what I sold & what I kept

by | Jul 7, 2022 | All Things Home | 49 comments

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A few people have asked what I kept and what I sold from our MN house, so I thought I would put it all in one post.  Not only will it be a nice recap, but it’ll also give me a place to reference when we’re unpacking our stuff and I feel like I’m losing my mind because I can’t find a large piece of furniture I swore we had!

When I was putting this post together, I started to feel a little sad and almost panicked at everything I sold, but then I remembered three things.  One – it’s all just stuff.  Two – I squirreled the proceeds away and I can go out and find new pieces to fall in love with and work on.  In fact, we went out to some antique shops yesterday and I already fell in love with some beautiful antique cabinets.  I didn’t buy any, but that definitely offsets any sadness.  Three – I’m glad these pieces are being enjoyed in new homes and aren’t sitting in a hot moving container.

So, these are the pieces I sold and what I kept…

antique pine chest | foyer | miss mustard seed

I sold the pine chest in the foyer but kept the wooden shoes and hooks.  The oval rug conveyed with the house.

antique pine cabinet | foyer | miss mustard seed

I sold this pine cabinet but kept the basket.  This one was a tough decision to sell this beautiful cabinet, but I felt at peace about it.  It’s being used by a lovely family as a homeschooling cabinet, which is fitting because there is a pencil sharpener mounted inside.

blue and white living room decorating | antiques | miss mustard seed

In the living room, I sold the rug (the one in the photo and the new one I got a few months ago), the chairs flanking the fireplace and the painting.  I kept the little ottoman, the wooden boot forms, the basket in the niche, and all of my blue and white quilts.

blue and white living room decorating | antiques | miss mustard seed

I sold the antique chest and kept the birdcage.

blue and white living room decorating | outerbanks sectional Arhaus | miss mustard seed

I sold the gorgeous checked sectional, the lamps, the sofa table, and the side table.  I kept the ottoman.  Selling the sectional was a last-minute decision because of storage space in the containers and the fear of damaging such a beautiful piece in the move.  It’s probably the nicest piece of furniture I’ll ever own, but it was so specific to this space and I don’t know if the configuration will fit in our next house.  It was a tough decision to sell it, but I think the right one.

blue and white living room decorating | antique pine hutch | miss mustard seed

I sold the antique pine hutch (this piece was maybe the toughest to part with) and kept the chairs and the antlers.  The chairs were almost left behind, but they ended up fitting in the last container, so we kept them.

blue and white living room decorating | antiques | miss mustard seed

I kept the basket (which is one of my favorites) and sold the antique green-painted trunk.  I actually traded the green trunk and a few other things for a bolt of green velvet fabric.  It’ll be amazing to use for curtains in our next house!

blue and white living room decorating | antique dresser | miss mustard seed

I kept this antique dresser and the painting, which is a study I did of Manet’s Berthe Morisot, but sold the art light.

blue and white kitchen decorating | antiques | miss mustard seed

Everything in the kitchen eating area was purchased by the new homeowners.  This included the table and chairs.  I was going to keep them, but the new homeowners inquired about them and they were perfectly situated in that room, so we sold them.  HERE is a tutorial on how I upholstered and slipcovered the French chairs and HERE is a tutorial on making linen slipcovers for the end chairs.

blue and white kitchen decorating | antiques | miss mustard seed

And the two checked French chairs that flanked the archway to the living room.  I kept the clock, family photos, and the stool.

blue and white living room decorating | antiques | miss mustard seed

I sold the barstools, which are retired from Restoration Hardware, but kept the pot rack, which was a housewarming gift from my mom when we bought our PA house.  I also sold the large scale on the island.

vintage kitchen decorating | painted cabinets | miss mustard seed

In the dining room, I kept the Dash & Albert rug (you can purchase it HERE), the chandelier, and the chairs.  I sold the table…

vintage dining room decorating | antiques | miss mustard seed

…the buffet, the mirror

vintage dining room decorating | antiques | miss mustard seed

…and the painted primitive hutch.  I kept many of the ironstone pieces, but sold all of the green jade dishes from Walmart.

vintage dining room decorating | painted primitive hutch | miss mustard seed

I sold almost everything in the home office including the baskets, the white bookshelf, the desk

home office decorating | antiques | miss mustard seed

…the lamp, the blue wooden tote, the rug, and the oak hutch.  I kept the wing chair (and its twin), and the footstool.

