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Quality wood pieces, family mementos are worth keeping
Sunday, March 14, 2004
BY GINA DAMRON
News Special Writer
Interior designer Marie Minnich has some advice for folks planning to haul a favorite, tattered recliner into a new home: Don't.
The move into a new home is the perfect time to take stock of what you really need, Minnich says.
Minnich, owner of the Medici Design Group in Ann Arbor, said people need to edit themselves. She suggests keeping only items that are in good condition or have intrinsic value.
"You want to bring the bare essentials with you," said Minnich.
Those bare essentials, Minnich said, often include a well-crafted bed, electronics, dining room table and possibly a sofa.
Jane Hughes, owner and principal designer at Organizational Designs in Ann Arbor, seconds Minnich's advice. The best items to keep are quality wood pieces and items with special meaning, such as family mementos, she said.
Minnich and Hughes find people often have trouble letting go of furniture and other items, including:
Oversized pieces that are poorly constructed;
Old fabrics, including window treatments;
Used paint cans and other miscellaneous junk that accumulates, but is not useful;
Tables, bookshelves and other similar items that are no longer needed or are
in bad condition;
Clothing that is no longer worn;
Small items, such as paper clips, scissors and other things that pile up in
"junk drawers."
"If it has no meaning to you, if it has no use for you, it's not worth keeping," Minnich said.
Hughes added that it's important for people's homes to be a reflection of their own style, and often dated pieces that aren't functional can take away from a space.
"Don't hang on to things that don't suit you," she said.