Today the old china cabinet moved from the old house to the new house. Part of our preparation for putting our house on the market is taking a lot of the furniture away and spreading out what is left to make the rooms look more spacious. This is a "tip" that shows up in all the "how to sell your house in a bad market" articles. Does this really work? Do potential buyers not notice that the newly spacious-looking house is lacking in basic amenities, like dishes and glassware and any personal items? Well, anyway, whatever, that is what we are doing. Yet another example of "less is more" I guess.Ray enlisted Andy's help. Andy is our son and is a graphics guy at a big Fedex Kinko's, which has given him lots of experience in packing things to ship. He was today's idea guy for the preparations. I was the person designated to wring my hands and make that "eeeeeee" face and repeatedly say, "beeeeee careful."
Andy's idea was to equalize any pressure on the fragile curved glass by filling the inside of the cabinet with pillows and foam rubber pads, then pad the outside, then encase it all in cardboard.
Is this making you nervous? Can I mention that Ray has had a mild case of the clumsies and broken a couple of things recently?The mummified china cabinet was carefully carried down two flights of stairs, loaded into the back of the pickup and driven the 10 miles to the new house, unloaded, carried into the house, unpacked and put back on its cute little feet. Whew. Success.
This was my great grandmother's china cabinet, which makes it old. Really old. It was in her boarding house in Swink, Colorado for many years until her death. It moved to my parents' house in Pocatello, Idaho, then came to me in Portland, Oregon. That glass is old and wavery and thin.We moved the washstand that also came from the Colorado boarding house. It sure fits nicely on that little wall.
Little by little . . .
Decluttering is definitely the way to go for both the house sale and setting up your new home. But those precious family pieces will always have a place. Glad to see that your dresser unit made it to its new position intact.
ReplyDeleteI am a big fan of all the house shows (love the HGTV!), and from what I've seen, clearing out your personal stuff is a big help. It helps the new buyer to imagine *their* stuff in the space, rather than thinking about *your* stuff.
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy to see the china cabinet made it safely to your new house! Great job Andy!!!
ReplyDeleteWhew! and congrats to the guys who didn't make you dissolve into despair. sounds like Andy was a gem.
ReplyDeleteIt's fun to see the furniture in a space that I can envision so clearly now.
June
What a handy dandy Andy, you have!!
ReplyDeleteBoarding house?? Nifty! That's how my grandmother met my grandfather and in Denver, Colorado no less! She was 16 years older. And they both were from Kansas. Your beveled glass china cabinet brought back wonderful memories too, my mother had one that was similar. Thank you so much - Kathie in Ramona (25 bird miles northeast of downtown San Diego)
ReplyDeleteYou are transitioning well and will be closer to Sofia - that alone is motivation! You can make the argument either side for empty versus occupied when showing the house. Sometimes, keeping it simple and removing a lot of your belongings allows the prospective buyer to better imagine his or her possessions in the house. It could help. Good luck!
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