MOBILE HOME
Before Ann Ouellette moved out of her Tustin condo two weeks ago, she knew things would get ugly.
“I’ve got big antiques and a piano upstairs,” she said. “I was watching the movers like a hawk. It drives them crazy.”
Ouellette and her furnishings survived the move largely unscathed--this time. For highly mobile types who change addresses often, decorating steps now can cut down on next moving-day’s jitters.
To be able to fold up their tents as easily as possible, modern-day nomads need to furnish their homes with items that are easy to move. As a part-time interior designer, Ouellette encourages clients who move a lot to scale down the size of their furniture.
Although she has been unable to part with her beloved large antiques, she has scaled down in other ways. She bought an upright piano instead of a grand, and a drop-leaf dining room table that folds up so it’s easy to haul. She decorated her daughter’s bed with mosquito netting instead of a heavy headboard.
“There’s a lot you can do. Tapestries are great for decorating the walls because they’re easy to pack. They just roll up. A lot of people hang up antique quilts,” she said.
Dana Eggerts, an interior designer with Creative Design Consultants in Costa Mesa, specializes in decorating model homes and apartments.
“A lot of the people we market to are people who move often,” she said. Those who move frequently don’t want to be packing and unpacking a million boxes, so she suggests finding furnishings that double as permanent storage spaces.
Attractive trunks can be used as coffee tables or as a decoration at the end of the bed, and they can hold clothing, linen and all kinds of stuff.
“They can stay packed all the time,” Eggerts said.
Trunks come in all styles and materials, from antique wooden steamers to contemporary aluminum models.
Stacks of vintage suitcases not only make attractive displays or end tables but also can be used for storing out-of-season clothing and other belongings.
When choosing larger furnishings such as sofas, consider their size and weight. Ten-foot sofas are hard to move and might not squeeze into a new home, but a standard 8-footer can pretty much follow you anywhere.
Eggerts suggests buying rattan furniture because it’s “attractive but still very easy to move.”
Entertainment units have grown to gargantuan proportions to accommodate big TVs and expanding stereo systems. They’re every mover’s nightmare, particularly where stairs are involved.
Bill Kiefer, interior designer with Glassman Kiefer Interiors in Corona del Mar, suggests buying units built into sections that can be taken apart when transported.
“Buy one in a standard size that matches typical wall sizes and ceiling heights so it will fit in your next home,” he said.
Color should also be considered when choosing furniture, lest one move into new surroundings with an entirely different color scheme.
“I try to get my clients to choose a neutral and change the accents,” Kiefer said. “You may walk into a house with purple wallpaper where a mauve sofa won’t work.”
He recently designed a house in Newport Beach for a client who will live there three to five years while he builds his next dream house.
“We chose all the furniture with an eye to the future,” Kiefer said. “The home he lives in now has real small bedrooms, so we put in inexpensive beds and dressers because we knew they’d be too small in his next house. We did everything slightly oversized in the master bedroom and living room because we knew they’ll be moved into larger rooms.”
Kiefer furnished his client’s living room with a large sectional sofa instead of a corner unit so its shape can be altered to fit the next house, and he chose a massive coffee table that can fit a grander scale.
Although his client knows the dimensions of his next house, most people don’t have that advantage.
“The most common mistake people make when buying furniture is that they buy it in the wrong scale. It’s either too small or too big,” he said. “You have to ask yourself what the fit and function of the piece will be two years from now. ‘Do I know this will only be used in this home?’ If so, use only inexpensive furnishings. Always think ahead. Look to the future, not just for today.”
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USE FUNCTIONAL STORAGE
Decorate your home using items that move easily. THat way, you don’t have to pack and unpack every time you move. Trunks and old suitcases make great permanent storage containers.
FOLD ‘EM UP
Futons work great instead of traditional beds because they’re lightweight and easy to move.
NEUTRALIZE, THEN ACCESSORIZE
Keep major furnishings neutral (a white or camel-colored sofa, for instance) so they don’t clash with your new surroundings. For color, use throws and pillows. Slipcovers can also change the look of sofas and chairs to match a different environment.
ROLLAWAY ART
Tapestries are better than pictures for decorating a wall--you can roll them up to move them. And there’s no glass to shatter.
KEEP OPTIONS OPEN
Choose furniture that can change with the space. Leaf tables can expand or contract to fit your dining space. Stackable shelving units provide more flexibility than massive bookcases. Display china on small wall shelves instead of large china cabinets.
LIGHTEN UP
Don’t buy heavy, oversized furniture that might not fit into your next home. Consider rattan and other lightweight pieces.
