Monday, October 7, 2013

Downsizing With Style

Downsizing With Style

By Vickie Daeley


If you have taken the plunge and purchased a smaller house, you are probably looking forward to having less space to deal with and clean. However, you might be wondering how to take all of the furnishings and accessories from your old, larger home and making it work in your small house. This can be tricky, so here are some tips.

Before you move in, this is a perfect time to get rid of all of those items you never use and declutter. Eliminate books you no longer want, decorations that have gone out of style and anything else that is just taking up space. A good rule of thumb is that if you have not used or worn an item for a year, you probably won't. Getting rid of the excess can make moving easier and even less expensive.

Don't forget to clean out the attic, garage and closets prior to the move. People typically store tons of stuff that they simply don't need. Even if items have sentiment attached, if they have simply been boxed and stored for years, it is probably time to think about letting these items go. In addition, if you will be moving into a place that has little or no yard, you can easily eliminate lawn furniture, mowers and probably other outdoor items. These can be sold before the move.

Chances are you probably have more furniture than you need or perhaps larger furniture than you really need. If you are having trouble imagining where it all should go, it is a great idea to talk to an interior designer. A designer isn't just a person who selects fabrics and paint chips. An experienced designer is a person who creates a perfect space plan. She will measure your space, taking into consideration size, shape, traffic flow, lighting and other important elements and create a plan that makes the most of the space you have.

If you are not sure that you can afford an interior designer, you might be surprised to learn that some designers offer alternatives to a full-scale design project that might just fit your budget. Instead of completing an entire project from design to implementation, you can hire a designer to create a space plan and make suggestions for paint colors, lighting, fabrics and other design elements. This is less expensive than the full design service, and you can have you designer focus on just one room or select a couple of high traffic areas.

You can, of course, hire the designer to do the work for you, including selecting new furnishings that will better fit your smaller space. While this might seem expensive, an interior designer can often get the very best deals of decorative items, furnishings and even find amazing contractors to get the job done quickly and efficiently.




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