Furniture and Household Goods

Furniture fills a house and makes up a small share of the estate’s value, with a few loud exceptions. Mid-century pieces by Herman Miller, Knoll, Heywood-Wakefield, and Lane, designer upholstery, and well-made period pieces sell well. Big brown dining sets, worn recliners, and particleboard bookcases do not, no matter how new they look.

We look under, behind, and inside every piece. Labels in drawers, stamps under seats, and metal tags on frames name the maker, and the maker decides whether a credenza is a household item or a designer piece.

What sells

• Mid-century and designer furniture with labels or known designs
• Solid wood case pieces in good condition, from period to well-made modern
• Upholstered pieces from known makers, free of pet or smoke damage
• Outdoor furniture in wrought iron, teak, and cast aluminum from good makers
• Tools, workshop equipment, and garage contents in working order
• Kitchenware, small appliances, linens, and decor in good shape

What does not

Flat-pack furniture, mattresses, stained upholstery, and mismatched dishware bring little at any sale. We say so up front and plan for donation or cleanout instead of pricing it into a sale that will not move it.

Before we look

Do not haul anything to the curb or the donation center yet. The plain chair a family gives away to a neighbor is exactly the one that turns out to have a designer’s label underneath. Leave drawers as they are, too. We check them for papers, jewelry, and cash before anything leaves, and keepsakes get set aside before any offer.

How the whole estate comes together

Furniture is usually the last group we price, after the jewelry, silver, art, and collections are pulled out. For most estates we make one outright offer for the furniture and household contents. What remains goes through a managed estate sale or a final cleanout, and the scope, exclusions, and timing go in writing first.