After a few “settling in” months we’re going through that phase I like to affectionately call the What We Really Need (And Don’t) Phase. Essentially, like most folks before a move, we tend to do our best to craigslist or donate or yard sale the things we know we no longer need or use (so we don’t waste time/energy moving it only to store it and never use it again in the new house).
But we do end up moving all of the stuff that we loved and used in our last house, even if we’re unsure where it’ll go in the new house. Then after a few months of actually being in the space and moving things around – sometimes ten million times – it becomes increasingly clear that we probably could have saved ourselves some moving sweat by eliminating a bunch of other things pre-move. It always seems like what’s perfect for one space just looks crazy in another (or something you used all the time somehow doesn’t have a function at all in the new place thanks to a different layout/more storage/etc). In short: moving hindsight is 20/20.
This phenomenon first struck me back when I lived in NYC and was moving two blocks away (from Sullivan Street to Thompson Street in Soho) and I carried every single thing by hand from apartment to apartment with the help of a couple friends (yes, even my mattress and bed frame). So every book and kitchen item counted. I tried so hard not to move a single spoon that I didn’t need, but inevitably when I was settling into the new place I amassed a big ol’ donate pile (and it burned me that those bruises on my thighs from carrying boxes back and forth could have been a little lighter).
Well guys, I think I’ve grown in the last 8 years because it no longer pisses me off, it’s just sort of something I have learned to accept. The sky is blue. The grass is green. And we’ll move stuff that we only realize in hindsight doesn’t work in the new place. So we’ve been pretty busy selling things that no longer fit into the “works for this house” column. Which is nice because clearing out has always been something I love (and who doesn’t want a little extra cash?). And since a bunch of you guys have been asking for a little “audit” of what we no longer need and have sold/are selling, here’s the list.
1. Our four slatted bar stools. A sweet reader emailed me and said the exact same vintage set of four stools were selling for $825 on One King’s Lane and offered me $800 for ours. After I picked myself off the floor, John and I had a serious will-we-use-these chat and decided that we are 99.9% certain that we’ll have an eat-in table in our kitchen as opposed to a bar area. It felt too crazy to take $800 for them – even if that was the going rate, so we countered with “$400 and they’re yours.” She was thrilled to snag them for over 50% off retail, we were happy to sell them for over 50% more than we paid for them off craigslist last year, and we even got this shot of them living it up in her kitchen:
2. Our egg chair & Ikea slipcovered chair: Alas, our Goodwill find and leftover chair from our first apartment were cute in the sunroom here when it was sealed off, but they wouldn’t stand up to the weather once we tore out the doors in there. And without any good nooks or corners to tuck them into here, both got Craigslisted for $30 total. Eggy went to a guy who was really into its design and the Ikea chair went to a girl headed off to college.
3. The yellow chairs that we had on our last house’s deck. Aw I loved those things. But since we only have one outdoor space here (the deck) it meant these yellow guys had to share a space with our bright red Adirondack chairs, which at the last house lived far away on our patio. The two bold colors were a bit circus-y out there and we decided the Adirondacks fit the more traditional style of this home better. Someone was very happy to take these two for $90.
4. Our rocking bench from the front porch. Again, this was a case of “don’t have the same outdoor spaces” (i.e. no wide front porch) and we debated putting it back near the edge of the woods but we thought it would just get covered with leaves and ticks and not be as nice without the awning of the front porch that the first two houses provided. It went super fast for $20.
5. Our woven nursery chair from Clara’s old room. It just felt too modern for this house (it worked nicely in a mid-century ranch, but something about this house’s molding and paneled doors and more classic/traditional vibe made it feel a little off). We listed it for $20, but took $10 for it since the person was also buying the yellow deck chairs.
6. The dresser from Clara’s big girl room. We loved how it worked on that blank wall in there, but when we set up Clara’s room in this house we decided her nursery dresser (with the white top and stained bottom) looked nicer with her daybed, so that ended up in her room without the need for another dresser in there. Our first instinct was to save it for a future nursery, but we decided our hand-me-down dresser from John’s dad would be great for that room – and womp womp – this guy was out. Fret not, he went to an awesome loving home thanks to Sir Craig and his list (for the same exact price of $55 that we bought it for) and the buyer happened to be a furniture rehab pro, so she sent us this updated picture.
7. Slate in the new backyard: Okay, so it’s technically not something we moved, but since we’re on the subject of selling stuff, we inherited a bunch of slate that was peppered all over the backyard where we’d love to grow grass. First we debated reusing them to create some sort of patio, but since we’re not hurting for outdoor living space right now with the deck and the freshly-opened sunroom, we opted to sell the 120 or so pieces that we dug up for $100. They went fast!
