Quote Of The Day By Karen E. Laine: 'There Are No Flaws. Those Are Charming Idiosyncrasies...'

If you're an HGTV fan, you probably already know about Karen E. Laine. She's a TV star known for her eight seasons co-starring on "Good Bones" on HGTV along with her daughter, Mina Starsiak Hawk. The show focused on the mother-daughter duo's home flipping business in Indiana, winning over the hearts of millions of viewers between 2016 and 2023. Quickly enough, "Good Bones" became one of the network's top real estate shows.

Before becoming a home renovator, Laine was an attorney. She and her daughter learned DIY techniques while renovating an office space she purchased for her private practice. The two became so good at their craft that they opened a business, Two Chicks and a Hammer, in 2008 to renovate homes in the region. The duo was hired by HGTV to launch their own show, which followed their business around as they rehabilitated rundown houses. Although the show ended in 2023, Laine is still recognized as an inspiring voice in the world of DIY home renovations, and that's why Laine is today's quote of the day.

The full quote reads: "There are no flaws. Those are charming idiosyncrasies... Look at what you think of as a flaw — perhaps your windows aren't centered on a wall — and we can create balance without symmetry by how we place furniture, art, floor lamps, or plants. You can create a room that feels like it has a good flow and is balanced."

This quote comes from an exclusive interview Karen E. Laine gave to House Digest in 2023, which was conducted ahead of the eighth and final regular season of "Good Bones." Before heading into retirement, this was a chance for the lawyer-turned-renovator to tell readers about her philosophy when it comes to home renovations, and maybe inspire some to take a similar approach. She was asked about the common problems that homeowners might overlook when assessing the viability of a fixer-upper, and about ways in which homeowners can embrace the property they already have — even if it has flaws.

As always, Laine's responses were full of wisdom. Over the course of her career, Laine has had to deal with tons of homes, all of which came with their own set of "charming idiosyncrasies." 

With "charming idiosyncrasies," Karen E. Laine uses language that's reminiscent of how you might see a loved one. Maybe your friend is forgetful, but it's a lovable little quirk that makes re-watching movies a more fun experience because they're surprised at every plot twist. Similarly, you can look at an oddly placed window and think "hey, that's an opportunity for a little reading nook." It's a way to look at flaws differently, embracing them instead of working against them. 

Doing the opposite can hinder renovations and design projects, locking you in a closed mentality where certain features of the home are seen as ugly obstacles and nothing else. Laine encourages us to be graceful instead of fixating on small details. When it comes to making renovations, this approach will lead to better results, whether it's at home or in a flip house. 

It makes sense for someone like Laine to have this mindset. If she only looked at homes in terms of flaws, she wouldn't be able to transform such old and rundown properties. Looking at it cohesively and trying to make the most out of small, awkward details is what allowed her to have such a successful run renovating homes.

Next time you're working on home design projects, keep this in mind. For example, if there's an awkward visible beam that you dislike, stop trying to hide it with paint. Instead, make it part of the decor and embrace an industrial farmhouse aesthetic. Or, if there's a wall in your home that's too weak to carry heavy cabinetry, why not turn it into a beautiful gallery wall using Command Strips?

• "Landscaping is the first thing that tells a potential buyer whether or not anyone cares about the house. You don't have to spend a lot of money to let people know that we paid attention to everything that a potential buyer might need, starting with what kind of curb appeal does your house have." — from a 2023 House Digest interview
• "I grew up in a family where we did everything ourselves. So being self-reliant has been part of my nature. It never dawned on us that we couldn't do it." — from a 2019 USA Today interview 
• "That's the problem with doing business with family, is that it's not just business. It's not. All the family stuff gets brought into the business and so things that don't belong in the business become emotional triggers for business decisions." — from a 2025 interview with Ryan Tamson
• "The difference between what we do and flipping is really philosophical. When you're flipping a house, what you try to do is put in as little money as possible and make as much profit. [...] Our motivation is to rehabilitate neighborhoods in our city where we live. So we try to find the worst house on the block, turn it into the best house on the block, and then try to do it a few more times, and it changes the whole neighborhood." — from a 2020 interview on "The Tamron Hall Show" 
• "I don't think there should be trends in homes because homes are functional, and the form should follow the function, and they should be beautiful for the person who lives in them. We have trends so people keep buying things, but why?" — from a 2022 PopCulture interview