I Moved And Gemini Helped In Surprising Ways — But The Final Touch Is Missing

Ryan Haines / Android Authority

I’m in the process of moving into my brand-new apartment, and honestly, the whole experience has been stressful, to say the least. Between trying to decipher all the legal paperwork tied to my real estate purchase and figuring out how to decorate the space so it doesn’t feel cramped or tacky, there have been a lot of challenges to overcome.

Thankfully, I wasn’t alone in this. I had the help of my good friend, AI. I found myself leaning heavily on Gemini for the vast majority of issues I ran into, although I did switch over to NotebookLM for one specific, very important task.

Simplifying legal lingo

Andy Walker / Android Authority

The paperwork involved with my real estate purchase was daunting — over a hundred pages, much of it filled with dense legal jargon that was incredibly hard to understand. This is where AI really helped me out.

For most of my document-related questions, I turned to Gemini. I could upload the files and ask specific questions about clauses or terms that confused me. For example, the warranty policy wasn’t clearly spelled out; it just referenced specific laws. Gemini was a lifesaver here. With a quick query, it explained the relevant laws and patiently answered all my follow-up questions, clarifying exactly what was covered and for how long.

However, for deep dives into the entire document set, I switched to NotebookLM. Its ability to work within a defined set of sources made it perfect for this. I created a dedicated notebook containing all the documents related to my purchase. Whenever a question popped into my head — whether legal or just practical — NotebookLM could scan my documents and provide the answer in seconds. This saved me an incredible amount of time; otherwise, I’d easily have spent half an hour or more digging through those 100+ pages trying to find a single piece of information. The peace of mind knowing I could quickly verify details was invaluable.

Gemini acted like my personal design consultant. It offered advice on everything from color schemes that would work well in my specific lighting conditions to maintaining visual balance and proportions between adjacent furniture items — like ensuring a large closet didn’t completely overpower the chest of drawers next to it.

Gemini was my personal design consultant.

It also helped with practical spatial planning, suggesting things like the minimum comfortable distance needed between the kitchen counter and the dining room table in my relatively narrow space, and advising on the right rug dimensions to anchor the living area without overwhelming it. I used a 3D home design planner tool to visualize these recommendations, and I have to say, the layout really came together beautifully thanks to Gemini’s input.

Illuminating advice on lighting

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority

Then there’s lighting — another surprisingly complex subject if you’re not familiar with the technicalities. I had to figure out and understand the difference between lumens (brightness) and kelvins (color temperature), and what could potentially work for me. Planning the perfect lighting across an entire apartment, especially considering different needs (brighter, whiter light in the kitchen for visibility vs. warmer, mellower light in the bedroom for relaxation), felt overwhelming.

Gemini stepped in here too. It easily calculated how many lumens I’d likely need for specific areas based on their size and function, suggested appropriate brightness levels (kelvin ranges) for different rooms, and more. It even helped me understand the ins and outs of the IKEA smart home lighting system I was considering — explaining how it works, giving an idea of the costs involved, and even estimating the potential impact on my electricity bill.

Before having an AI assistant like Gemini, I would have spent hours Googling, sifting through dozens of articles and forum posts, and likely still ending up with unanswered questions or conflicting advice.

Unfortunately, various minor defects were also part of my “brand new” real estate experience, and having Gemini provide quick summaries of my rights based on the legal documents (like warranty clauses) was incredibly helpful when communicating with the developer.

Taking it a step further: Floor plan analysis

Rushil Agrawal / Android Authority

Feeling ambitious, I took things up a notch by providing Gemini with the actual floor plan of my apartment and asking for furniture positioning advice. I was genuinely impressed with the suggestions.

The AI recommended practical ideas like “zoning” my living room. Since it’s part of an open-plan area combining living, dining, and kitchen, Gemini suggested using furniture arrangement and possibly a rug to visually separate the living space and make it feel more distinct. Given that my main living area is long and relatively narrow, it also smartly suggested using mirrors to create an illusion of spaciousness and opting for lighter-colored furniture to enhance that airy feeling.

Some of these tips I might have come across eventually, but Gemini definitely sparked ideas I hadn’t considered and helped confirm some of my own instincts.

What I wish Gemini could do next

Robert Triggs / Android Authority

While I thoroughly appreciated Gemini’s help throughout this process, the experience also highlighted areas where I wished AI could do even more.

The dream feature? Uploading my floor plan and having Gemini generate an interactive 3D model of the apartment. Imagine an AI that could then automatically suggest decoration schemes based on personal preferences (style, color, budget) and allow you to modify everything down to the smallest detail within that virtual space. I ended up using HomeStyler to create my 3D model and plan the layout, which was fun but definitely a time-consuming process. If Gemini had this capability built-in, it would have saved me hours and made the visualization process seamless.

It still feels a bit like science fiction, but I truly believe we’ll get to that point sooner rather than later. An AI that can not only advise but also visualize and implement design ideas in a virtual space? That will be a game-changer for anyone setting up a new home.