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August 20, 2025

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Thinking about making the move to a smaller space? Our expert shares smart tips on how to downsize without sacrificing the things that make your home feel like you.

Expert Banner for Kym Lackmann.

Kym Lackmann is the founding director and principal designer of Melbourne-based Luxe Domain. With the rapid growth of the downsizing market, Kym has focused her expertise on the apartment sector, launching her acclaimed book, The Art of Luxury Downsizing. She and her team help empty-nesters and single-person households live “bigger” lives in smaller residences.

Person entering a new home.
Though nerve-wracking, downsizing can be exactly what’s needed. Image: Canva

For many people, downsizing is viewed with great trepidation. They know it’s the right move, but it stirs up mixed emotions: leaving the family home and all of the memories attached to it, while also facing the reality of the maintenance, cleaning and ageing furniture that comes with owning a family-sized house.

Think of it this way. When we go on holidays, whether it be staying at a hotel or even in a caravan, one wonders at how easy and simple life can be and then the realisation that you do have a yearning for a simpler and updated lifestyle.

So, should you move into one of the new apartments being built in the neighbourhood or into a smaller house with a smaller garden, or is a townhouse better? Aside from the decisions around real estate, very real and often quite emotional decisions need to be made about the contents of your existing home.

Of course, all this is best addressed when you still have the energy and the emotional inclination to adapt to new circumstances rather than when you reach the point of having to move later in life.

Older couple carrying moving boxes.
Downsizing is about letting go and moving forward. Image: Canva

When the time comes, it’s important to give yourself the chance to manage all the practicalities (selling your home, financing, temporary storage or accommodation) calmly and without the stress of sorting all your possessions at the same time.

With thoughtful planning and a discerning eye, downsizing really can feel more like an upgrade than a compromise. Here’s how to make the transition seamless, while keeping both your style and favourite things intact.

Remember your ‘why’

Backyard with large lawn area.
Tired of caring for a huge backyard? It’s a common reason to downsize. Image: Canva

What prompted you to decide to downsize? Is it tied to how big your current home feels now that the kids have moved out, or is it all the accumulated ‘stuff’ that’s taking up so much space? Is it the style of the house and its maintenance, the size of the backyard and garden, or do you just want a change of scenery?

Whatever your reason, you just need to keep your eye on the goal and keep moving forward.

Start with the non-negotiables

Well-lit room with a feature armchair.
Pinpoint your favourite pieces that will go with you. Image: Canva

Before doing anything else, consider which of your possessions you’ll want to keep no matter what.

Start writing a list of the pieces you can’t imagine living without, for example, a favourite armchair, a treasured artwork or beautiful fine china.

Later, when arranging items in your new home, these will be your design anchors. Deciding on these from the start helps ensure your new space feels unmistakably yours.

Curate, don’t just declutter

Person packing box with clothes.
Don’t feel guilty about parting with unloved items. Image: Canva

In the same way that Michelangelo chiselled away at a huge slab of marble to finally reveal the David, think of downsizing as curating your life’s story rather than simply getting rid of things.

We can outgrow collections we started when much younger, and let’s face it, cookbooks, magazines, clothes, toy soldiers, sports equipment, you name it, can all date and become irrelevant. A collection of real value is refined over time, so if you have items of intrinsic value, keep your favourite 3-5 pieces and sell the rest to someone who will appreciate them.

And remember to release the guilt. You shouldn’t feel obligated to keep family heirlooms you don’t love. Pass them onto other family members, sell them or donate them to someone else who will treasure them – if you wouldn’t buy them yourself, it’s OK to let them go.

From this point on, only keep the useful, beautiful and much-loved, and let go of what no longer serves your new lifestyle. Aim to use and display the pieces you keep beautifully in your new home.

I cannot stress enough how cathartic this process can be.

Plan for your new lifestyle, not just your new floor plan

Older healthy couple walking with yoga mats.
Your lifestyle plays a big role in how you set up your new home. Image: Canva

Consider what your daily activities will be when you move. Will you continue cooking and entertaining as much as you do now, or will you do more? Are there interests you’d like to pursue now that you’ll have more time?

Your next home may have a smaller footprint, but it should work more efficiently for you. Consider storage solutions, multipurpose furniture, home automations and enhancements such as built-in shelving or a statement fireplace to maximise both function and style.

Blend the Old with the New

Modern apartment bedroom.
Downsizing involves a balance of old and new. Image: Canva

Let’s face it, a successful downsize isn’t about starting from scratch; it’s about blending your non-negotiables with new items like custom cabinetry, contemporary lighting, or updated upholstery. All of these items will breathe new energy into cherished items and help them to be more relevant to the architecture of the building you’re moving to.

This balance creates a layered, lived-in elegance.

Happy middle-aged couple cooking at home.
Your new home is about who you are now, not who you’ve been. Image: Canva

You’ve earned the right to have a home that truly reflects your style. Having support with both the downsizing and the decorating can make your transition so much smoother and more joyful.

From helping you reconfigure cabinetry in an off-the-plan apartment to handling the sale and distribution of unneeded items and arranging white-glove relocation services, having expert guidance means you arrive in your new home fully settled, beautifully styled and ready to enjoy your next chapter.

This liberating and exciting experience gives you a chance to curate a home that reflects who you are now, not just who you’ve been. You’ll step into a new home that feels fresh, elegant and entirely your own and one you’ll love sharing with your family and friends regularly.


Are you dreaming of downsizing, or dreading the whole process? Leave us a comment below.

  • A great read! Very informative. My parents are almost 80 and are in the downsize stage. They’re looking for smaller places to buy, maybe a retirement village. They currently have a huge double storey 4 bedroom home. Fortunately, they don’t have too many things except in dad’s garage. For me personally and knowing how much stuff my family and I have accumulated, the thought of downsizing fills me with dread.

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  • A very informative read. It is always hard when you know it is time to move out of your home let alone downsize to something smaller and more suited to your current needs. Some people really find it hard to declutter and work through what they really want to keep and what brings back sent amental memories.

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  • In your line of work you would definitely come across people struggling with the idea of downsizing and they would be so concerned about the emotional and physical toll this process takes. My best advice for your clients would be: the time to start preparing is before they have to. Our Downsizing Audit may be of assistance. This is an online module which simplifies the process with expert guidance. Please go to our website for more information.

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  • Some great advice in this article. I work in a law office so it’s something we see our clients going through a lot. I have a long way to go before I will be in that position, but I do know the importance of decluttering and trying to simplify things. It can be hard choosing what is essential!

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  • At 52 and after family circumstances I downsized to a 2 bedroom apartment. When I moved in I only had my bed, washing machine and fridge. I took my time to furnish it with the less is more approach. At first I never thought I would have enough room and can’t believe how much clutter I held onto in my family home. Now I just hold onto the memories made raising my 3 children.

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  • I am looking forward to downsizing and giving away a lot of my things. I prefer to just have what I need. It feels like a simpler life.

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  • While I can’t see my kids moving out for quite some time, when they finally do I feel like downsizing will be quite liberating. We place too much value on stuff these days and honestly most of it is so unnecessary. I’m definitely looking forward to getting rid of the clutter

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  • I can imagine it would be to downsize, especially when you have had a whole lifetime in a home. Raising families, making memories, building your perfect oasis. But there can be light and love in a smaller, new home. Making it for a new purpose for the best memories to come

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  • Some great tips here! I wonder how my mother will go when it comes time for her to downsize, she loves her stuff, trinkets and vintage pieces and over the years has filled her 4 bedroom house up! I know a time will come when she’ll need to downsize so I will keep in mind some of these tips. Thanks for sharing

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