home office decorating | antiques | miss mustard seed

In the studio, I sold the drafting table and stool…sad, I know!  It is so big and heavy so it was a last-minute decision to sell.

home art studio | antiques | miss mustard seed

I also sold the bookcase on top of the hardware cabinet (that thing was a beast!)

home art studio | antiques | miss mustard seed

The green art cabinet and metal rolling cart were also sold.  I kept the cat.

home art studio | antiques | miss mustard seed

home art studio | antiques | miss mustard seed

I also kept that cat, the table, and the French chair, but I sold the desk.

home art studio | antiques | miss mustard seed

I kept the easel, chalkboard, antique oak register, architect’s chair, and baskets.

home art studio | antiques | miss mustard seed

And I kept the antique French chair from Dreamy Whites but sold the green stool.

home art studio | antiques | miss mustard seed

I sold the antique French daybed and teester, the pine cabinet, but I kept the bedding and needlepoint stool.

blue and white toile bedroom | antiques | miss mustard seed

I sold the desk, medicine cabinet, desk chair, and the antique chair I upholstered in an antique French linen sheet.

blue and white toile bedroom | antiques | miss mustard seed

I kept the pine wardrobe.

blue and white toile bedroom | antiques | miss mustard seed

In our bedroom, I kept our bed and lamps, but sold both dressers and Anthropologie mirrors.

blue and white bedroom | antiques | miss mustard seed

I kept the breakdown French wardrobe, which is where I store my folded clothes…

blue and white bedroom | antique breakdown French wardrobe | miss mustard seed

…and the antique daybed

blue and white bedroom | antiques | miss mustard seed

blue and white bedroom | antiques | miss mustard seed

I sold the linen-slipcovered chaise, the tripod table, and the lamp.

blue and white bedroom | antiques | miss mustard seed

I also sold the little wooden stool in the bathroom, but I kept my Opa’s antique rug.

suburban bathroom makeover | miss mustard seed

In the guestroom, I kept the dresser to the right of the bed, but sold the one on the left.  I also sold the lamps (shades rarely move well.)

neutral guest bedroom wallpaper | antiques | miss mustard seed

This is the one mirror I kept because the frame is so pretty and I thought the mirror would be relatively inexpensive to replace if it happened to break in the move (since it’s just a rectangle.)  I kept the bed and bedding…

neutral guest bedroom wallpaper | antiques | miss mustard seed

As well as the wing chair, the German wardrobe, and the white splint basket.

neutral guest bedroom wallpaper | antiques | miss mustard seed

I sold Karlsen the deer head

mounted vintage deer head | antiques | miss mustard seed

…and kept the pond yacht.

vintage pond yacht | miss mustard seed

We sold almost all of the basement family room furniture – the rug, round oak coffee table, sectional, oak dining table, rocking wing chairs, the recliner, the treadmill, weight bench, the TV, and the TV console that was in the playroom.

I kept the antique cabinet I purchased last summer at Gold Rush since I feel like I haven’t really enjoyed it fully yet and it would be an easy piece to move and store.

antique step back cabinet | miss mustard seed

The only sofa we are taking with us is the leather Pottery Barn sofa.  (It’s still for sale HERE.)  It used to be in our family room in PA and has been in Jeff’s office at the church for the past five years.

brooklyn pottery barn sofa | miss mustard seed

In addition to all of these pieces we sold, we sold all of our patio furniture, our lawn mower, snow blower, four kayaks, the miter saw & stand, tons of ironstone, and decorative items.  We gave away Marshall’s bunkbeds because he had outgrown them, the boy’s small Ikea desks, and their bookcases.  They kept their dressers and personal items.

I kept the large Noble Fir Balsam Hill tree (we cut all of the lights off of it in January)…

balsam hill 8' noble fir | miss mustard seed

…and sold the small dining room tree (but I kept the goat cart.)

christmas dining room | miss mustard seed

While I’ve already fallen in love with some sizeable antique cabinets, I am waiting until we buy a house to pick out pieces that are the right size and style for our next home.  It’s tempting to buy things that I love and just put them in our storage unit until we know where we’re moving.  Once we have the house picked out and we’ve made an office, well, Jeff had better get ready to take a few drives in a UHaul truck!  It’ll be fun.