So that’s what we’ve been selling. So far our Craigslist total is $705 for letting go of that stuff that doesn’t work as well for us here. And we decided that getting something we’ve wanted with that loot would be a nice way to “put it back into the house.” So when we saw this wood inlay dresser go 25% off on West Elm (which put it almost exactly at $705) we pounced. At the ripe old age of 31, we’ve actually never bought a real grown up dresser (we’ve used the hand-me-down one from John’s parents and a few Ikea or thrifted ones) so it felt kind of crazy. Especially the “white glove delivery service” where they carried it up the stairs and placed it in the room for us, already fully assembled. Guys, I thought I was Oprah. Never felt fancier in my life.
I can’t wait to show you a picture of it in our room. You know, once I stop pretending it’s a sculpture and actually put our clothes in it. The funny thing is that we just heard that “iron” and “wood objects” are traditional sixth anniversary materials, and since this wood inlay dresser has iron legs, we’re calling it a belated anniversary present. To marriage! May it forever contain our clothes in wedded bliss.
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As a little Friday bonus, here are four fun projects, chats, or questions going on over on the Forums. We also announced this week’s giveaway winners, so you can click here (and scroll down to the Rafflecopter box) to see if it’s you.
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| by DelightfullyNoted | by candice | by ViewAlongTheWay | by K8e9 |
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Megan says
I hate having to say good-bye to furniture that doesn’t fit, we had to do the same with our recent move. I love Clara’s old dresser btw, just beautiful! I also love the new West Elm dresser too :)!
Shelley @ Green Eggs and Hamlet says
Awesome Cragislisting! $705 is a fantastic pile o’ dinero. So glad you all treated yourselves to a fancy dresser. Good for you!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Shelley! I totally sweated the entire time I clicked the buy button.
xo
s
Traci says
Love the wood inlay dresser! I own the nightstands!! All the variance in the inlay pieces really allows you to go in a ton of different directions with wall color. Can’t wait to see what color you chose!
Kate says
Weird question – how do you get past an emotional “connection” with a piece of furniture you need to sell? We have an old armoire in our bedroom that is simply too big, it’s gotta go. My husband would have already tossed it if it didn’t weight 4 million pounds. I agree it’s gotta go, but I can’t bare to sell it. I love it. It was part of a bedroom set my parents bought me in high school that have been with me from high school to apartment to condo to family home. Besides the fact that it’s been with me for nearly 15 years, I just freaking love it. I love the lines, the design, the look, the function. It’s just too darn big for our rooms. I might be the only weirdo who gets emotionally attached to furniture, but if anyone else might understand, I figured it might be you guys :) Any suggestions on how to let it go?
Kate says
Wow, holy spelling errors. Sorry guys, need more coffee.
YoungHouseLove says
I knew what you meant ;)
xo
s
YoungHouseLove says
I totally get that “but it’s my baby!” feeling. I think if something is truly special and you love it it’s awesome to get to keep it but your armoire sounds like its just too big for your place right now. Is there a relative who could “babysit” it for a few years? Maybe you’ll end up somewhere that it works and that person can enjoy using it until then?
xo
s
Theresa M. says
Kate, it sounds like you really love the piece not just the fact that it was given to you. Don’t give it up if you can squeeze it somewhere for awhile. (Sherry’s idea is great.) In the process of moving I got rid of a big piece that was my grandmother’s. (mid-century modern) I could kick myself now. I did hang on to 2 Ethan Allen dressers that were mine and they’ve been re-stained. My boys each use one. If you really love it, keep it.
Jill says
Could it be repurposed in another, larger room in the house? Store books and games in it out in living room, maybe? Replace a kitchen cabinet with it? Can you get it modified by a carpenter so it’s less deep and more of a bookshelf/cabinet than a wardrobe and might fit better in your home? Can you put it inside a closet?
I don’t know that you should let it go. You don’t have a house full of inappropriate furniture you’re attached to, right, just this one? I think this rare situation calls for creatively finding a way to make it work in your home. There is ALWAYS a way with design if you think about it hard and long enough. And this is true love! Fight for it!
If it makes you feel any better, I have only one thing in my whole house I’m irrationally sentimentally attached to, but it’s ridiculous.
It’s a now-extremely-dead bouquet that my husband surprised me with for our anniversary in December that I won’t let him (or my mother or my dad or my sister or anybody else who sees it) throw out because it still makes me happy whenever I see it. The bouquet seriously looks so crazy and Miss Havisham – it’s entirely dried out and petrified now.
But I kid you not, that sorry-looking dead bouquet has ended at least two fights. I walked out in the living room in a huff, saw my sweet flowers that my husband had given me months and months earlier (even though I’d totally forgotten about our anniversary), and went back and gave him a kiss instead.
So he’s on board with the crazy lady dead flowers now.
Carla says
Just another suggestion… Have you tried thinking of an alternative use for the armoir where it could fit in another room? Craft/gift wrapping supplies, guest coats, etc… I have an old armoir in a small room off our garage that houses ALL my extra household supplies Costco/Target like papertowel, toilet paper, Kleenex, extra cleaning and beauty supplies etc… I love it.
