To save the environment. would you live in a smaller house if possible and only have secondhand furniture?
Question:I have often seen only 2 people living in huge houses and others continually decorating, changing furniture etc.
Answers:
Bin there! Done that!!
When we first married - had a (literally) unfurnished flat, begged things from my Mum, like chipped crockery, slept on an aging studio couch (no bed) and begged for a blanket from in-laws for a Christmas present because we were cold - no heating except a drip-feed paraffin heater (bought on HP) in the living room. To keep warm we sat on the window ledge in the loo with a blow torch alight between us!
Now just two of us again - our next move is feet first!
no i would not...but i wouldnt have an oversized house or keep redoecorating
I wouldn't move to a smaller house ...but damn half of the furniture i have has been passed down to me or has been bought second hand and its perfectly good so why shouldn't I use it still.
I don't continually re-decorate either ...when I do re-re-decorate its because it needs doing not just because i fancy a change.
everybody needs space with good things around them (it lasts longer ), your mixing cheap with weather
i wouldnt downsize my current house as i am crammed into a tiny house with my son and the space would be great but i prefer second hand furniture most of the time and i disagree with the answer that said new stuff lasts longer!theres no way a piece of ikea junk will outlast a nice old soild wood table or cabinet,and the craftsmanship shows on old or antique furniture in a way you will never see on modern furniture.
also if you are living on a tight budget as i am, i could have spent a couple of hundred pounds on some nasty looking fabric sofa that my son would cover in stains and pen marks but instead i went on freecycle (a yahoo group) and got a big squashy leather(child proof) sofa in nearly new condition,with a recliner at one end,for FREE!!saving myself about 500 quid.
so A BIG FAT YES TO SECOND HAND FURNITURE!why the heck not! ;-D
Interesting question!
We are ready to down size from 3500 sq. ft . since the children are grown and gone. So we are looking for a small floor plan that will suit us for the next 20 years. So yes I feel sure I can give this place up it has 3 empty bedrooms now.
Senior citizens are frequently in large houses because the family has grown and left and the house IS PAID FOR.
I will hate to leave it because I designed the house and really love it and we have fabulous country property. So I am busy working on a new floor plan with most of the same benefits and less space.
I am an eclectic furniture person anyway so that is not a problem. I need new sofas and bar chairs to stage the house for resale. But old is good.
We live as green as possible anyway . Low water use, recycling, take my own bags to the grocery. Minimal chemicals. My daughter is a thrift store nut. (since high school) So we try our best.
I wouldn't live in a smaller house just to save the environment, but I don't really care whether furniture is secondhand or not. Secondhand and new furniture don't have that much of a difference.
No, once you are used to space it is hard to downsize. I would make sure it is fully insulated though and reduce utility costs. Don't mind good second hand characterful furniture, have a few bits myself. People make changes often, maybe because there are other issues at stake and by decorating they feel life will be better.
2nd. hand furniture presents no problem as much of it is more interesting and better quality than a lot of the modern stuff. Peoples' needs vary as to size of houses as some work from home or pursue hobbies which need a special room and extra storage eg woodworking, pottery,metalwork,sculpture etc. Some types of needlework take up a lot of storage space. Grandparents need space for visiting family.People like this need extra space, I know I do.
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