Unpacking will be like Christmas as well, and it’ll be a sweet reunion with all of the goodies we decided to keep.

Until then, I’ll shop for small things and enjoy the time dreaming about what our next house might look like and what pieces I’ll fill it with…

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    49 Comments

    1. Shelley

      OH! I wondered what happened to the Pottery Barn leather couch. It was hiding in Jeff’s office all this time. Almost everything I own is stored in a 3 story barn and a storage bin. I too, will feel like it’s Christmas when I unpack and move into our new home. Exciting times!

    2. Debbie

      I have and love your 2 books, do you think you’ll ever change your colors in your new decor? I still love blues and greens, I live in a pink house but I still keep using blues and greens!

    3. Carolyn

      I am surprised at some if the items you were able to part with. I have an affinity with wood. I have your n latest book and am slowly changing my house to look like yours

    4. Dale

      I don’t think I could have parted with all those items. You are tougher than me?

    5. Kim

      One consistent theme I have noticed in what you kept is that you kept mostly the “smalls.” These are usually the things that are one-of-a-kind treasures and also relatively easy to move. I have often looked at my small previously owned historical treasures and wondered what kind of stories they would tell of where they’ve been for the last 100+ years.

      I’m curious to know what format you used to sell all your large items, which I assume went to mostly local buyers? You sure unloaded a ton of heavy objects quickly! It must feel like your load is massively lightened! That sets the stage for all kinds of fun acquiring new things down the road.

      • Marian Parsons

        I sold a lot of smalls as well, but yes, I kept things that felt like “me” and would fill out larger pieces. I feel pretty confident in finding great furniture pieces. When we have measurements for our next house, I’ll start shopping!

        I sold large pieces for local pick-up only and had a “virtual yard sale.” I listed pieces I was selling on Instagram, on my blog, and on Facebook marketplace. Because I have a large following, that worked very well. Locals would also come shop what I had in my garage or send inquiries about specific pieces. It was amazing how much stuff we cleared out!

    6. Lynda

      I almost cried, so many really lovely things. My sister is going through the same thing (and not for the first time). But I know she, and you, will make the next place equally beautiful. And there are those wonderful new purchases you have shown us.

    7. Debbie

      Lots of people were blessed with all the nice things that you sold! Now on to the adventures of Marian and her merry men!
      So much fun to follow your blog and I have from the start!
      I do have a question about your kitchen countertops. We’re they marble and what is your advice? I fell in love with Danby marble and am back and forth with indecision.

      • Pakster

        Debbie, the counters were quartz (HanStone quartz in pattern Monterey). There is a July 2019 one year review in the archives; search for counter and it’s the first hit.

        • Marian Parsons

          Thank you for answering this! Yes, they are Hanstone Quartz and I would get them again in a heartbeat. I got the look I wanted along with durability.

    8. Robin Bentley

      I love this post. You are a strong, decisive woman. More so than I. But why did you cut the lights off of your balsam hill tree?

      • maureen

        I wondered the same thing about why she cut the lights off of the Christmas tree. It takes sooooooooooo long to put lights on.

      • Jeanette

        I cut the lights off of my balsam hill tree, too. Now I’m wondering what kind of lights to buy for it. I wonder if Marian has a suggestion.

      • Marian Parsons

        After five Christmases only a couple of the prelit strands still worked, so I had to string on new lights anyway. Then I had dead light strands and live ones all over the tree! We cut them off to just add lights each year. It’s a gorgeous tree, so it was worth doing.

    9. Irene Kelly

      Thank you for sharing what you sold and kept ! So happy you kept the wardrobes. But sorry you sold that beautiful Buffalo check sectional I remember when you purchased it from Arhaus so I looked it up and saw it was quite expensive at that time and they have changed their look so you may not be able to buy that again. Much luck with your search for a new home and yes it will be like Christmas when you unpack ! Thanks again for this post !

    10. Mary S

      OMG, Marian,

      I almost cried when I saw the beautiful old antiques pieces you sold. You are a very
      brave woman!! I could never have done that and my “stuff” isn’t any where as nice as yours. How did you sell the things? Did you run an ad or what? I’m considering a move to another state and have wondered how to go about this project? I’m amazed at what you did!!! I don’t know where I would look for replacements, like what you’ve already located. My goodness!!!!! (I would have been interested in several of those things you sold… but I’m in St. Louis-a long way to transport items). I can’t wait to see what you’ll do next. God Bless you and your family.

