Anchor, England’s largest not-for-profit provider of housing and care for people in later life, has partnered with Emma Gurner, founder of interior design firm Folds Inside (@foldsinside), to devise ten tricks and tips that share insights on how to retain the character of a beloved family home when moving to a one- or two-bedroom apartment.
Downsizing presents opportunities to reduce time spent on upkeep, lower bills and have more time to do the things you love as you look towards retirement – as well as freeing up larger homes for growing families as demand outstrips supply in many parts of the country.
The ten tips cover the preparation for a downsizing move: when to start and how to ease yourself into the process with a focused and dedicated timeframe. Emma provides helpful advice on how to identify the items to keep that give you pleasure and that will help to make your new house a home. She delves into how to approach sorting furniture, how to give away furniture you don’t want and crucially how to say goodbye to those items held on to for years unused and unwanted.
Phillip Hulme, sales director at Anchor, says: “The prospect of downsizing from a large family home to a one- or two-bedroom apartment can feel daunting, but a move can offer a host of advantages. These top tips on downsizing, with design front of mind, offer practical advice on how to approach it with consideration and purpose, without having to comprise on personal style or home comforts. At Anchor, we provide a great deal of support to our customers through the moving process depending on need – including independent support to sell your current home or personal interior design services for your new home. For those who’ve decided it’s time to downsize, Anchor has a great deal to offer.”
Emma Gurner, founder and interior designer, Folds Inside says: “The items we collect and cherish wherever we might live are what makes that place a home. For those looking to downsize, figuring out how to hold on to those items that bring joy, comfort, and that carry our memories can be a tough ask. It’s been a pleasure to work on this guide with Anchor, which I hope can ignite the excitement of a move in later life, which has such huge potential to present an opportunity to declutter a home as well as a mind!”
Emma’s top tips for designing for downsizing
Start early
If possible, start planning at least three months before the move. This is both for practical and psychological reasons. A good idea would be to set yourself half an hour each day on the task in hand. Easing yourself into the process early will be less daunting and you will be surprised how much you can get done within a focused and dedicated timeframe.
Research charities
Take a little time out to research different charities. There are a number of worthy organisations that would benefit greatly from your donations and this act in itself would make the downsizing process a more rewarding one.
Write lists
Start by writing a list of all the items that you use, that give you pleasure, that have sentimental value. These are the items that will help to make your new house a home.
To make this easier group these items into genres, such as furniture, soft furnishings, art etc
Then write a list of all the things you can be without and next to these items allocate where each of these items can go, for example Charity, auction or give to family member.
Deciding what to keep
This isn’t going to be easy but try and aim to have a definite keep list, a definite get rid list with no maybe’s in between! Tackle one genre at a time, beginning with the smaller items, such as books. Once you have become used to the process of getting rid of smaller items, it will make getting rid of the larger items easier. Ask yourself questions like ‘will I ever read that book’ ‘will I ever wear that’ ‘do I actually like this?!’ It’s amazing how many things we hold on to that actually we are not emotionally attached to at all. Anchor can be with you every step of the way to help you sort and pack your possessions.
Measure up
This is really important as inevitably you will find that some of your furniture will be too big to fit into your new home. Measure the rooms and the furniture you’re thinking of putting there. A good tip would be to take a roll of masking tape to the property and lay out the furniture sizes with the tape on to the floor so you can actually see how much space your furniture takes up.
Mixing old and new
Give a loved vintage piece of furniture the limelight in a room by mixing it with modern pieces of furniture. If you stick with one antique piece per room, it will become a design feature and the contrast with the modern pieces will make its presence feel purposeful and considered.
Making clever furniture purchases
You need to decide on the function of each room of your new home before purchasing furniture. Consider space saving ideas, such as furniture that is multi-functional. For example, a sofa bed would be a good idea to have in a spare room which could double up as a study and a guest bedroom. Also extendable dining tables would allow you to have more guests when need be but won’t take over your dining area on a day to day basis. Anchor offer an interior design service that can help you find the perfect pieces.
Formulate those photos
Allocate time to go through all of your family photos, including those you may have framed. Label who is in each picture and put together photo albums that can then be neatly stored. Instead of having numerous picture frames on display, create one large photo montage to hang on a wall to create a feature
The art of display
Displaying sentimental items will make your house feel homely but too many items can make a space feel cluttered. A great way to style collections is by grouping them together. A well curated collection can become a real feature, for example, a gallery wall of your China plates.
Add some softness
Layering a new property with soft furnishings will automatically add a sense of cosiness. Anchor can advise you on your soft furnishing needs from curtains to cushions to carpets to meet your budget and reflect your style.
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