Many of my clients these days are down-sizing their homes. Maybe they’ve decided that the home they’ve raised their family in is now just too large for the two of them. Maybe they’re moving to a retirement complex, or assisted living. Whatever the reason, down-sizing can be challenging (but it doesn’t have to be!) Clients will generally tell me that they need my help because they don’t know what will fit in their new home, or how to arrange the furniture, or what they’ll need to rid themselves of.
In these cases I recommend that clients do 3 things:
1. Go through their home, and determine what pieces of their existing furniture they really love and which ones they could give away, donate to charity, or just chuck.
2. Consider how they will be living in their new space (will they be doing any entertaining or having overnight guests?) and make some notes.
3. Call me to see their existing space and favorite items. Then we take a look at their new home and determine together what will serve them well. I will often create floor plans so that when they move in, they can have the movers put everything in its place.
Although moving and down-sizing can be very stressful, it’s also a great opportunity to consider just what “stuff” is really meaningful and what can be let go of. It can be a very freeing feeling and offers clients a fresh start. A recent client was so excited that she’d be able to keep many of the upholstered items she thought she’d have to get rid of and loved how with the addition of some new pillows and rug her pieces got a new look!