Andrea says
Aw I know what you mean :( I had the most wonderful wardrobe (it was PAX) but very pretty, all white with special hardware. It took me more than two years to sell it and I must admit I was a little sad when his new owners came to pick him up the other day. BUT the room is so much bigger and it pays for my short trip to London next month… Don’t add the money to your normal house budget (unless you need it) but do something special with it :)
Ali Burtt says
New furniture! And not from IKEA! Go on with your bad selves.
Emily says
Wow, I can’t believe a “funiture rehab pro” would paint that dresser!!! It seems like a no-brainer to keep it natural. I guess I just don’t understand some people’s taste.
Rachel says
I’m with you on that one Emily – it just seems so sad. Each to their own, I guess…?
Lori says
Awesome stuff- great job you guys!
Megan says
We have a basement full of stuff that needs to be craiglisted or sold via rummage sale. Perhaps you inspired me to do just that on this long weekend. Congrats on your first dresser. We are still rocking my childhood dressers.
kim says
I’m so happy to see you buy a piece of good quality “grown up” furniture!! Ikea worked for me too, for a long time, but now I feel like I’m at a point where I like get more longevity out of my furniture pieces. Sometimes its thrift/craigs/garage and sometimes it from a store, but all of if is much better quality and while I have less of it, I’m so much happier with the purchases!
Keep growing up! I like it!
Rachel says
I love that dresser! How cool you were able to purchase it from your Craigslist money. And I’ve never purchased my own dresser yet either – you’re hilarious – you felt like Oprah – thats awesome :-)
Hope you have a great weekend!
Teri says
We’re getting ready to move from PA to NC. We’re craigslisting like crazy at the moment. AND I know we’re going to move stuff that we end up craigslisting in NC. It’s maddening, but I don’t know what we’ll need down there yet.
Also I’m 43 and I’ve still never bought a new dresser from a store. I’d feel like I was on Oprah also. Very exciting. Enjoy the “new dresser” smell as long as you can!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, thanks Teri! You know I totally sniffed it.
xo
s
Kate says
I don’t want to come off sounding snarky at all- I know you get enough of those comments, and I don’t need 100 fangirls to rip me apart because I don’t agree with you or them. I just don’t understand how you could go on and on about wanting to find the perfect egg chair, love it so much, gotta have it… then sell it a year later? Some things in my house don’t “go” but I love them, and when you love something I feel like you can make it work (Yay for thrifty, mix and match and eclectic all being “in”) especially sentimental things like those in my sons nursery. It just doesn’t make sense to me and definitely makes me roll my eyes now when you say you “love” something, it just seems everything is disposable and for the sole purpose of the blog. On a happier note, I do love the new dresser… Let me know when you craiglist it in a year for more than what you spent ;p
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Kate! I totally understand how our love for something can be palpable and to see us sell it a year later might be confusing. The thing is that we had the perfect place and use for it in our last house (we had so many more corners and nooks for chairs there it was crazy). Here, not so much. So it was not just that the style didn’t go, there was no function because it didn’t have a spot/purpose. It was also an inexpensive thrift store find, so I guess our approach is to keep what we love and use and have a spot for, and sell the rest to others who might have more use for it.
xo
s
Liv says
So, um, you bought that dresser just to stage Clara’s “big girl room”. Seems kind of…fake. Will you ever just admit that? Nope. This is what I find irksome about your blog nowadays. You guys used to be so much more real. Lately, not so much and when people question you, everything is hidden behind a veil of “what’s best for our family” or “what’s best for our home” or “what’s best for our blog”. It’s too bad.
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, we totally bought that dresser because it worked for that room. But we definitely would have sold it and not moved it if we didn’t think it would also work in our new house. We figured we’d find a spot for it so we went through the trouble of moving it. Then we faced the music that the old hand me down dresser will work better in the possible future nursery and sold the bigger dresser. I feel like that’s a pretty common thing that happens to people with or without blogs. It definitely happened to us back in NY before we were blogging (I bought a media table for a corner and moved 8 months later and it never worked in the new place so off it went).
xo
s
Liv says
On a more positive note, I have always admired that West Elm dresser myself! Though I would never shell out $900 (or even $700) for it. I would try DIYing it though!
Meg says
This is in reply to Liz and the comment back.
I think the staging comment is because you guys made the big girl room after you bought the new house and before you were honest with your readers about Clara ever moving in to the room since you were already planning your move. So you truly bought it to make a blog post out of it since you already knew what her room would be and the spare room. Just own it.
YoungHouseLove says
But why would we move that dresser if it was just a fake purchase for that room? Wouldn’t we have sold it before moving? We bought the dresser because we liked it for that room and assumed we could use it in the new house too. Hence taking the time to move it and only realizing that it didn’t work as well for this house once we were in here a few months and had tried a bunch of layouts.
xo
s
priscilla says
Wow, folks, give it a rest. People buy and sell furniture all the time based on style, what they need, and even just changing our minds. S & J are no different and we all grow and our style evolves over time. We all buy things we “love” and then realize they don’t work for us anymore. As an older reader, I understand we grow and reach a point where not everything has to be a “deal”. Sometimes it is springing for a special quality item.
