Designing for the Ages part two: When truly “downsizing” it pays to “upsize”

A few months ago I started a series of articles entitled: “Designing for the ages, we can all use some assistance.” This series is being written based on the needs and the growing area of interior design called “Senior Move Management.”

Continuing with the series, today, I am addressing the arduous task of downsizing. Webster’s definition of downsizing simply stated is “to make smaller.” I often get a bit of a personal giggle in regards to downsizing a house. I know about having to move and downsize as I grew up in the military and spent most of my life moving all around the world. My memorabilia from childhood, teen years and most of the past 20 years can all be placed in a small 4 x 4 tote.

But, not all grew up with the “military mandate” of purging your house every three to five years. And when someone decides or is faced with the task to move from their residence of 30 some odd years there is a lot of “stuff.” Items that are near and dear to them: Family heirlooms, photos, clothing, travel memorabilia, and some items” just stuff”. Not to mention that one “drawer of stuff” that looks important, but you can’t remember why you saved it.It can be an overwhelming task for anyone, add the golden years into the mix and it can sometimes feel insurmountable.

Senior move management is a growing area in the world of interior design. It has many levels and in the ongoing growth and development in this special area of design and interior design, we are learning so much information and tips. It is also a very personal, emotional, and ethical segment of design services. You are assisting someone with their most valued treasures amassed over a course of a lifetime. The decision to downsize can be everything from a joyous event of moving to your retirement destination to assisting a person who has lost their loved one and is having to move into a smaller space or even perhaps only one is moving because a loved one is moving into a care facility.

The seemingly daunting task with the right assistance can be a more streamed lined and less “painful” process. Many of the larger active- over- 50 developments include this in their package when moving into their facility, but what if you are moving on your own or just to a smaller condominium without the resources and assistance of a team of professionals?

We have been asked if our company offers this specialized type of service. Currently we do not; there is an actual training and certification process to hold the title of “Senior Move Manager”. I cannot ethically add this to our list of services as our training is not complete. Currently our primary focus is to stage homes and offer interior design/redesign services for existing or new homes.

Now some may be thinking why even write this article? One, this particular area is near and dear to me personally as I have a parent and close family members who are seniors. We want to be able to assist them in whatever way we can. And two, we do know professionally, companies and individuals who provide this type of service. What we can assist a client with is: Space planning, furniture selections, downsizing and organization tips. If more services are needed, we can suggest companies who hold the certifications and licenses.

So, should the need ever arise we would be happy to assist you with this process. Just give us a call. When truly “downsizing” it pays to “upsize” and hire a professional or a team of professionals.