Why Is It That Furniture Comes In & Rarely Leaves
What does furniture mean to you?
I can remember the day that we moved from our apartment into this house. The one that felt so open and spacious and full of potential. Each room was empty and just ready for decorating.
I remember thinking, “how are we ever going to fill these rooms with beautiful pieces?” We were coming from a small apartment and our belongings were swallowed up by the spaciousness of these rooms.
We curated pieces over the years from thrift stores and estate sales; we’ve sold some over the years to make room for the better.
But now I look around and think how full our house feels. Raymond gravitates to cozy living and to him cozy means furniture upon furniture.
This of course makes me want to gag. I hate tripping over or walking around anything that feels unnecessary. Yet when it comes time to switch it up, I find myself stuck in other ways that are uncommon when I’m just decluttering a small closet or a cabinet of dishes.
So what then.
What does furniture stand for?
Money. First and foremost.
The amount spent (although some would say invested) in a piece.
Secondly, family.
Not all pieces are inherited, but I bet you have a small collection of passed down pieces sitting around your home. When you look at the wingback chair, you see your grandparents who struggled to buy anything substantial yet they saved and saved for this chair.
While it is still just a chair, their story makes it that more personal, and dare I say, that much harder to part with.
Another reason that furniture comes in and rarely leaves is that furniture shopping just plain sucks.
Ask me how I know.
The thought of spending an afternoon walking through aisles and aisles of beds and couches makes me want to run the other way.
But more importantly, perhaps we don’t grade our furniture based on it’s effectiveness in our home.
Furniture should work for you, not against you.
In order to know what furniture size and style would serve you best, you have to pay attention.
What are the piles showing me? What do I lose often? Where am I consistently frustrated?
When furniture comes into our home, it rarely leaves but it also rarely moves! Read that again.
Example #1: The bedroom
Most bedrooms house nightstands. Some nightstands are glorified plant stands with nothing more by way of storage than a small shelf. However, most bedrooms would benefit from more storage like a bachelors chest with multiple drawers.
Example #2: The Home Office
Tables are not desks. Desks need large surface areas and drawers. Drawers for all those little things that we need to keep handy in an office, like pens, stamps, envelopes and the like.
When a table is chosen over the desk, chaos ensues.
Furniture is cumbersome to part with.
Let’s put the emotional aside and focus on the fact that moving that mammoth of a piece down the stairs, to the sedan, and to the thrift store isn’t as easy as carting away 5 bags of clothes and 2 boxes of books.
When donating, you will need to schedule a pickup and move the furniture to the ground level as most companies will not go up stairs to retrieve your item.
How to donate furniture
You could also call several local churches to see if they are taking donations. We use Southminster Presbyterian in Gastonia.
Let your house tell your story. Your furniture plays a key role in that story, so make it a good one! If you find yourself getting hung up over your pieces, then it’s probably time to chat.
These are products I LOVE. Some of these products are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I get a commission if you click through and make a purchase. For more information, check out my disclaimer. Thank you for your support!