Being that we're close to Spring (I live in the South!) and that I have a baby due in 5 weeks, this is the time to get some Spring cleaning done around the house!I'm following Spring Cleaning for Normal People to get me started.
I have no problem going through the house and pitching all the trash, donating things we don't need anymore, or boxing up hand-me-downs to save for the new baby.
However, I have a problem. A lot of the unnecessary things we own are actually lovely antiques that have been given to me. When I was single, or married with no kids, I was thrilled to have the beautiful antique furniture that has been handed down through my family.
Now that I have kid(s) the furniture really isn't practical and I don't want it to get destroyed. But I don't have anywhere to store it for 5-10 years until it is "safe" to bring it out again.
I'm talking about A LOT of furniture- many chairs, a dining room table, a slant-top desk, a secretary, and more.
They are all gorgeous pieces of furniture, mostly 75 years old or more. Some of them are in good enough shape to be usable by careful adults, others are just for looking at (as far as I can tell).
I'd love to use the space for something more practical, like toy bins or cubbies.
The thrifty thing to do would be to sell unnecessary items that I don't need and can't use. I'm pretty sure there are some valuable pieces there, so I don't want to just sell them cheap or take them to Goodwill.
Should I try and find an appraiser and pay to have them appraised? Would it be insulting or disrespectful to the people who gave them to me if I sell them? They are family antiques, after all.
I don't have any family that lives near me (none closer than at least an 8 hour drive) so I don't have a way to just pass them on to another family member. Does anyone have any advice on how to handle this situation?
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4 comments:
If you are worried about how someone would react, why don't you explain the situation to the person who gave you each particular piece and ask them if they would mind if you sold them to make room for pieces that would be suitable for a house with small children. And if they really want the piece to stay in the familiy, they may well be willing to make the trip to retrieve them.
And I hope you don't mind but here's a bit of advice from a Mom who has been there. I've had an antique dining room and buffet set in our house from the time ours were tiny. (Two are grown and gone, one still at home.) They learned early on which things they could touch and which things they couldn't. So if there are pieces that you really love, keep them and use them. Most old furniture is made to last.
Thank you so much for the ideas! It makes sense to just keep the pieces I really love and make them "no touch" items, so I may do that. Right now I just feel bad because it seems like half the house is stuff that is "NO TOUCH!!" :)
lol... yes, I understand that. There were days when it felt like that's all I said all day. Especially with our oldest... she was always into everything. But once her little sister came along, that changed. She adored her and would spend hours just talking to her.
Hi! I had some furniture passed down to me that I thought I'd keep forever, but when we had children we got rid of them. Now my taste has changed; so that I don't even like the dark color they were stained, and I don't miss those items. I like the idea of keeping a few items or even just one that you really delight in AND is either useful or small enough to be out of the way. I don't like the idea of having furniture children can't use. It seems a waste of a space, and children need to learn to take care of precious items while at the same time not believe that stuff is more valuable than people. I know people who have a sitting room or formal dinging room that their children can't use--it's just for company, but those rooms almost never get used. What a waste of space. Now I do like the idea of teaching children to take care of the space. For example, maybe they cannot *play* in that room, but they can respectfully join you there to read or do another quiet activity if that is what you want that room to be used for. I have been learning how wonderful it is to have less things cluttering up the area and more useful things, like you mentioned a place to store things you are using right now. If something is meaningful enough to you that you want to keep it for always, and you can use it now, then that is good. If it isn't worth taking up storage space or can't be stored, then it is probably worth letting go. The idea to give the relatives the offer is great, and if they want the items, they can arrange to pick them up in the next month or two. Otherwise freeing you to pass these along to bless someone who needs them.
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