We are starting to downsize as we head towards moving to our French home. It isn’t easy to let go of furniture and things with memories that have been loved. We are trying to be level-headed but it wasn’t easy seeing our lovely Chinese altar table go to a friend. The only positive point is that she is overjoyed to buy a ‘real piece of furniture’ and not IKEA. We are going to sell at a stall again which means repeating the mantra – ‘If you are not using it, loving it, then let it go.’ You have to forget the value and what you originally paid for each piece and say it is going to someone else to use, and cherish.

 

What to Keep

I have written posts on recycling and repainting as we have moved to different spaces but this time it is about what we should keep. https://interiorharmonyblog.com/2019/06/28/feng-shui-basics-de-cluttering/ There have been debates about our American bed which is big but the most comfortable place to sleep. It will take up too much space but we finally agreed that it is worth moving. Lots more discussion over kitchenware to come! As always, I use Feng Shui practices which see this as clearing out old, stale energy to allow new, fresh energy in. It is as if you are giving your place breathing space.

 

Key Tips

  • First, measure and measure again and draw the space on graph paper as this will help to understand what you have to work with and also which walls can be used
  • We cut out big furniture in to-scale sizes according to measurements to see where best to place them
  • Decide what is non-negotiable, what pieces must go with you
  • Re-think furniture that can be used elsewhere, a cupboard can go in the bathroom or kitchen
  • Ask yourself, do you really need it or use it – need is not the same as want.

Family Stuff

This is the hardest to let go. In our Berlin storage room, there were African beads and wooden spoons from my childhood, silver christening cups and boxes of memories. Not easy to work through. Most of it will go with us but we are letting go of some items that are no longer our style. Floral tea cups, Asian curtain rods, New York Art Deco lights and an authentic 1936 Berlin window grill! Yes, we collect some interesting items but it is all ‘stuff’ in the end.

Our Furniture Capsule

All of the main countries we have lived in will be merging. Our dining room includes a French dining table and a Chinese money chest; the lounge – a New York coffee table. Our bedroom will have our New York bed and a smart German wardrobe. The lounge is mainly our past French furniture with some New York style thrown in. It is as if they, us and our cats are finally coming home.