When downsizing from a house to an apartment, there are a lot of decisions to make. What gets kept? Which items get sold versus which items get donated? Do you want to pay to have things put into long-term storage? If you’re storing them, are you even using them? And if you’re not ‘using’ them, why pay to store them? If you’re thinking of downsizing, here are a few things to keep in mind.
A personal example:
When we decided to make our first move, we lived in a fairly large house. Well, it was large to us; four bedrooms, three and one half bathrooms, 3,864 square feet. Our apartment was much less than that, coming in at two bedrooms, two bathrooms and 1,300 square feet.
We had some important questions to answer: They aren’t that different from the ones above.
- Which of our possessions would we take?
- Which possessions would we donate, sell, or discard?
- Which possessions would we store?
- What would our design aesthetic be?
- What furniture could serve multiple purposes?
- How could we do this as inexpensively as possible?
- How could we embrace apartment living?
Step One: Determine Your Aesthetic
It may seem an unimportant place to start, but knowing your design aesthetic, or design style from the start helps answer other, more important questions. It sets your color palette, your furniture style, and determines simple things like what color bath towels to take, or purchase.
We knew our design aesthetic would consist of a basic neutral color palette. With a neutral backdrop, our accessories, seasonal decor, and extras could take center-stage. It also meant those extras could pack a more powerful punch with a smaller design footprint.
For example, our color palette consisted of:
- gray
- tan or beige (greige)
- black and white
- navy and olive green
- amber
- wood tones
- mixed metals (black, nickel, brushed brass)
With furniture pieces in neutrals, our staples if you will, everything else was as accessory. Autumn decor could stand out with just a few simple pieces. Christmas decor could lend a pop of color. Spring and summer accessories could give just the right touch while taking up very little footprint.
What this also meant was storage wouldn’t be a problem. No longer did we need 600+sq ft of storage space to hold all the seasonal decor needed for a 4,000 square foot home. We needed very little because each piece carried its own weight. Note: The apartment we leased included a two car attached garage with storage closet. Keeping seasonal decor items paired down to one or two totes per season, really helped to eliminate the need for additional storage.
Starting with a color palette and design aesthetic allows you to see and know which items will work in your new space, and which may be better to pass along. This one simple step clears the excess, decreases the clutter, and elevates the over all feel of your new space.
Step Two: Start with What You Have
Before rushing out to purchase new items, think about the pieces you already own. Will your current dining table serve you in your new space if you remove the leaf? Can you take four chairs and sell the other two? Can you paint a console table to fit your new style? Will that dresser substitute for an absent hall closet to store gloves, hats, or extra office supplies? Be willing to see each piece you already own in a new light. Evaluate every piece you own in the a new light. Ask yourself, “If I were purchasing this item today, for the space we’re moving to, where would I put it? How could I use it?”
Step Three: Research Every Decision
If you’re downsizing from a house to an apartment, measure or obtain floor plan renderings before your move date. This will help avoid purchasing a sofa that won’t fit in the living room, or having a dining table that blocks an entry point into the kitchen. Measure, measure, measure. Research your buying options. Read reviews and trust your instincts.
Remember that most furniture and electronic equipment look larger once you get them into your space. Stores showcase furniture pieces, and items such as televisions, in large open spaces and show rooms. Once these same items are placed into a normal sized home, they appear much larger. Measuring is a key component to making sure the item will fit well.
Beyond the actual size of a piece, think about the visual space it will consume. Furniture that sits close to the ground has less visual space beneath it, making it appear even larger. If at all possible, try to pick sofas and arm chairs that have enough visual space beneath them and around them.
Step Three: Prioritize All Storage Options
When downsizing from a house to an apartment, you must keep storage top of mind. Not all apartments are created equal when it comes to storage. Our apartment (layout rendering above) felt like it had a ton more usable storage than our house did. With our apartment, had got walk-in closets, two bathroom closets, a laundry closet with a ton of storage space, and a hall / coat closet. Under cabinet storage was at a maximum, and kitchen cabinets reached the 12 ft ceilings.
This isn’t always the case. We have several furniture options we’ll discuss in more depth in a later post, but for starters, think of under bed storage, closet organizational pieces, modular furniture options with built-in storage, and furniture that converts to do double-duty.
Downsizing Is Not Just for Empty Nesters
When researching the best tips and tricks as we began to downsize our own belongings, I found that most articles are written to or for empty nesters. And while a few empty nesters start a downsizing journey, many do not. In fact, I’ve found it to be a very common theme among a younger demographic. Millennials and Gen Z seem to want a cleaner, more streamlined aesthetic. And so while many who downsize are empty nesters, others are not. They simply want to live their best life now; free of clutter, free of chaos, free of excess.
Wherever you are on your downsizing journey, and what ever reason led you to this place, we wish you the best! You have a whole world of opportunity ahead of you!
Cheers!
Update: Since we made our first move to an apartment, we have written a lot about downsizing and organizing. We’ve also written about 10 life-lessons we learned since downsizing. These articles may be helpful in your journey as well.
