Our clients for this project originally lived in Highland Park. Their kids were grown, so they didn’t need to be in a school district anymore and wanted to downsize to another home in Dallas. After their house sold sooner than expected, they quickly found a 1960’s ranch style home and brought us in to update it. Almost all of the furniture and accessories were newly purchased by us. In this shot, you can see a mirrored console table, which adds extra storage.
More Americans than ever are looking to downsize for their next home purchase. Downsizing makes sense to people from all walks of life: empty-nesters, retirees, and people who are moving in with, or separating from, a significant other. This article is aimed at anyone who’s downsizing for the first time and looking for practical advice on where to begin.
Now that you know you want to downsize, start the process at least a month early. Decluttering can be an emotionally exhausting process, so pace yourself by focusing on just one room at a time. Starting early will give you time to pause and enjoy looking at old photos and travel mementos. You’ll also have time to research the true value of your collectibles and antiques.
If you’ve already found your next home, now’s a good time to walk through it with a tape measure to see which furniture can physically fit in each room. Everything you take with you to your next home should have a dedicated place for it. If you can, you may even want to mark off sections of your new home in tape to create a floor-plan ahead of time. Choose only the best of the best of your furniture to bring with you. If you are keeping your antique chairs, you can give them a fresher look by reupholstering them with modern fabrics. Almost any kind of furniture can be refreshed with either new upholstery or a new coat of paint.
We updated the upholstery on these antique Victorian chairs with a newer fabric that the clients owned. The chairs once belonged to the clients’ grandparents, and the new fabric was once used on the set of the Sex and the City movie.
A common downsizing tip is to sort your belongings into Yes, No, and Maybe piles. However, I would suggest you skip the Maybe pile. Maybe piles just create an extra chore for you later when you have to look at all those items a second time. An easy way to cut down on kitchen clutter is to identify your duplicates and get rid of them. If you don’t entertain large parties, you probably don’t need shelves and shelves of drinking glasses, or multiple sets of dishes.
Don’t get rid of useful items that you know you’d have to repurchase later, or nostalgic items that are important to you. A good way to narrow down your keepsakes is to ask yourself: if your house were on fire, what would you save? Your family members may want to take some sentimental items off your hands, so reach out to them to see if you get any takers. If you have adult children, give them a deadline to pick up their old things, or offer to ship them. Whatever you do, don’t let your next home become your children’s storage locker.
If you own an entrée table but won’t have a foyer in your next home, consider repurposing it as a breakfast table. This table we bought for our clients is actually an entrée table, but we decided to use it as a breakfast table instead.
Consider selling valuable items at consignment shops, a yard sale, or online. You can also bring your most valuable items to an auction house to see if they’re interested. Yard sales are good for moving items quickly. Online selling on eBay, Craigslist, etc. can yield higher returns, but is more of a time investment, as taking photos, packing items, and creating the listings will eat into your remaining time until moving day.
Of course, downsizing isn’t just about getting rid of things. It’s also about finding new furniture and storage solutions that work best in your new home. If you’re buying a new coffee table, try getting a glass-top coffee table that gives the illusion of extra room, rather than a bulky all-wood table. Free up space by choosing multi-purpose items whenever possible. Instead of having a guest bedroom, you can get a comfortable sofa-sleeper or an attractive daybed with a trundle bed.
The glass and acrylic game table next to this mirror fades into the background. A dark wood or metal table in the same spot would likely make the sitting area look too crowded. This game table can also double as an extra dining spot, making it a multi-purpose piece.
Downsizing is no easy task, but for many people, the results are worth it: a simpler lifestyle, less surface area to clean, less space for clutter to accumulate in, and lower utility bills. This is an opportunity to give your old things a fresh start, creating a new environment that you look forward to coming home to. If downsizing is in your future, I hope that this article can make your next move as stress-free as possible.
Some of our clients approach us for downsizing help because they’re looking for a second opinion on the items they’re bringing with them. If you, too, would like a professional eye to help you manage your downsizing project, call us at 214-232-9501, or email us at info@chambersinteriors.com to schedule a free consultation.