I got rid of almost everything when I moved. There are a few things from the old house but that is because I haven't found a suitable substitution.

Even though my new house is in the same architectural style as the old one, I am decorating it differently. I dream a/b having forever furniture and forever house but seriously, I don't think I am the forever type. I am a bit of a Casanova when it comes to decorating. I got bored quickly. :-) The minute the house is 'done' I am ready to move on.

Even when I don't move I changed stuff too. :-) We were in the previous house for only 5 years and I went through about 5 sofas, 6 dining sets, 3 bed sets in the master bedroom. I think I conceived every kids in a different bed (though w/ the same man -haha..:-)

My sisters always keep the same stuff. Their style never changes. They are happier w/ familiar stuff. My older sister sold all her stuff to 'start anew' when she moved from her 1st condo to her marital townhouse but she ended up spending a lot of time looking & buying the things she'd sold because that's ultimately that's what she really loved. When she moved from the townhouse to the new single house (double the size) she kept the same stuff and they all worked.

3000sqft is a huge space to start anew - I gotta say. If you style is consistent then keeping the key pieces and updated/splurge on the accent/accessories (draperies, chairs, art) would be the more practical thing to do. Also, if your current furniture is expensive (baker, henredon) then I would keep it.

Thanks for replying.
Our current stuff isn't that expensive. It's just a step above starter. Pretty much pottery barn standards. Nice-ish, but not heirloom quality. The exceptions are a RomWeber armoire and the 2 chairs I mentioned. Apparently, we're pretty hard on furniture too. I bought lots of new things for this house 4 yrs ago and most of it is already in need of repair or trashed. I think furniture just isn't built to last anymore.
I'd love to buy quality furniture that can be recovered or repaired every decade. Where do you find that?

The new house is big, but we're losing a formal living and dining room, so that furniture has to go anyway. DH wants a lot more input on this house too, which should be interesting. I'm a design Casanova too, but currently now in remission.
Maybe i should have a big indoor yard sale, tag everything, and see what sells!

There was a whole thread about this started by amysrq a while back. You might try to find it, lots of good input there.

Since you're moving several states away and will have to pay a moving company to move whatever you end up bringing with you, and since you say that most everything is ready to be replaced anyway, I think getting rid of most of it might be the wisest thing to do . . . if you can afford to buy the good quality pieces from the get-go. Can you borrow enough furniture from family to get by until you find the right pieces for your home? Many better furniture lines have order times of 4-8 weeks. When we moved into this home of ours, we'd already sold much of our old furniture. We used our patio furniture (wood with overstuffed cushions) in our family room for six weeks until our new pieces were delivered. Don't forget Craigs List in your new town/area. You may be able to find beautiful, quality pieces at great prices . . . and be able to pick them up the next day!

We sold it all when we moved last year (from Texas to Alaska) and moved our whole household by the USPS, we basically only kept mom's china and pictures. We didn't have any really good furniture and after the quotes I was getting for movers, I KNEW the stuff I had wasn't worth that much money. I don't regret it at all. The only thing I miss at all was a 1940s dresser that my mother had given me, it wasn't a sentimental thing, but it was heavy and sturdy and just nice. However, just a couple months ago I found a 1950s bedroom set on Craigs List, so I have a nice sturdy dresser back again (actually, 2 dressers, a mirror, a nightstand and head/foot boards for $400). We are still living a bit bare bones, but I don't want to just get "good enough" stuff, I want to like my furniture, so I'm taking my time. So, go for it! I don't think you'll regret it.

~~Veronica

If nothing means anything to you then get rid of it. With the money you get from the sale and the money you save on moving it, you can buy a new one. If the item means anything to you (value or sentimental) then keep it. Leave curtains.

We moved from 4400 sq fr to 3300 sq ft, it was tough. I didnt want to part with my stuff, but knew it wouldnt fit. We had a garage sale, and also offered the new buyers some furniture for cheap, which they jumped on...like the furniture on the 3rd floor. Several friends bought a lot of my things....rugs, prints, wingback chair, extra frig, washer & dryer. You would be amazed what will sell if you tell people about it. We then sent our living room set to a consignment shop. I will tell you, prepare yourself to get sick at what you give your stuff away for, but it was easier to get rid of it than move or store it:( In the end, I still came with too much and good will made out like a bandit!

I think the biggest question is "how long are you willing to go without?"

When I was a kid, and we moved from the ranch to town, my mother sold every stick of furniture we owned, and then went hog-wild at the local furniture store. She was thrilled, and my dad and I were distressed--where was the pie safe that came West with his granny? Where was the old kitchen table made from barn wood?

But it was the 60s, and while I wish I could say she bought Eames and Heywood Wakefield, she bought a middle of the road living room suite, upholstered in some scratchy mud-colored chenille, and rather dull copies of Danish modern everywhere else. And then, 20 years later, she pitched that stuff out and bought another big lot of oversized shabby chic. She's a dear.