S&J, enjoy your lovely dresser!
priscilla says
Well, I for one, am happy that S&J can buy something, decide it doesn’t work and then sell it on CL. That’s about as real as it gets, and we have all made purchases and then found later that they don’t work out for the long haul. Just because they bought it for a room they were planning, (knowing they would be moving) does not negate the fun of finding the piece.
Part of growing and maturing is letting people do what works for THEM, and not judging others based on what we would do. As we have all heard: “Viva la difference” .
I love seeing you mixing in some quality, more expensive items in the mix!
Meg says
“Give it a rest people?”
Readers are allowed to have views that aren’t always sunshine and roses. People should be allowed to express those views in a respectful manner which everyone did. No one called John and Sherry meanie poo poo heads or called them smelly or anyother absurd insult.
I for one wish John and Sherry would start telling all the rabid fangirls who gang up on dissenting opinions to chill out. I know in a previous post J and S said they don’t want to censor anyone but I think a concise “Hey guys we appreciate that you feel the need to stick up for us but everyone is entitled to their own respectful opinion! Thanks!” would do wonders. I get that you guys don’t want to get nasty with readers so allowing other fangirls to do your dirty work MAY seem like a good tactic but it’s not. I’ve been a long time reader (TYH days) but the mob mentality in the comment section is getting crazy. And yes, I know this particular comment thread is tame compared to others.
Oh and to address the comment back to me:
You did take the time to move it but it just seems fake and that your real intent was staging the other home before you sold it (which you never really owned). You knew what all three possible rooms looked like, you knew Clara wasn’t moving to the big girl room but you bought a specific piece for a specific room to get a post out of it. But we can agree to disagree :)
I know others have said your pace and projects have slowed down lately and I agree. But if you tried the dresser in a bunch of rooms and layouts that would have been a great blog post to show readers how you were trying to work with what you got (which used to be your mantra). Just an idea!
YoungHouseLove says
We have said “can’t we all get along and have fun over here?! It’s only decorating!” many a time! We love the idea of agreeing to disagree respectfully. I’ll try to be better about saying it more. As for Clara moving into the big girl room, we have always said that she’ll transition to a bed when she’s ready, so she is calling the shots. That could have been months ago and she could have moved into that room (my guess was when we were done with that room she’d jump to sleep in there, but she didn’t). So we didn’t make her or say she did to keep up appearances. We owned it all. That was a room she played in, and she slept in her nursery, and when we moved we combined them and craigslisted anything extraneous. There’s no dresser conspiracy, I promise :)
xo
s
Sarah says
WOW, Meg…eat a Snickers, you don’t seem like yourself today!! Not a fangirl at all…I like some projects/posts and dislike others but I read to make my 8 hrs at work a little more interesting…and less like work. I don’t get the lynch mobs (this blog or any other comment section) if you hate something then why waste your time reading and especially commenting. LIFE’S TOO SHORT PEOPLE…Have a good read and Move Along. Besides there are thousands of blogs out there to choose from…but watch out there probably doing something offensive at this very moment.
Jennie says
I’m not sure that John and Sherry have to tell anyone to chill out, whether the reader is pro their choices or questioning them. If everyone is entitled to their opinion, then everyone is entitled to their opinion. Period. (Excepting very offensive, spammy, or discriminatory comments, per the comment policy). If someone chooses to disagree with J&S, and another reader in turn disagrees with that commenter, I don’t see why any intervening commentary is necessary. I think it works both ways, but again, that’s just an opinion, nothing more. I think Sherry hits the nail on the head with the phrase “respectful disagreement.” That doesn’t mean there can’t be a conversation.
Joan says
Hi Sherry, Liv, and Meg,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. You all had points that struck a chord with me, and I hope to add constructively to the discussion. Please bear with this long e-mail, because it requires some background to address Liv’s and Meg’s comments.
Sherry, I’ve enjoyed your blog since it was called “This Young House.” In the early days of this blog, it was clear that you and John were DIYers turning your fixer-upper into a home you loved. You shared the good, the bad and the ugly with us, and we appreciated your honesty.
After you moved into your second house, this theme rang true until about the fall of 2012. At that time – around when you secretly bought your third house — the pace of renovations turned very quick. Instead of a blog by DIYers creating a home, it felt like a blog by DIYers staging and selling a house.
When you posted the Q&A about your new house on May 1, the reason for that feeling was revealed. Unlike Liv and Meg, I thought you came clean about staging the home for sale. You wrote, “empty houses traditionally sell slower and for less money.” So it made sense for you to furnish Clara’s big-girl room, if that would help it sell faster.
Plus, you said you had “a bunch of projects” for the second house that you wanted to finish before selling. Since you could afford to pay both mortgages, it made sense to finish the house and stage it for sale.
