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SAVE IT OR PITCH IT
When clients decide it’s time to restyle a room they are often in a
quandary about what items, if any, they should keep or discard. If the
room looks like frat house leftovers then it’s time to start over, but
most of us acquire a mixture of good and bad furnishings and
accessories.
Take time to analyze each piece and decide if it has the look and
quality that will enhance a room makeover. If, for example, you have all
perfectly matched end and coffee tables you might want to replace them
since they are probably a very old purchase that date the room. The idea
today is to blend tables together by color or theme, but have a variety
of shapes, sizes or textures.
Trashing broken down sofas and chairs is a no brainer. But what if the
structure is perfectly sound and yet the fabric is dull or dated?
Re-upholstering is a good choice if you love the feel of the piece, and
as long as the size, and style are what you want in a new room. You may
save some money by re-upholstering, or spend more than buying new,
depending on the cost of the fabric and labor.
Don’t cut corners by hanging onto the old, worn out carpeting. If a
professional cleaning can’t restore a carpet to its original look, it
will detract from new furniture. So too, don’t keep the blue-toned
carpeting, even if its not worn, if you want to change to earth tones.
It creates an uneasy tension.
Are all your lamps polished brass with white pleated shades? If so,
there’s a whole new world out there of glass, metal and ceramic lamp
bases, with silk, suede, leather, crackle, and parchment shades, that
will dazzle a new room.
Your biggest dilemma might revolve around the accessories you own. When
gifts and hand-me-downs reach a critical mass, you need to make some
objective decisions. Gifts are given on many occasions, and can’t all be
displayed over a lifetime.
When overwhelmed with wild assortments, consider sharing them with
family, friends, or the less fortunate. Take photos of the thing you’ve
enjoyed, but let go of the unimportant. Pack up things that you can’t
part with yet, and see if you still want them on display a year or two
from now.
Save antiques and heirlooms that are well made, and keep them in good
repair. Good craftsmanship should be appreciated, but don’t hang onto
things that don’t give you pleasure when you see them.
After setting aside the possession you truly love, you should get a
sense of the style in which the room should evolve. Fill in with new
pieces that blend well with the old, but add enough so that you get the
thrill a fresh makeover should provide.
With a few exceptions, most home décor can be replaced and improved upon
as time and trends move on. Don’t be captive to an unloved acquisition.
Pitch it!
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