    11. Diane Bushby

      We are moving for a 1000 sqm villa to a 463 sqm villa and trying to figure out what to take and what to sell is hard. The house has 4 floors and there are 11 chandeliers just in the hallways. The buyers dont want anything apart from one bedroom furniture set so I kind of get this feeling we will be selling chandeliers for months on etsy! They arent really into second hand furniture here in Portugal and they are only just moving into the upcycling furniture…we had boxes of stuff from 3 houses back….we finally went through the boxes from the UK and said no way are we carting this stuff around any longer!

    12. Sheri

      We are moving too and needing to greatly downsize. Where did you sell your furniture and smaller items, Marion? Just on your blog or did you use some other means of advertising too?

      By the way, I have some vintage lace and tatted detachable collars that once upon a time belonged to my mom. (Probably from the time period of 1940 to 1960.) They will likely be for sale soon, if a relative doesn’t want them first.
      Let me know, if you are interested in them.

    13. Caroline O'Hara

      Along with being amazed at how you were able to part with so much, I’m so amused by your comments about keeping the cats! ☺️

    14. Sandy

      This was such a good post. I’m always so thankful for your attitude and the way you set priorities. Like you said…it’s just stuff. Now, yes, it was lovely wonderful stuff but it’s fun to know others are enjoying the lovely things you sold. And I’m along for the ride to see what God provides for y’all’s next home. Bless you ?

    15. Bethany

      Must have been so difficult to get rid of such lovely pieces, but I completely understand the necessity. I’d love to know where you found the beautiful wall paper in the guest room, though. I’ve been looking for it everywhere!

    16. Debbie Ricks

      I’d love to see a post about how your sell your items. We are moving too, across state lines and downsizing homes and it’s difficult to get buyers for items. Seems like we have to sell furniture for a fraction of the cost that we paid. Any thoughts or advise on that?

      • Marian Parsons

        A few people have asked about that, so I will write an entire post on selling things when you move.

      • Sheri

        We are also downsizing and have already sold our home and need to sell things ASAP. Sure wish I knew, also, where to sell things and get a fair price, rather than take a big loss.

    17. Betsy McCreary

      Sometime when you have a free minute, could you tell me how you mount your wooden shoes?

      • Marian Parsons

        I just screwed D-rings into the back of the heels and hung them on nails.

    18. Carolyn Todd

      So glad you kept the cats! They are priceless. 🙂

      • Babs

        Yes, I was happy they made the cut…but I knew they would.

    19. Barbara C

      How fortunate for the new homeowners that you were willing to part with some pieces! I’m wondering if you installed the beams in your ceilings, and how tall the ceilings are. Thank you and enjoy this adventure (I can see you are!).

      • Marian Parsons

        They are 9′ ceilings.

    20. Claire

      We moved from Georgia to Oklahoma last summer to live near our grandchildren and we used PODS. It was exhausting. We too got rid of a lot of stuff and then got rid of a few things once we got out here. I sure wish I could have snapped up a few of your things.

    21. Sandi

      I’m sure because of your fame and popularity, some of your antiques and smalls sold more easily. Thankfully you will have a wonderous supply of amazing antiques here on the east coast and even more so if you end up in New England.
      The south is much more adventasous to pastors and churches though. Wherever you and your family end up will be the luckiest of communities and I hope you will be able to have a an old house to restore. What fun it will be to watch you do.

    22. Beverlee

      I would have fainted if the quilts had left, they are the very ‘you’ of all the ones you are. I agree about the rest, and, maybe we can learn from you. Thanks for taking us with you.

    23. Jeanine

      I think you made great choices about what to keep and sell! I know you must feel much lighter and will have a great time purchasing just the right items for your new home. And as long as you kept the cats, it’s all good in my book, lol!

    24. Irene Kelly

      A few years ago I saw a beautiful new repro chest at the Country Curtains store which was close to my home and I passed on it now they are out of business so very disappointed I never purchased it. I miss that store and receiving their catalog. And so glad we stayed at The Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge MA many times which owned Country Curtains. So it’s important to don’t pass on your many interests in life.

    25. Marleina

      I agree with you about so many of the choices you made and that it is just stuff!

      My mentality exactly.

