Use these expert tips to guide your next move.
This past spring, designer Steve McKenzie relocated his studio to the new designer suites at ADAC and joined fellow designers in a collaborative space complete with individual offices and shared amenities. While an office move differs from a residential one, McKenzie says the fundamentals remain the same, and proper planning makes all the difference. Here, he shares his expert strategies for purging purposefully, organizing moving day logistics and settling into a new space with minimal stress.
What is the first thing you do to get started with a move?
We first identified everything that was going to come to the new office furniture-wise. Purging is a big part of moving.
What does a diligent but purposeful purge look like?
We were really methodical about cleaning out our fabric libraries and paint chip libraries. [For a home], I think it’s a similar process. Go through and identify the “must move” items and then evaluate what you want to donate or toss.
What’s your No. 1 tip for moving day itself?
I think one of the most important things was spatial planning before moving. We knew where everything was going to go before we ever had moving day. We were able to tell the drivers and the loaders what needed to be at the back end of the truck so that it came off first. We weren’t moving furniture two or three times. That’s what made it go so smoothly.
Once in the new home, what room should I focus on first?
This sounds backwards, but I really think you should focus on your storage area first.
Really? Would most people think of that?
When you’re unpacking boxes, and there’s something that you don’t want to put in the new kitchen, you might put it on the storage shelf. If you don’t have those shelves put together, you just start setting things aside. The next thing you know, there’s stuff all over the floor; you can’t move around, and you can’t really unload.
What’s another key moving tip?
Pre-planning is everything to make the move go smoother. I’m not saying you have to know where every object is going to go, but you do need to know where the big pieces need to be, or it’s just total chaos and stress on the moving day.
MCKENZIE INTERIOR DESIGN
mckenzieinteriordesign.com
@stevemckenzies
