Downsizing to an apartment takes thought and effort. In our last article, we talked about choosing an intended aesthetic first so you could easily determine what to take, what to part with, and what you would need to replace.
What Should We Take?
Determining what you should take with you when downsizing should be relatively simple. If you love it, it should definitely go on the list of things to take. Additionally, if it serves a specific function, it should go with you. After that, if it can be parted with, it probably should get a second thought.
The specific items we wanted to take included:
- Leather dining chairs (link below)
- Small console table (similar link below)
- Two wall mirrors
- Small arm chair (link below)
- Side table (link below)
- Various lamps
We loved these items and knew they would be the perfect size for a small living arrangement. We had owned them for years and were certain of their function, form, and staying power.
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What Should We Leave Behind?
Knowing the dimensions of your new space is an absolute must. This insures you won’t take items that are too large, or too small in scale. Knowing your personal limitations, is also an absolute must.
When we assessed our furniture, we knew there were specific pieces we would not be taking with us.
- Our bedroom furniture
- Our leather sofa
- Two oversized arm chairs
- Dining room furniture
- King size bed
This decision came from our desire to take items we could easily move ourselves. We didn’t want to rely on movers every time we were ready to relocate. That meant that our items needed to be light weight enough, and manageable enough for us to move ourselves.
Our bedroom furniture was solid cherry and extremely heavy. It was very large in scale and it wouldn’t suit our needs in the future. These were items we decided would not go with us. The bedroom furniture would be something we would sell.
Our leather sofa was nearly twenty years old. It was large and heavy and we knew we couldn’t move it without help. Since it did not fit our design aesthetic we decided to sell it.
Our dining furniture, oversized chairs, and king size bed took a little more thought. They were light enough for us to move but we weren’t certain if we would want or need them in the future. We decided to sell the side chairs, and store the bed and dining furniture.
Each Decision Moves You One Step Forward
With each decision for every item, we were one step closer to knowing what we had, what we would take, and what we would need. Our next decision would involve what items we wanted to keep, but needed to store. Would we need climate controlled storage? Could we self-store? What options were available to us.
Stay tuned for the next conversation where we’ll tackle storage and self-movable furniture options. If you missed the first part of the conversation, you can read it here.
Are you downsizing soon? What items are YOU keeping, selling, storing, or replacing?
I love how you approach these topics. Thanks for making it understandable!