Any move is going to be somewhat traumatic for many, but a downsizing move will be all the more so, because of the changes in lifestyle that it may require and of course the need to deal with all of your excess stuff – the accumulated treasures and debris of 20-30-40 years of homeownership. Here’s some good advice from a recent MSN.com article on downsizing By Christopher Solomon of MSN Real Estate. Read the entire article at www.tinyurl.com/cxlhup. Christopher deals with some of the lifestyle issues in the article that won’t be covered here. I wanted to focus upon his advice about dealing with the stuff issue. What to take — and what to leave.
If you need some not-so-gentle advice about whether to take that La-Z-Boy to the new house, Author Lauri Ward, owner of the New York- and Florida-based decorating and interior design firm Use What You Have, and author of “Downsizing Your Home with Style: Living Well In a Smaller Space, has broken down furniture and furnishings into three categories: Always take it, sometimes take it, never take it. Here’s her advice:
Always take it with you:
Anything that has storage in it.
Pairs of lamps; they add balance.
Ottomans; create cozy spaces.
Armless sofas, or ones with lower arms, to make the room feel more spacious. ("Here's a handy rhyme to help you remember: 'Keep a sofa with chairs, or love seats in pairs,' " says Ward.)
Bookcases; they're visually interesting; they hold lots of stuff, and they can make great room dividers.
Mirrors; they make a places appear brighter and bigger; lean it on a wall opposite good light and a view, and a mirror will reflect both and make a place feel larger.
Furniture on wheels or casters; it adds flexibility.
Nesting tables or furniture that stacks.
Sometimes take it with you:
Love seats.
Small desks or writing tables; they can often be used in a kitchen or a guest room.
Modular seating; it can be reconfigured, or even broken up and used in different rooms.
Throw pillows; if they're in good condition and work well with the color scheme, they can add comfort and a visual interest.
Ceiling fans, so long as they hug the ceiling close.
Never take these with you:
Unloved books.
Extraneous bric-a-brac.
Artwork that's not beloved.
Small, never-used appliances.
Doubles of anything.
Square or rectangular glass coffee tables; they're too bulky, says Ward.
Sofas more than 96 inches in length.
Big plants and potted trees.
Unused pianos or other instruments.
Worn rugs, except expensive Orientals.
Tired stuff: old audio gear, incomplete dishes, old magazines, worn-out bedding, tax records and receipts more than seven years old.
A lot of that advice is good for any type of move. A good part of why we end up with so much stuff over time is not throwing out stuff when we move And then never using it again. When my wife and I moved to Milford in 1999, we discovered boxes at our old house that we had moved to Michigan from Indiana in 1978 and never unpacked. We finally concluded that we really didn’t need to keep any of that stuff and pitched in for the latest move.
So, I guess one of the things to plan, when planning for a downsizing move is one huge garage sale to get rid of your excess stuff. And whatever is left over give away, do not haul it back into the house. I’ve seen too many sad examples of basements packed floor to ceiling with unused and excess stuff, just because the owners couldn’t bring themselves to part with it. I hear things like, “Well I’m going to give it to my kids.” Your kids don’t want your old stuff, unless you have some really valuable antiques or a few family heirlooms. If you hold on to all of that stuff until you die, you just make the process of them getting rid of it and selling the house that much more difficult. Get rid of it now!
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