Space
Taking things slower has forced me to have to live in our house as is, truly taking in every space – at every time of day, and in every light – to understand how we will really use it day-to-day. This is also super important because I think we can all be a little bit guilty of designing a home or room based on who we aspire to be (like someone who regularly bakes) and curating a space that isn’t actually tailored to our fast-paced lives in reality.
‘Time spent in your space allows you to understand its strengths and challenges, which guides us towards solutions that truly matter, not just surface-level decoration,’ explains Emily Brown. By taking the time to live in and observe the nuances of different spaces, you can uncover the unique function and feeling of the room.
‘Spend time in the house to learn about how the sun interacts with it – where morning light hits and where you can relax in the late summer sun,’ advises Tom Rutt. ‘Design around these elements and you will truly make the most of the space.’ It’s also afforded me time to evolve plans, the longer we live in a room the more I realize that it would be nice to have a coffee nook in that unused yet sunny corner, or wall sconces on either side of the range hood.
Celebrating the Details
Personally, one of my biggest takeaways from my renovation journey is to always sweat the small stuff. Sure the big purchases like your kitchen cabinets, built-in storage, and bathroom sanitaryware are all important and impactful, but it’s the small details that pack a punch in interior design.
In the rush for instant results, these smaller details like fabrics, hardware, trim detailing, or lighting plans can easily be overlooked. But with slow renovating, you’re able to celebrate these subtleties that make a space really unique.
‘Prioritize the rooms and pieces that are essential for your day-to-day living and choose with care,’ explains Simon Temprell, interior design lead at Neptune. ‘Then take time to choose colors that you have tested at all times of the day and night, and consider every small detail such as the right door handle or light switch. We often miss these small details because we are so busy looking at the overall design,’ he adds.
The magic of slow renovating lies in its ability to shift the spotlight onto the often-sacrificed intricacies of design.
A Lifestyle, Not a Deadline
Slow renovating is a lifestyle, an intentional approach to transforming our homes that invites you to appreciate every step of the process. It’s about getting lost in the joy of the small details, being more mindful, and curating a home that tells your story.
‘I always say that there’s no one right timeline for renovating or refreshing your home. The ultimate goal is for you to love the space, and slowing the process down a bit is a smart way to ensure that you make more confident decisions and maximize your budget,’ says designer Kathy Kuo. ‘A slower renovation process is often helpful for gaining clarity about things you thought were essential but maybe can actually do without, or vice versa, to recognize any areas you may have overlooked in your initial plans and now want to prioritize.’
So, what do you think? Do you prefer a slow, considered renovation after all? Whether you like to move quickly or don’t mind taking things slower to better asses your time, budget, and goals, remember creating a beautiful home takes time. And by embracing a mindful approach with ABC Home, you can transform your house into a sanctuary that truly reflects your unique style and personality.