Also, I understood — and agreed with — all the reasons why you and John held back on telling us about house no. 3 until May 1. Your safety worries about announcing an uninhabited house to the Internet particularly rang true.
Here’s that link, for anyone who wants to read it as a refresher: https://www.younghouselove.com/2013/05/new-house-q-and-a/
But, Sherry, here’s why I can empathize with Liv and Meg’s feelings about Clara’s big-girl room: After you and John bought house no. 3, you guys were still writing as if house no. 2 were a longer-term home – at least through your second pregnancy.
In your January 21 post about Clara’s new big-girl room, you wrote, “Why switch rooms? Well, the nursery is so small that adding a daybed basically sucks up all the floor space, so moving her into the larger spare room and keeping the nursery for a possible future kiddo makes the most sense for us.”
Here’s the link to that post: https://www.younghouselove.com/2013/01/big-girl-big-dreams/
And when I predicted on April 4 that you would run out of Listy McListerson projects by the end of 2013, you replied, “…since we do this whole blog-thing to pay the bills now, we’ll need to find a new project, whether it’s a rental or a new house or something else that we don’t even know about yet. :)”
Here’s a link to the full comment and reply: https://www.younghouselove.com/2013/04/at-long-last-an-updated-house-tour-video/comment-page-2/#comment-1471425
Of course, on January 21 and April 4, you guys already knew a) you weren’t staying in house no. 2 through a second pregnancy and b) you knew exactly what new project was in the works, even though you made it look like you were still searching for one.
After these two misleading instances, I confess I couldn’t trust you guys for a while. And as someone who has enjoyed your blog for a long time, I didn’t want to admit that. I wanted to continue checking your blog first thing in the morning to happily see what new thing you guys were building.
Instead, I felt wary. It took a couple of months for me to say, “OK, I get that this is a longer-term investment and it might just be their dream house.” It no longer feels like a house-flippers blog, but a return to your roots. And I’m glad to be re-invested in your journey.
Why am I telling you all of this? I care about this blog and this community – and I know you guys care deeply about our experience with it. Also, judging from Liv’s and Meg’s reactions, I’m not the only one who was struggling with trusting your blog. Indeed, I have a suspicion that some of the comments as of late are driven by this problem.
So I offer this feedback and suggestion below not to complain, but in the sincere hope that it will help improve the bond between blog authors and blog readers.
Here is my suggestion: The next time you face a situation that doesn’t immediately allow you to “keep it real” on the blog, please prepare us subtly so we won’t be so surprised when you do the big reveal.
For example, in the case of house no. 2, calling it Clara’s “playroom” and not her “big-girl” room would have reduced our expectations that she would one day move into that space. Omitting the reference to the second child in the nursery also would not have set up the expectation that you’d spend more years in your second house. And in response to my comment, you could have just said, “Listy McListerson is getting longer! More about that soon. :)”
Sherry, Liv and Meg, thank you so much for taking the time to read this. I hope you’re having a great holiday weekend!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Joan. That makes a lot of sense and I completely agree that sometimes we’re faced with questions we’re not quite ready to answer (and yes, sometimes we wish we had handled them differently in hindsight). Your suggestions for how to respond are fantastic. I can’t tell you how much I wish we had called Clara’s second room a playroom (we truly thought she would be sleeping in there before we moved, she just surprised us by wanting to stay in her crib). Our paranoia/privacy about the third house completely stems from when we told everyone we were buying our second house in 2010 and our new address was dug up by people within 24 hours. It felt very invasive, especially with a new baby. Looking back I agree that subtly preparing people would have been great, we were just intensely protective about everything and wanted to be smart instead of running our mouths prematurely (our nightmare was for our address to leak before our alarm was in). We’re sad that it has made some people trust us less, but we understand. We’re happy to hear that we’ve earned some of your trust back and hope we can do that for others.
xo
s
Meg says
Sarah – I’m sorry do we know each other? I DO work with a woman named Sarah so maybe that’s you? I had no idea you know what I am normally like! My stomach is quite full though thanks for the concern ;)
I never said I hate reading the blog. Never. I said that a lot of times in comments when someone posts a dissenting opinion fangirls gang up…kind of just like what you did. You inferred I hated the blog and basically told me to read something else.
Meg says
Also, Sherry I do appreciate that you’re willing to start stepping in more. I think it’s a real feeling shared by many fans (as noted by even the original OP) that if something unpopular is said they will be pounced on by others. Hopefully it’ll only take a few tims before people reign it in and open dialogue will be be safe and encouraged! :D
Enjoy your long weekend!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Meg! You too!
xo
s
Joan says
Hi Sherry,
Keeping it short and sweet today because I’m headed to the beach, but just wanted to say thank you for your kind and honest response to my long comment! It’s that kind of thoughtfulness that keeps me coming back to Young House Love.
