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Apartment Therapy reports that designers and vintage home experts recommend reconsidering donations of seven kinds of home items, including vintage books, sentimental collectibles, quilts and old dishes. Their advice is to keep pieces with personal meaning or possible reuse, rather than assuming every dated or unused object should go.
Designers and vintage-home experts interviewed by Apartment Therapy say people clearing clutter should think carefully before donating seven types of household items, from vintage books and antique quilts to old dishes and family souvenirs. Their advice is not to keep everything, but to pause over pieces with personal history, potential decorative use or possible value before they leave the home.
The recommendations appear in an Apartment Therapy report by writer Heather Bien, which frames the issue as a common downside of a major decluttering effort: people can let go of objects quickly and later wish they had kept particular pieces. The article presents expert guidance rather than survey findings or a formal valuation of the items.
The seven categories are vintage books, sentimental collectibles, antique quilts, old dishes, inherited knickknacks, travel souvenirs and other personal memorabilia. Designer and vintage seller Sara McDaniel says older books can work as display pieces and that some may be rare first editions. KBB Interiors founder Kylie Bass advises keeping a small number of figurines or collectibles that carry special memories, rather than necessarily retaining an entire collection.
Vintage-home blogger Ann Couser Kittredge describes handmade quilts as difficult to replace, especially when made by a relative, and notes they can be used as throws, bed coverings or tablecloths. Kittredge also suggests old dishes can be repurposed for display or practical uses. Designer Laura Medicus recommends mixing family mementos and souvenirs into shelves or displays, where they can add personal history to a room.
A Second Look Before Donating
The advice matters to people making decisions during a move, downsizing or home cleanout because donation can be hard to reverse. A dated object may have sentimental significance or a use its owner has not yet considered, while books and some vintage items may merit a closer look before they are given away. The report’s central point is to make choices deliberately, rather than treating age or lack of current use as proof that an item has no value.
That does not mean every keepsake deserves storage space. The experts offer selective approaches: retain a few meaningful collectibles, identify quilts or books with personal or potential market interest, and consider whether dishes or souvenirs could serve a new purpose. The balance is between avoiding regret and reducing clutter, not preserving every object indefinitely.
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The Seven Categories to Review
Apartment Therapy’s list covers objects that often get swept into donation boxes because they are old, out of fashion or associated with a large collection. For books, McDaniel points to both styling possibilities and the chance that a title could be a valuable edition; the article does not identify any particular book or provide appraisal guidance. For figurines, Bass’s advice is more personal: keep the pieces tied to meaningful memories, rather than feeling obliged to retain every one.
Kittredge’s examples show how the other items might remain useful. A quilt can be displayed or used around the house, while dinnerware can appear on a wall, table or in a DIY project. Medicus’s examples include an old pencil sharpener, a yardstick, a bowling trophy, a childhood diploma or a map connected to a family member. These are suggestions from the designers, not requirements for how readers should decorate.
The source article also notes that sentimental items do not need to have an immediate place in the home. Its practical implication is that a short pause to sort and identify especially meaningful or potentially distinctive pieces may help people avoid making a hurried decision during a large clear-out.
“These books often make for fabulous styling pieces either as a coffee table accent, a book wall, or even on your dining room table.”
— Sara McDaniel, designer and vintage seller at Simply Southern Cottage
Value Depends on the Item
The article does not establish that all items in these categories are valuable, rare or desirable to future owners. It gives no prices, appraisal data or criteria for identifying a collectible first edition, and it does not assess the condition of any specific quilt, dish or keepsake. Claims about possible monetary value should therefore be treated as reasons to investigate an individual object, not as a guarantee of resale value.
Whether an item is worth keeping also depends on its owner’s memories, available storage and intended use. The source offers expert opinions and examples, but it does not report a study measuring how often people regret donating these belongings or how much money they later spend replacing them.
Review Pieces Before Clearing Out
The next step suggested by the report is a careful review before placing older or inherited objects in a donation box. Owners can set aside pieces with clear personal meaning, check books or antiques they suspect may be unusual, and consider practical or decorative uses for dishes and textiles. If potential monetary value is a deciding factor, a qualified bookseller or antiques appraiser can assess the specific item; the article itself does not provide valuations.
Apartment Therapy’s report does not announce a follow-up, policy change or other scheduled development. The decisions remain with individual owners: keep selected pieces, find them a new use, or donate them after considering their history and condition.
Key Questions
Which seven types of items does the report say to reconsider donating?
The list includes vintage books, sentimental collectibles, antique quilts, old dishes, inherited knickknacks, travel souvenirs and family memorabilia. The report recommends reviewing individual items rather than keeping every example of each category.
Does the advice mean these items are all financially valuable?
No. The article says some books may be rare or valuable, but it does not appraise particular items or claim that every vintage object has a market value. A specific item would need to be assessed on its own.
What should someone do with a large inherited collection?
Bass’s advice is to keep a few pieces that hold special meaning rather than feeling required to retain an entire collection. The report also suggests considering whether selected items can be displayed or used in another way.
Why keep old dishes or quilts if they are not in everyday use?
Kittredge says quilts can be used as throws, bed coverings or tablecloths, and old dishes can be displayed or repurposed. Those are possibilities, not a reason everyone needs to store items they do not want.
Source: apartmenttherapy.com
