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Regina Lark, a Los Angeles-area professional organizer, describes helping her mother Carmel move from a large house to a smaller home near her daughter. Her advice includes planning for the emotional change, prioritizing meaningful and frequently used belongings, and finding thoughtful ways to pass on the rest.
Professional organizer Regina Lark says downsizing can work best when people plan for both the practical move and the emotional change, drawing on her experience helping her mother, Carmel, leave a large home for a smaller one near her daughter. In a report for Veranda, Lark recommends keeping belongings that support daily life and personal identity, rather than trying to fit an entire household into less space.
Carmel, an interior designer in her late 80s, moved after her partner died. She had spent decades collecting furniture, books, handbags and jewelry, and was facing a home that offered only a fraction of her previous space. Lark, who runs a professional organizing and estate-transition business in the Los Angeles area, recounts the experience as a guide to making similar decisions for oneself or a loved one.
Lark advises starting conversations early about what the next home should make possible. That can mean identifying objects that are useful, meaningful or visually important, rather than deciding what to keep based only on age, price or size. She suggests noticing where someone spends the most time in their current home, photographing that area and using the images to help recreate a familiar corner in the new space.
Everyday use should guide choices, too. Someone who regularly does puzzles at a particular table may want to bring it if it fits; gardening supplies may be less useful in a home without a yard. Lark says Carmel kept holiday decorations she could store and use, along with photographs and other belongings she cared about. Lark also recommends asking friends and relatives whether they want specific items, then considering estate sales, auctions or donations for what remains.
Making Less Space Feel Personal
Downsizing is not only a question of floor plans and storage. A move can disrupt familiar routines and prompt difficult decisions about possessions that carry memories. Lark’s advice centers on preserving what makes a home feel recognizably its occupant: a favored reading spot, familiar photographs, cherished books or the flowers and potpourri someone likes to keep nearby.
The approach also offers a practical way to avoid treating every item as equally important. Starting with regular activities and meaningful objects can help people make choices based on how they live now, while allowing a smaller home to feel personal rather than like a temporary holding place for boxes.
Lark says her mother’s move also brought relief from having so much to manage. Once in the new home, Carmel went through papers, journals and memorabilia, reflecting on her life in a way she had not before. That outcome is Lark’s account of her mother’s experience, not a guarantee that every move will feel easier.
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Carmel’s Move Near Her Daughter
The report presents Carmel’s move as a family experience viewed in retrospect. Her age, her partner’s death and the decision to live closer to her daughter shaped the transition, while the smaller home required choices about what could fit and what would be used. The account does not describe a real-estate trend or set out a universal downsizing method; it records one organizer’s recommendations based on helping her mother.
Other examples in the report show different ways people adapt homes to changing needs. Designer Bunny Williams says she added a downstairs bedroom to her Connecticut home because she wants to remain there as she ages. Designer Mackin Thompson, meanwhile, turned her grandmother’s senior-living apartment into a personal space with antiques and travel collections. These examples illustrate varied responses to changing living arrangements, not a single model for every household.
“Since I want to live here forever, the decision to make a downstairs bedroom seemed quite logical.”
— Bunny Williams, designer, as quoted by Veranda
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No One-Size-Fits-All Checklist
The report does not give a detailed timeline, budget or inventory of Carmel’s move, and it does not say how much of her household she kept. It also does not establish that the same choices will suit other families. Housing layout, storage, health needs, finances and personal preferences can all affect what is practical.
Lark’s suggestions about giving items away reflect her professional experience and her family’s circumstances. The article does not provide independent research comparing downsizing approaches or quantify outcomes such as reduced costs, stress or moving time. Readers should treat the account as practical advice and a personal example, not a measured assessment of results.
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Plan the Move Around Daily Life
For someone preparing to move, Lark’s advice points to a sequence: discuss what the next home needs to support, identify the spaces and objects used most, and decide what can reasonably fit. Photographs of a favorite area can help with arranging the new home. People can then ask family and friends about particular belongings and contact local organizations, auctioneers or estate-sale services about other items.
Lark also recommends making room for a personal farewell. When Carmel moved, her sister walked through the house with her, pausing at the gardens and favorite spaces. Taking pictures of objects that will not make the move—and assembling them into a photo book—can preserve memories without requiring the objects themselves to occupy limited space. The report offers no specific next milestone; the practical decisions depend on each person’s move and new home.
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Key Questions
Who is Regina Lark?
Regina Lark runs a professional organizing and estate-transition business in the Los Angeles area. In the Veranda report, she shares lessons from helping her mother Carmel move to a smaller home.
What should someone decide first when downsizing?
Lark recommends talking about what the next home should support and identifying the belongings that provide daily use, meaning or personal comfort. She also suggests noting where the person spends the most time in the current home.
How can a smaller home still feel familiar?
Photograph a favorite area before the move, then use those images to recreate its arrangement where possible. Keep meaningful details—such as photographs, books, familiar decor or flowers—that help the new space feel personal.
What can happen to belongings that do not move?
Lark suggests asking friends and family about particular items, then exploring auctions, estate sales, donations or local community organizations. She notes that finding a new home for some items, including pianos, may take persistence.
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