During the holidays there is often so much going on that moving or making big changes at home is the last thing on our minds. But New Years, the bookend on the other side of the holidays from Thanksgiving, is also a time when we set goals for the next year, and reflect on change. If downsizing is part of what you're thinking about, Oregon Home has a great rundown for how to do it.
Some highlights:
3. Realize that it can be emotionally taxing to get rid of things you've treasured for decades.
10. Bequeath stuff now rather than posthumously.
20. View your lifestyle change as a decorating opportunity.
• 21 Tips for Downsizing in Oregon Home
Image: M.V. Jantzen
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Comments (9)
"Whether than posthumously" --- ???
Good points to consider about downsizing ... worth clicking through to the full article.
My mind's been in downsize mode for a couple of years and pared down a lot of things. Already 1350 sq ft feels sloppy big. I'm ready to drop under 1000.
You can have too much of a good thing and this house is a great example.
Even with a family of 3 kids, many rooms in this house would never be used. You could keep a number of rooms reserved for guests but even then, there is a lot of unnecessary space.
Mafan
Laser Modules For Raves!!!
"Whether than posthumously" --- ???
I think that's supposed to be ' "rather" than'...
This is a good, comprehensive article. I downsized last year from a big 20's Tudor Revival to a downtown condo and it was absolutely the right choice for me.
It turns out that I followed the advice in this article almost to the letter--with one exception. There was one piece of furniture that I didn't have a place for but I moved it anyway. Sure enough, I gave it away a couple months later.
One issue I take with the article is regarding furniture scale. My (much) smaller condo doesn't require much furniture but the pieces need to be BIG; much bigger than in my house. The space is far more open and the ceilings are very high and the furniture needs mass and presence.
Ugg... McMansions like this make my stomach churn.
I believe that the pic is of an old Georgian Mansion, not a newly built McMansion, (which I agree with you are horrible). If not, they did a very good job replicating something old.
Bah. I only wish I had this problem. 3,000 square feet worth of stuff to get rid of? Oh noes! Try packing two San Francisco studio apartments worth of stuff -- already pared down to the essentials -- into one small (<1,000sf), awkwardly laid out, two-bedroom SF railroad flat. That's what happened when my boyfriend and I moved in together about a year ago. When your new bedroom is so small that it doesn't fit even one dresser in addition to the queen bed (let alone two), then we can talk. (Our solution: renting a storage unit. $70/month for a giant closet to hold our camping gear and sentimental things-- worth every cent.)
Also, how is this green? The article advocates getting rid of your perfectly functional 30 year old furniture because "30 years is long enough! Time to bring in some fresh new furniture!" How is that advocating the idea of waste not, want not, reuse as much as possible, etc.?
Why would anyone get a church pew as a sign of independence?
Weird!