      I have always sold sofas when moving because there is nothing worse that the wrong size sofa …. and they are heavy to move and tend to be damaged .. Moving back east around PA is a great place to find hardwood pieces both antigue and to re purpose.

      I couldn’t help but notice the phrase about setting up an office. Will Jeff be going into the private sctor in a counseling practice? We need more counselors with a spiritual foundation in this country.

      You have done such an incredible job developing yourself as a creative, a homemaker and a business person. You are a wonderful steward Marion and I send you and your family the blessings of abundance that God promises all of us! Godspeed!!

      • Marian Parsons

        Yes, that is just how I felt about the sofas! Our sectional was damaged when we moved here and we ended up having to throw away an entire section of it.

    26. PJ

      Moving involves so many decisions. If I had to do it over, I would have gotten rid of even more before our cross-country move. You are wise to wait to shop for large pieces. Our old farmhouse has some ceilings that are so low that those rooms cannot accommodate tall pieces. You kept many lovely pieces, and your new home may be smaller and require fewer items. Best wishes on finding your new place.

    27. Addie

      Oh!!!! I can’t believe you sold Karlsen!!!! He was the cutest!!! But….in a hot storage container, all of his hair might have fallen out and his nose might have melted!!!!
      Just going back and looking at your home…..Ahhhhh!!!! It was BEAUTIFUL….A Masterpiece!!!! And so will the next one be. I guess you would have been bored if you stayed in a completed home.
      Wellllll, Game on! Girlfriend!!!! Can’t wait for the new place. And you are smart to be going close to grandparents.

    28. Amy P.

      Hi Marion, I have followed you since you lived in your beautiful PA home, but have never commented. I just want to say that your homes are always so inspirational. I am currently having to pick and choose what to keep and get rid of for our move, and I am having a difficult time. Seeing you keep such an open mind about new pieces really helps me as I sort through all of our belongings. I can’t wait to see the progression of your new home. I wish you and your family the best moving forward.

    29. Joan Richards

      I am amazed how you can sell your things and move on. I think it is a great quality. As you say, it’s just stuff. I was on the grateful receiving end of homeowners walking out with only their clothing. We bought a home and all its furnishings, dishes, cleaning supplies , literally everything. It is a second home for us and so we were able to move our clothing right in. I’ll probably replace some things but the more time I spend there the more I appreciate the choices.

      • Mary Lou Griswold

        Sad to see Karlsen go but so glad the cats made the cut.

        We downsized three years ago and It’s a good feeling to be rid of so much stuff; in fact, I’ve found the older I get the less stuff I want even on table tops and counters. I do find it enjoyable, however, to see stuff in other people’s lovely homes such as yours and look forward to you shopping expeditions when you get resettled.

        BTW how do you prepare and frame the baby clothes you have on the walls?

    30. Cynthia Johnson

      Marian!

      As I scrolled through this post..I was saying, oh, and yes, I remember that.. I remember how excited she was about this, where you found that, and on and on. I feel like I was a part of building your Rochester home from afar and its nice to know what I’ll see again and where some of your other treasure went~

      Relax and enjoy being unhoused … you will soon transition into the boys being in high school, beyond, weddings, … grands.

      I look forward to your future~ bless you and your family!
      Cynthia

    31. Emily

      You use your position to encourage others, without implying they should do exactly the same things as you. You have inspired me so much, especially by demonstrating you can let go of things. I finally was able to part with a highboy dresser which was so tall I couldn’t reach the top drawers. I thought it was wrong to part with because it came from a relative. How can I thank you for inspiring us to LET GO of whatever it is we need to release.

    32. Cheryl Atkinson

      Oh Marion!! I am sure it was hard to part with alot of those pieces (the drafting table). It made me sad reading this but I’m sure you will find some amazing replacements.

    33. meg bush

      Holy Cow! At least you didn’t sell the cats?

    34. Barbara

      My husband and I moved last summer to live closer than 1,100 miles from our daughter. We had two properties to sell (both furnished/one of them rental property). Because we knew we would be in temporary housing for several months we decided to have estate sales both places. We kept only a few (very special) things, taking only what would fit in our two cars. It was tough at times, but was the right thing to do. We are now settled in our new home (only 60 miles from our daughter) and are very happy.

    35. Lori Biesecker

      I may have missed it, but I have to know: What about your big cow painting? I forget her name. I really love that piece.

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