We’re getting down to the last bits of business settling my parent’s estate. The big thing this week is an estate sale which is being held at their home in Sandwich, MA tomorrow and Saturday, August 1st and 2nd. I brought in Patti and Mary from Seaside Estate Sales to handle the whole thing for me.
They have been amazing – the work they put into it from house visits, cataloging and researching the history of certain items – most of which I didn’t know.
For instance that this carving set is from India. I have no idea how my parent’s acquired it, it was always just there.
This is a beautiful Hickory Chair camel back sofa from the 70’s with original cut velvet upholstery. A new sofa of comparable quality and fabric would be easily $7,000. It would cost about $2,000 to get it reupholstered in a great new fabric. And, you’d never find anything near the quality for $2,000.
I just realized I wanted that decanter… well, hopefully it won’t sell and I can snag it back.
And then random things my Dad collected:
Get more information about the sale and lots more photos here.
It can be hard to see my parent’s belongings sold off like this, but in the end, it’s just stuff. The important thing to remember are the memories of Sunday dinners and holiday’s around the dining table, being allowed to sit on the good furniture (only when dressed up!), drinking my first glass of wine. These memories we take with us. The rest is just stuff that will hopefully find new memories. It’s an interesting thing to consider as a designer. I’m in the business of “stuff” and yet in the end, it’s not what we truly remember. Perspective…
