Trust Me When I Say: Do Not Move Your Old Furniture to Your New Home
Five years ago, in the midst of a pandemic-related relocation flurry (everyone was doing it), I took all my things from my white box Manhattan apartment and moved them to a charming Brooklyn brownstone. And when I say “all my things,” I truly mean it: I paid movers to transport my boxy West Elm sofa, my rectangular reclaimed wood dining table (plus a matching bench), an IKEA dresser, a stone coffee table, a rug, and two dining chairs. My now-husband brought a credenza and a dresser, too.
Ask me how many of those precious items still reside inside our apartment. Spoiler alert: the answer is zero. That’s because the minute the movers put the sofa in the living room, the tall arms cut off half the space. The dining table? Way too huge. And the round coffee table? What was I actually thinking?! It looked microscopic within the 10-foot-ceilinged living room. As a design editor, I should have known better. But I suffered so you don't have to. Here are the reasons I—and several other experts—urge you to think twice before moving your furniture, slapping it in storage or otherwise hanging onto something that would be better left behind (in the loving hands of a new owner, or a secondhand store, ideally).
That Couch Is Not One Size Fits All
As a design editor, I should have known better. Not to state the obvious, but what works in one space doesn’t necessarily make sense in another. “Furniture is not universally adaptable,” says designer Esther Ellard of Effortless Designs in Athens, Georgia. “A sofa or sectional that seemed perfect in your previous vaulted ceiling home will feel stuffed in a smaller condo.” Noted.
Size Matters, But So Does Style
My previous apartment had crisp clean walls, and my century-old Brooklyn home has picture frame molding and not a single right angle or flat wall in the entire space. So of course my Manhattan pieces wouldn’t fit here. If only I’d known Brooklyn-based Charlene Miranda of Miranda & Co. at the time. She says: “I encourage clients to draw inspiration not only from their home’s location but also from its architectural details. For instance, a Williamsburg loft with industrial elements naturally lends itself to a different aesthetic than a classic pre-war apartment on the Upper East Side.” It seems so obvious now.
A Move Is an Opportunity for an Upgrade
What I should have done: Thought of my new apartment as a fresh start, style-wise. “Oftentimes when we move, it’s marking a big new life phase and sometimes it’s more exciting to feel like you’re being very intentional about the things you’re inviting into this new chapter,” says Los Angeles-based designer Leah Ring of Another Human. And that doesn’t have to happen right away, like on TV makeover shows, she says. “You don’t need to get everything all at once! Take your time and layer things in as you get to know how you live in the new space.”
Moving Is Expensive
If I could do it all over again, I would have sold my furniture on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist—and saved myself nearly a grand on moving expenses. Things I couldn't sell, I could have given away on Buy Nothing, or redistributed to friends, racking up that priceless commodity: Good karma. Moving costs real money—anywhere from $500 for a local move to $15,000 for a cross-country relocation. Given that I hadn't exactly been buying investment pieces until recently, the cost of schlepping my stuff was throwing good money after bad.
But There Are Exceptions That Prove the Rule
The designers I spoke to say there are some exceptions to the “leave your furniture behind” rule, specifically family heirlooms, which can give you a sense of belonging and comfort in your new space. I'm going to have to summon Marie Kondo here when I say if an item brings you joy—or makes you think of a beloved grandparent every time you see it, then it belongs wherever you do. Parting with even non-heirlooms can sometimes be tough, but believe me when I say that a storage unit isn’t the answer, either: It can easily become furniture purgatory (and let’s be honest—that Target nightstand isn’t worth the monthly fee, which starts at $100).
Just a few weeks after moving in, my husband and I had sold almost every piece of furniture we brought with us, breaking even on the cost of moving them there in the first place. (Lesson learned.) Now, when we want to bring in new items—like the four dining chairs we just acquired—we know exactly how they’ll fit in with our apartment’s size and style. And if we ever decide to move, they’re going up on Facebook Marketplace.
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