Enjoy the holiday,
Joan
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much Joan! We appreciate you guys more than we can say. Have a great weekend!
xo
s
angel says
As much as I don’t want to feed in to the internet drama (it is only decorating after all) I think I am going to bash my head into the keyboard if someone uses the term “fan girls” one more time. People are responding to you typically because you’re being rude for no reason not because they are “rabid fan girls” though I can see how it would make you feel better to think that. I spoke up the other day when someone was being rude to a cashier at target for no reason. Does that make me a rabid fan girl of the anonymous target employee? “Please tell the fan girls to leave me alone” is pretty transparently “I want to say whatever I want without getting any flack for it”.
Sheri says
LOVE the tile front on that dresser! I’ve been kicking around the idea of putting tile like that in the inset of a couple endtables that I’ve been using beside the bed and seeing this really makes me want to tackle that project =)
Wendy @ New Moms Talk says
Before we moved, we sold all of our dressers, a desk, and more. It worked out to be a blessing as our moving help never showed. My hub, his 14 year old son, and I loaded our house in under 3 hours- while I had our 8 month old attached to me.
Oh, and for those looking for a steal in the Seattle area, I just found this West Elm desk for free on CL.
http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/zip/4035351808.html
It’ll prob be gone before you know it.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s awesome!
xo
s
Ali says
$800 FOR 4, SERIOUSLY!? We have like 10-12 of those chairs… in storage… in a barn! O_O
The last time we tried to sell stuff on craigslist we ended up with 2 months worth of spam emails from a “wealthy furniture collector who was traveling in Europe but would love to send us a cashiers check AFTER they pick up our furniture”. It was a terrible headache. Have you ever had this issue?
YoungHouseLove says
Oh no! Post them again on CL and share the link on our FB wall! Sounds like some other readers might like them and they might contact you. Hope it helps!
xo
s
Laurie says
Ha! The Oprah comment made me laugh. The first time I bought expensive sheets I felt just like that.
It’s funny how a house will dictate design too. You think, I’m the same person in one house as I am in the other house, why would I decorate so differently? But the house does drive design choices. The house I’m living in now, a 70s ranch, I’ve decorated very masculine and I have been such a girly-girl in the past with Chintz and roses and Laura Ashley prints. What’s up with that?
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so funny! I love how things evolve in different places.
xo
s
Stephanie S. says
Sherry, I love the flashback photo from the NY apartment! Haha I look at photos from my college dorm and think, eek! but you still had it going on :) This is so timely because I’m thinking of selling my dining room set on craiglist. We got it four years ago and I HATE it, but thought I could do an even swap, finding a table and chairs for what we are able to sell it for. That’s the only way I can get the husband on board ;) Besides, who wants to see a dining room set they hate every time they walk in? I sure don’t! And I’ve been eyeing that dresser for quite some time, can’t wait to see how it looks in your space. So exciting! Enjoy that sucker!
Debbie @ PinkTexasChick says
I’m pretty surprised you got rid of your egg chair. After reading that post and how much you liked them I did not expect the chair to be one of the ones to go. Guess you have plans to buy a different later down the road? :)
YoungHouseLove says
I would love an outdoor safe hanging egg chair for the freshly-opened sunroom. I have pinned about ten of those on Pinterest in the last few years. Someday…
xo
s
Asia says
The stools got an amazing new home!!! I love her kitchen and the stools are a lovely addition. Way to go for selling them for only $400, you guys are good people.
Laurie says
PLEASE ask the new owner of your slatted bar stools if you can house crash her. Just the shot of her kitchen looks amazing and I want to see more of those pendant lights that appear to be wrapped in a cage. Amazing. I am in purge mode, too. I have a lot of big items to unload (an old hutch, dining room set etc….) I hope I net the kind of Benjamins you two did! I have my eye on a fabulous piece at World Market so we will see…..
YoungHouseLove says
We’d love to! Here’s hoping!
xo
s
Anne @ Planting Sequoias says
Haha, I just commented the same thing! Guess I should read first. :)
MissPinkKate says
Is the link to the West Elm dresser part of their affiliate program?
YoungHouseLove says
Nope, we always disclose affiliate links (it’s illegal not to).
xo
s
MissPinkKate says
So many bloggers play it fast and loose with disclosure laws! I’m glad you don’t :D
Jeanna Sanchez says
I so jelly (jealous)! I have been admiring this dresser since I first seen it in the catalog. I seriously wanted to pet the picture of it lol.You have inspired me to sell some junk I dont need, and maybe I will make enough to buy me one too, thanks for the idea,Wish me luck!
YoungHouseLove says
Lots of luck!
xo
s
Erika says
Question. What are you guys going to do with the hand-me-down dresser? Move it to another room? Maybe I missed that comment, but I was just wondering?
YoungHouseLove says
We love that for the future nursery since it has been in the family so long and is so sentimental.
xo
s
Erika says
Love that idea! We have a few pieces of furniture that I keep shuffling bc of the family sentiment.
