Article:
Scaling down and trading up
By Shelley Anderson
August 2007
The Baby Boomers, at 76.7 million, currently represent the largest portion of our population. They are described as aged 43 to 61, with characteristics including; optimistic, idealistic, lively, independent, hardworking and focused on health and wellness.
Boomers think younger than they are in years. The mindset is 10 to 15 years younger than their age. Comfort is a key factor in a Baby Boomer’s home. They seek furnishings that will create a sense of rest and relaxation.
As owners of vacation and second homes, Boomers want low-maintenance interiors which don’t require hours of cleaning.
Baby Boomers feel their home is their palace and want everyone they entertain to feel as relaxed and comfortable as they do.
Boomers are moving from the large home in which they raised the kids, to a scaled-down version—typically a condo— scaling down and trading up.
This creates a new activity for the Boomers— editing their furnishings. If you are among those moving from the multi-thousand square-foot home to one that is one quarter or less in size, you will definitely be eliminating some furniture and accessories.
This can be a daunting task; after all you carefully selected and enjoy all of your possessions. But, by thoughtful analysis of your furnishings, this necessary evil can have positive results.
The first round of editing and eliminating is easy, since you won’t have as many rooms in your smaller home. Usually two less bedrooms, so these furnishings can go. One less living area, either a family room or living room, can be edited or eliminated.
Something I found helpful when I scaled down from 4,800 square feet to 1,800, was that if there were items I wasn’t sure about—and there were many—I put them in a secure and heated storage space.
I was able to reassign uses to some pieces that I really liked, but they wouldn’t haveworked in my new home in the same function.
Reworking custom window treatments is a viable option in the event you have custom bedding or other furniture that coordinates with your draperies.
Silk floral arrangements can also be reworked at a fraction of the cost of new. Most silk trees can be shortened and made narrower to fit into smaller scaled homes.
So, when scaling down to trade up, it’s not necessary to start over with your interiors. You can edit, reassign use and layer in new furnishings to create your comfort palace.
Shelley Anderson has been creating interiors in the greater Seattle area since 1990.You may contact her at (206) 719-6814 or email her at
shelley.anderson@shelleyandersoninteriors.com.