Small Spaces by Christine Brun

The most frequently asked question about downsizing is how one decides what to keep and what to give away. If you are in this situation right now, be assured that it is not easy to scale back, and to your surprise, it may be much more emotionally upsetting than you imagined.

Depending upon how large a home you are leaving, the task can be significant and at first feel daunting. But like all difficult jobs, if you break it into parts, it will appear more manageable and less frightening.

Downsizing at will can be a releasing and welcomed experience that simplifies your life. An enforced scaling back due to foreclosure, divorce or death can feel more like a loss and not positive. In both cases, if you know where you are headed, the results can be more successful. One advantage of knowing the sizes of the new rooms to be furnished is that you can be certain that if you keep furnishings, they will fit. In this situation, you are aware that your 9-feet-long sofa or grand piano will not work in the new home so disposing of the items does not generate ambiguity. If you can, obtain a floor plan for the new place as soon as possible.

Next, create a furniture layout with the help of a professional for best results. Realize that you can hire an interior designer on an hourly basis for this sort of thing and if you have photos and dimensions of all of your possessions organized, you will economize on time. This allows the pro to quickly create a layout or two for your approval. Armed with this new road map, you will be able to tag furniture room by room for the move.

Next, be firm with yourself about getting rid of the items that you already know won't work. If you are very conflicted about this step, try to find friends or relatives who might allow you to park the piece at their house for a period of time. This would be applicable for a family heirloom or a particularly wonderful piece that is not easily replaced.

In this way, you can allow some time to pass and for strong emotions to lift concerning the loss of your special treasures. If living smaller is going to be permanent, then you can devise a long-range plan that works for you.

Once you are sure of where you will be for a while, take the plunge and invest in smaller pieces of furniture that will coax the new place into functioning at top performance. Flexible and dual-use furnishings are more available than ever. You must realize that in a small home, every inch counts. The beauty of little furniture pieces is that they can be tucked out of the pathway most of the time and if a guest arrives, you can move it out into a room to act as extra seating.

Other space-saving furniture solutions are storage ottomans that might stash away extra blankets or pillows, an ottoman that opens up to reveal a twin bed or sleeper chair or stacking chairs that allow you to store seating for six in the space of just one chair. You will be interested suddenly in folding chairs that are good-looking and comfortable enough to be used when entertaining. Storage boxes on casters low enough to roll under your bed will catch your eye. Little changes mean a lot, like chrome wire shelf extenders that enable you to stack coffee mugs on a single shelf in a more efficient manner. Hooks that hang over a door will create extra hanging room on the back of a bathroom or closet door and if you only have one closet, this can make a huge difference.

Christine Brun, ASID, is a San Diego-based interior designer and the author of "Small Space Living." Send questions and comments to her by e-mail at christinebrun@sbcglobal.net. To find out more about Christine Brun and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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