Decorating the Empty Nest

Downsizing and re-feathering an empty nest isn’t always a matter of running out to buy new furniture and starting fresh. Sometimes you have to make do with what you have and update the look.

On the road to our empty nest, Tom and I had collected a lot of stuff. It happens. You pick up things here and there and, unless you’re vigilant about decluttering, your house fills up fast.

It took a good-sized truck and two grown men to move all of our things into our new house.

Our new house is on the small side. It’s not tiny—just under 2000 square feet—and we have an open floor plan with a nice traffic flow. But there isn’t enough space in it for all the things we brought with us. Our rooms are filled with furniture. Closets are crammed. Garage and attic are loaded with boxes loaded with stuff we haven’t even begun to unpack.

Decorating an empty nest can be a daunting task

Unless you’re a pro, decorating is not especially easy. It’s all the more difficult when you are combining two households and, essentially, have enough furniture for two homes.

For us, tossing everything out and starting over was not an option. This is why:

• It would be a huge expense to replace everything we own.
• Many of the things we own have value, sentimental or otherwise.
• Our furniture, on the whole, is well-made and in good condition.
• We can easily decorate around the pieces we own.
• Using stuff we already own would give our rooms a familiar, cozy feel.
• Furniture or accessories could be re-purposed . . . moved from one room to another.
• Fresh paint, reupholstering chairs, adding new accents would update the look.

It might take a while. But with a little creativity, imagination, and flair . . . and a lot of patience . . . our little house on the lake will have all the charm we envision.