Me? I buy piece by piece, some real antiques, some just 2nd hand, and some new. If I can't find what I really want, I can wait. Buying a whole new house at one fell swoop from Crate and Barrel or West Elm or whatever isn't my style.

So, do you want to buy everything at once or assemble a house-full over time?

We recently did that, for a combination of reasons, really. Our new house is a little smaller and has a very different layout than the old place. We'd had most of our furniture for 10+ years, since college and the days of living check-to-check. Some furniture was poor quality and some just wasn't my taste anymore.

We were fortunate in that we made enough money from the old place for both a down payment on the new place and some extra for renovations/redecorating. We started with the renovations, before we moved into the house. Then we moved to redecorating.

We didn't have a plan, just started with the things that had the biggest impact. My first priority was getting rid of the sage green sofa, since our living/family room has a very prominent place in our house. Rugs were next so we could soften the wood floors, and so on. We haven't done much to the bedrooms, since they're not as public as the other rooms. Still have a lot to do.

I don't mind going bare bones for a while. Mattresses on the floor, the whole family sharing one sofa. etc. It would be like camping, but with a really nice kitchen! Our girls are young enough where it'd be a great adventure and old enough to have definite ideas about what they want.I want to be able to take our time buying furniture. Finding pieces that we really love is a luxury we haven't had before.
First, we need to sell the old house and get a set budget. No going into debt furnishing the house.
I'm serious about the tag sale idea. I think we could make a decent chunk of change. Maybe enough to justify buying this bed I love in leather!
{{!gwi}}

Well, as Lisa said, I did start just such a thread a while back. Here's how it has gone since...

We decided to let go of as much as possible. It was really difficult for me since I have worked hard to furnish this place from the ground up six years ago. (We moved here with nothing because we had been living on a boat. As fun as you think it will be, let me warn you, it is hard to decorate in a vacuum!)

So, we made up a list and I finally put prices on things after dragging my feet for over a week. I decided to just "turn it over" and see what would happen. I was really dreading dealing with the Craigslist/Classifieds public. So, the buyers of our house bought some things. My best friend who is pretty decorating challenged bought a few things. My realtor sent some clients over for a few things. And, I have decided I do have room for a few things. All that is left is a bureau, a patio set and a bamboo chest that everyone wants and DH "needs" to have! ;-)

So, it has been easier than I thought and I even get to keep a few things I was sad to lose. My wonderful red sofa will go in the basement playroom for the kids. A friend drew up the dining room on her CAD system and we decided together that I could actually keep my beloved dining room table. (I still don't like the chairs, but whatever...)

The emotional upset passes pretty quickly once the stuff is gone. I woke up the morning my realtor's clients were coming to get the upholstered headboard and bench and really thought I was making a mistake. I appease myself by looking at the Pompanoosuc website!

At this point, the worst case scenario is that the dresser will go to a charity that supports battered women and the patio furniture will go on the truck. I just don't know where it will go during New England winters!

And, btw, we are also moving into a similar community I think. New Urbanist, small lots, walkable, close to downtown (3/4 mile), mixed use, etc., etc. Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: Here's my thread

Thanks for the link to your thread. Lots of great advice there. I'm not really attached to anything, so that should be easy.
We're so excited about our New Urbanist community. I've always wanted to live in a more urban walkable neighborhood, but the initial prices and constant needed maintenance of the old jewel box houses was a stumbling block. Now we have the best of both worlds. Our neighborhood is in the 'burbs but will have all the amenities and conveniences of being in town, eventually.
Do you have pics of your new house and neighborhood?

*sigh* I'm not even moving and I want to pitch all my furniture and start again. If only it were as easy as yelling "do over!" like when I was a kid.

Joanna

Angc,

Hi, I work with a lot of the New Urbanists and am a very passionate believer in their ideas on good development. I hope you really enjoy your new lifestyle. What would you say was the biggest determining factor for you in deciding to buy there? the walkability, the town center feeling, the neighborliness...?

I have never heard the term jewel box home before! That's charming. I know exactly what you mean as we live in an older neighborhood that is walkable and we can ride our bikes a lot of places, but these older homes require a lot of upkeep. A lot of the NU communities build homes based on historical homes and they use pattern books to get all of the details right. It's easy to fall in love with a home that has the charm of an older home but big closets:-)

oh...I got carried away and forgot to respond to your post. I've moved across the country twice now, and frankly, I didn't get it right either time. The first time I got rid of too many heirlooms and personal pieces. The second time I hung on to too much and ended up not using it. I did not know where we were buying, though, either time. You have time to search for new things and you know the dimensions you are working with, so you might have fun doing that. Plus, you sound like you have a sense of adventure to you!