After a few “settling in” months, we’re now in that stage I jokingly call the What We Really Need (And Don’t) Phase. Like many people after a move, we tried to donate, sell, or give away the obvious items we wouldn’t use anymore so we wouldn’t waste time or energy moving things only to store them unused in the new house.
Still, we ended up moving most of the things we loved and used in our previous home, even when we weren’t sure where they would fit here. After living in the space for several months and rearranging things—sometimes repeatedly—it became clear we could have spared ourselves some moving effort by letting go of more items before the move. What works perfectly in one house can look out of place in another; an item you used constantly can suddenly have no role due to a different layout or better storage. In short: moving hindsight is 20/20.
I first noticed this when I lived in NYC and moved just two blocks away in Soho, carrying everything by hand with a few friends—even the mattress and bed frame. Every book and kitchen tool mattered. I tried hard not to move a single unnecessary spoon, but once I settled in the new place a large donate pile quickly grew, and I regretted hauling those heavy boxes back and forth.
Over the years I’ve mellowed. It no longer frustrates me; it’s just something I accept. The sky is blue, the grass is green, and we’ll inevitably move items that turn out not to work in the new house. Lately we’ve been busy selling pieces that no longer fit the “works for this house” column. Clearing out is something I genuinely enjoy, and it’s always nice to earn a bit of extra cash. Since many of you asked for an “audit” of what we sold or are selling, here’s the list.
1. Our four slatted bar stools. A reader emailed to say the exact same vintage set was selling for $825 on One King’s Lane and offered $800 for ours. After some discussion, we realized we’re 99.9% sure we’ll have an eat-in table instead of a bar area in the kitchen, so we negotiated and sold them for $400. The buyer snagged them at over 50% off retail, and we made a profit compared to what we paid for them last year.
2. Our egg chair and an IKEA slipcovered chair. Both pieces were lovely in our sealed sunroom but wouldn’t have held up once we opened that space. With no suitable nooks in the new layout, we sold both through Craigslist for $30 total. The egg chair went to a design enthusiast and the IKEA chair to a student heading off to college.
3. The yellow deck chairs from our last house. I loved these, but our current outdoor area only has one space for seating, which meant the yellow chairs had to sit alongside our bright red Adirondacks. The two bold colors felt too chaotic together, and the Adirondacks matched the more traditional style of the house better. Someone bought the yellow chairs for $90.
4. Our rocking bench from the front porch. We don’t have a wide front porch at this house, so the bench wouldn’t have had the same shelter or charm and likely would have gathered leaves and debris. We decided to let it go and sold it quickly for $20.
5. The woven nursery chair from Clara’s old room. This chair worked in our mid-century ranch, but it felt too modern for the classic moldings and paneled doors of this house. We listed it for $20 and accepted $10 when the buyer also purchased the yellow deck chairs.
6. The dresser from Clara’s big girl room. Although it looked great against a blank wall in the old house, Clara’s dresser in this home complemented her daybed better, so the other dresser became redundant. Rather than hold it for a future nursery, we decided John’s dad’s hand-me-down dresser would serve that role. We sold the dresser for the same price we originally paid—$55—to a furniture rehab professional who later sent us a photo of the refreshed piece.
7. Slate from the new backyard. Technically we didn’t move this piece in, but we inherited many slate stones scattered across the yard where we plan to grow grass. We considered reusing them for a patio, but with ample outdoor living on the deck and in the sunroom, we chose to sell the roughly 120 pieces we dug up. They went quickly for $100.
So far our Craigslist sales total $705 from items that don’t suit the new house. We decided to reinvest that money into something we wanted for this home. When we saw a wood-inlay dresser on sale for approximately $705, we bought it. At 31, this is the first time we’ve purchased a proper, adult dresser—previously we relied on hand-me-downs, IKEA, and thrifted pieces. The white glove delivery, where the dresser was carried up the stairs and placed in the room fully assembled, felt delightfully luxurious.
I’m excited to share a photo of it in our bedroom once I stop admiring it like a sculpture and actually put clothes inside. Coincidentally, “wood” and “iron” are traditional sixth-anniversary materials, and this dresser has iron legs, so we’re calling it a belated anniversary gift. To marriage—may it forever hold our clothes in wedded bliss.
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As a little Friday bonus, here are a few ongoing projects, conversations, and questions from the Forums. We also announced this week’s giveaway winners, so check the giveaway post to see if you’re one of them.
| by DelightfullyNoted | by candice | by ViewAlongTheWay | by K8e9 |