Donna says
When I started to get the gist of what this post was going to be about, I was afraid that you were going to get rid of the chippy green buffet, or whatever you would call it,that you had by the front door in the dining room of your previous home. Whew! So glad that this piece was not purged (although you did get rid of some pretty neat stuff). I can’t remember seeing where you’ve put that in the new house. I’ll have to back and view the tour you did awhile back, I guess.
And I agree with everyone else…that was pretty classy of you to not accept that woman’s offer of $800 for the stools when she was obviously willing to pay that amount. I’m not sure I would have been able to turn that down.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Donna! The chippy green buffet is in the dining room (the angle of the pic in our House Tour doesn’t show it though). I’m definitely attached to that guy!
xo
s
caitlin says
Just as a funny aside….I live in the same neighborhood as Craig Newmark, THE CRAIG of craigslist. He hangs out at our local coffee shop -he’s super unassuming. Think about how this guy has revolutionized purging and recycling. Awesome.
YoungHouseLove says
No way. That’s awesome.
xo
s
Adeline says
Is that weird that I am a little sad you don’t have the bar stools anymore but at the same time happy they found a new loving home?
I have recently moved too and there were a lot of “I don’t need that anymore” going on: it’s nice sometimes to not cling to things and let them be useful for someone else (and it’s nice to see that you sold your stools at a reasonable price).
YoungHouseLove says
Not weird at all! I’m the same way. It’s like my babies are leaving the nest and going off to college. Haha! Spread your wings little stools…
xo
s
Mindy@FindingSilverLinings says
Those stools were made for her kitchen!!! You guys rock.
Sarah says
I have a feeling that we’ll be doing some of this kind of purging soon, too, as we’re planning to put our house on the market on Tuesday. When hubby and I got married, my sister was just moving into her own apartment, so we unabashedly gave her sofas, chairs, a kitchen table, and all sorts of kitchen stuff. I love visiting and knowing that we helped turn her apartment into her home!
Sarah says
I have a feeling that we’ll be doing some of this kind of purging soon, too, as we’re planning to put our house on the market on Tuesday. When hubby and I got married, my sister was just moving into her own apartment, so we unabashedly gave her sofas, chairs, a kitchen table, and all sorts of kitchen stuff. I love visiting and knowing that we helped turn her apartment into her home!
Stacy says
You will die, but that same dresser was listed on DC Craigslist about 2 month ago for $200! True story!
YoungHouseLove says
No way!!
xo
s
Anne @ Planting Sequoias says
I think you need to house crash the people that bought your barstools! I want to see more of their pendant lights…
Liz says
Yes! Yes! Yes!
Penny Smith says
OK-with such a big house, and such talent for repurposing, I am kinda surprised you sold the dressers. (and repainted like she did!) And even the new yellow chairs-no paint? :)
SCORE on the 4 stools! Have you sold the lab stools then? I can’t recall.
…the egg chair. It inspired me to buy one I found at a garage sale for my sunroom. Sad to see it go! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Penny! Your egg chair sounds sweet and I’m still obsessed with getting a hanging outdoor egg chair for the sunroom (our indoor one just didn’t work with the elements out there). We sold those lab stools to a friend of a friend a while back (before we moved thankfully!) I think we got photos of those too. I should dig them up!
xo
s
Desiree says
I am beyond heartbroken that you got rid of Clara’s big girl dresser – that was such a great piece, and then it got painted?! So much sads. But oh well – them’s the breaks, right?
I’m very interested in seeing how you work the new dresser into your bedroom, it seems like a departure from your present style. YHL style revolution, perhaps?
YoungHouseLove says
Wahoo! I love it so much it’s unhealthy. John calls it “the other man.”
xo
s
Emily @ Life on Food says
I get such a high from selling things we just having sitting around in closets, etc. I love the dresser — a great present to yourselves!
maggie says
We have those EXACT barstools. They came with our house! I has no idea they were worth so much. I wanted to paint them white. I am rethinking that now. Crazy!
KiwiKat says
Is it sad that when I read the last paragraph, I immediately went to The Princess Bride? Mawwidge!!
Congrats on the great sales and isn’t having something brand spanking new (as opposed to “new to you”, which is great too) awesome!
YoungHouseLove says
Bahaha! That’s the best movie ever. Clara has a magnet toy that she calls Princess Buttercup and it makes me crack up just by association.
xo
s
Heather says
I’m surprised you didn’t keep that dresser for your guest room since your last guest room didn’t have a dresser. You could leave a drawer for guests to use and use the rest to store linens to be used in that room.
YoungHouseLove says
That totally could have worked but I have a secret plan to make the guest room into a craft room too! So I want to eventually put the West Elm desk that’s in our office in the guest room with my sewing machine on it so I can sneak in there and sew. The room gets such awesome light, I just want us to get use from it even when guests aren’t here!
xo
s
Andrea says
YOU ARE SO RIGHT!!! When my boyfriend moved in with me a hundred years ago (feels like it ;) we brought ALL his stuff to my place and got more furniture – aka way too much furniture for a two-room flat. Then we moved house again, now to a three-room flat and took everything with us.
Now, after over a year of living here we’re slowly getting rid of everything we don’t like. The other day we sold 7 (SEVEN) shelves (Expedit and Billy) in one go and we still have one desk and three shelves to sell. Sheesh.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s awesome!
xo
s
Larissa says
Furniture that you don’t have to assemble yourself??? Fancypants, y’all! Have a great weekend!
YoungHouseLove says
You too Larissa!
xo
s
Wendy says
I’m glad I’m not the only person this happens to! When we went from our first apartment we actually just left our big giant sofa-bed there because we didn’t want it (and the landlord stunk big time so I was happy to have him move it downstairs). Now that we’ve moved from our 2nd apartment to our house, I have all sorts of stuff (some hand me downs, some stuff that doesn’t fit our style now, some cheap stuff that we are upgrading) that I need to get rid of. Are you ever nervous to have strangers from craigs list come to your house? I’ve been considering a yard sale b/c I have a lot of kitchen stuff to get rid of, but my husband doesn’t like the idea of having strangers come by.
YoungHouseLove says
A yard sale feels extra safe for me since it’s outside near the street and many people are there at once so it feels more “public” which is comforting I think. As for CL we like to bring the item outside so the person isn’t usually in our house just because being outside seems a little less “secluded” – thankfully we’ve never had a problem!
xo
s
Jen says
I love seeing what you guys buy and sell on craigslist! Are there any items you guys have in your home that have stuck around for the long haul though?
YoungHouseLove says
The daybed in Clara’s room was a wedding gift and is very special to us (it was in our first house’s sunroom) and we are really attached to Clara’s dresser (we stained the bottom and painted just the top part white). We love our dining room buffet too (from craigslist) and have really grown to love Karl the Sectional. We also like the hand me down dresser from John’s parents that we hope to use in the possible future nursery sometime! And my white West Elm desk I love. I want to use that in the guest room for sewing and crafting in there.
xo
s
Amy says
Don’t forget the “tray” that is really a cardboard box that you guys have moved with each house!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yeah, Sherry loves that guy!
-John
Rachel says
West Elm used to be my favorite furniture store in Richmond! Did you guys buy the gorgeous dresser online or is there another store relatively close to Richmond that I am unaware of?
YoungHouseLove says
I’m SO SAD that Richmond store closed. We hadn’t seen it in person but had googled it to see what other bloggers said about it. They seemed to really like it so that gave us confidence. And there’s a nice return policy too if it arrived and we hated it.
xo
s
Sherri J. says
I believe, we all tend to have things over the years that we constantly keep with us. After every move a few things might drop or we might lose, but these items were just out of convenience anyways.
Chelsea says
Man I would have scooped up that dresser of yours in a heart beat! That stuff around here goes for way more money!
Liz says
The kitchen of the person who bought your stools is amazing! House crash them? Please?
YoungHouseLove says
I totally want to!
xo
s
Diana says
I’m impressed with your adult furniture purchase! We’re about the same age and still only have 2 things we’ve spent $100 plus on (a new mattress and our dining room set). Partially for the reason of your post…don’t want to spend a lot of money on something that won’t work in our next house (we’re still in a 1200 sq ft starter).
Bailey says
I loved hearing about where all of these pieces went – it’s so cool that some of the people have sent you pics showing how the old pieces are looking now. Congrats on the “big girl” dresser – it’s definitely a work of art. I had no idea that dressers could even be sold for that much money though haha! Goes to show I am apparently a LONG way off from being a big girl myself. Eek #28isthenew12
xox
Bailey
http://akabailey.blogspot.com
Kara @ Mates 2 Renovate says
I was so in love with those barstools… whenever I am on craigslist I keep my eyes peeled for barstools like you had!!! I am eagerly waiting now to see what furniture you guys bring in next:) Good luck!
hollyloo says
your barstools look great in that kitchen. i hope you signed the bottoms??
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, we didn’t! We sat in them all one last time though!
xo
s
Tyra says
All my friends told me to make sure and get them signed, and i even grabbed a Sharpie as i left home. but- it was pouring torrential rains when I went to pick them up and I TOTALLY FORGOT! (Kicking myself now!)
Tyra
Tami McGlothlin says
We are going through the same thing-moved and nothing is fitting in a bigger house-go figure! I have just started to try to sell on Craigslist, but not successful so far. Do you have any pointers? Maybe it’s priced too high? I would like to make a little money off of the things I am trying to sell, but want to be realistic as well. The only person interested didn’t want what I was selling, but something else in the picture that she saw-kind of made me laugh. Any basic rules of thumb to go by? Thanks!
Alex says
https://www.younghouselove.com/2012/11/this-is-how-we-craigslist/
John & Sherry have it covered! :) Sometimes when I am wondering if there’s something specific they have advice on a quick keyword search in their search bar will help. :) :)