Nancy K. knows more than a bit about downsizing. Life has taken her on many fabulous travels, but Wyomissing, from the very beginning, has always been the key place she’s called home. Along that journey, her life has been lived in several residences, both here and in Florida during the wintertime for the past decade.
At the start of 2023, she gave up her Snowbird status, returning to the borough and settling into a comfortable condominium that reflects her style and speaks to her interesting life.
Nancy’s first foray in downsizing came when she and her four children transitioned from their 9,000-square-foot home on Reading Boulevard to another on the same street, an adjustment they were all on board with and came to love and appreciate.
Practicality
Though she loved the big home, Nancy took a pragmatic approach when it came to staying there.
“The four children were with me and I needed to consider expenses,” she says. “So, we moved to a smaller home also on Reading Boulevard.”
The decision, made with the children’s input, proved to be a good one.
“A move doesn’t have to be a sad thing,” she says. “Your home is where you are all together.”
The family being together is one thing, but moving the accumulated household, furnishings, art objects and other items is quite another.
Nancy’s second Reading Boulevard home was more contemporary than her big house, and acclimating the family’s possessions to it was a challenge.
First, of course, came the sorting of things.
“You must choose the things you love the most,” Nancy advises.
The children helped with the choices, and storage played a role in safeguarding pieces for future use and distribution to the siblings as they ventured into adulthood and apartments and homes of their own.
Marianne Disegi of Reading-based Interior Environments has long been Nancy’s go-to person when it comes to home design, from the big and smaller Reading Boulevard houses to her new condo in the borough. Disegi is both an architect and a designer.
“For the past 40 years or so, she’s the only person I’ve worked with,” says Nancy. “We just clicked, and she’s been able to incorporate my things in my homes with a style that lasted over the years. Things just continue to work together.”
Adieu to the Sunshine State
Between her time in the second Reading Boulevard house and her current condo, Nancy spent 10 winters in Florida. With her children grown and scattered in various areas of the state and the country, she purchased a condo in Palm Beach Gardens and enjoyed six months of sunshine and warm temperatures.
“It was lovely,” she recalls. “It was a gated community, and it was a very friendly place. Plus, I got to play tennis every day.”
But her passion for tennis took second place to her passion for her Wyomissing friends, her children and her growing brood of grandchildren, including her youngest granddaughter, who just turned 1.
Nancy wanted to help out, and that meant taking care of her newest grandchild when her parents needed to be on the job. So, it was goodbye to Florida and back to Wyomissing full-time with the purchase of a nearby condo.
“It’s so great seeing her every day,” she says, “and it’s wonderful seeing my cousin, niece, my sister-in-law, my entire family and friends year-round.”
The Florida condo went up for sale, and settlement was set for late January of this year.
Nancy gathered her whole clan for one last Christmas holiday in Florida and then got down to cleaning and packing up.
“I moved into the (Wyomissing) condo on Dec. 10, and I had to have everything out of the Florida condo by Jan. 3,” she recalls. “After everyone left, I stayed for an extra four days before the moving truck arrived. I was so busy that I was just eating cheese and crackers and drinking wine as I worked. I lost six pounds doing it.”
Nancy also tackled packing up her Wyomissing residence in preparation for her current condo life, doubling the work at the time but proving that when you put your mind to doing something, you truly can accomplish just about anything.
An Art -Filled Return to Wyo
One truckload headed to her daughter’s house in Villanova while another truckload arrived at the Wyomissing condo, and a third truck brought items to her other daughter’s home in Wyomissing. Then Nancy got to work. Nancy says as soon as she eyed the condo, she had clear thoughts on what items would fit well.
The walls were repainted in soft, subtle shades of light grey, blue and cream, enhancing the natural light afforded by the many windows in the two-story, two-bedroom unit.
The open-concept main floor features an updated kitchen, living room with fireplace and a dining area that can comfortably seat eight. Two shelving units flanking the sideboard also display special items.
Nancy’s art objects have come from Florence, Italy, Greece and throughout Europe and the United States. The cost of an object doesn’t necessarily translate into its inherent sentimental value, she cautions – one of her favorites made of sand from a Grecian beach cost just $35.
She smiles talking about two polar bear sculptures, each about the size of a teapot, chiseled out of stone and marble by Inuit folks. Nancy acquired these in Quebec.
“I just love them, and they are artforms only made by rural Eskimos,” she says.
She also favors a large bronze statue of a Native American acquired in Carmel, CA; another piece from Colorado and a heavy bronze figure of a buffalo from Taos, NM, which now resides in the home of her daughter, Katie, about a mile from her condo.
The furnishings and art objects reflect Nancy’s collections over the years and the women’s knack for elegantly staging an eclectic mix of the contemporary and traditional.
Two barrel-backed golden leopard skin-inspired armchairs face a pair of cream-colored traditional ones. The cream-colored sofa is placed opposite the fireplace, which is flanked by two beige hassocks. A glass-top coffee table aids in the display of a richly-hued oriental rug, tying together the whole furnishing tableau.
Familiar Artists, Local Scenes
A large oil painting is placed above the fireplace mantel, which is also flanked by two paintings as well as narrow side tables that, like the mantel itself, feature lovely pottery pieces. Books also take their place on the tables.
While, as noted, Nancy has collected artwork from many countries, she counts two local artists among her favorites. One of those is her friend Jane Runyeon, whose contemporary works have been displayed throughout the country as well as currently at Judy’s on Cherry in Reading.
Nancy also loves the work of Russ Slocum and his oil paintings of Wyomissing Creek.
“I have a number of pieces from both Jane and Russ,” she says. “The talents of these two prove that you don’t necessarily have to travel far to find incredible art. Never underestimate the quality and talent of local artists.”
The sizeable master bedroom provides enough space for a comfortable seating/TV viewing area with loveseat and chair. Chests of drawers, which provide abundant storage and surface area for scores of family photos and art objects, are carefully placed along the perimeter. Again, original wall hangings add special touches and evoke happy memories for Nancy.
Even the smaller guest bedroom has an interesting vibe with three significant oil paintings, one a very traditional 20th-century portrait. There is, again, space for a comfy reading chair, and Nancy has positioned quite the selection of books for her guests to peruse.
While a large freeform stone sculpture is positioned at the bottom of the staircase, the walls are also highlighted by more original artwork.
“My husband and I did a lot of traveling, and we would buy a lot of artwork in Italy, San Francisco, New York and a variety of countries,” Nancy says. “I’ve brought a lot along with me, but I have given some to the children for their homes.”
Two sizeable decks with ample and comfortable seating complete the living area of the condo and afford views of the grassy common area. The location of Nancy’s condo provides some well-appreciated quiet and privacy. But, as she notes, her condo community is like a little village, and she’s enjoying meeting new neighbors and spending time with old friends. She especially favors cocktail hours on the decks, which, she says, make her condo feel more like a house.
Reflections
When Nancy ponders her moves and the possessions she relinquished over the years, she has a mix of emotions.
Some regrets center on parting with pieces that belonged to her mother. She remembers the fine quality and craftsmanship of many of them. She also laments that so many similar furnishings, once high-end and costly, have seemingly lost most of their inherent value in today’s market.
“I just didn’t have the space for everything,” she says. “In retrospect, maybe I should have gotten a bigger storage unit. My advice here is: don’t give up the valuable pieces.”
Nancy’s reverie doesn’t overwhelm her pragmatism.
“In the end, they are only things; they’re just possessions,” she says.
Still, when visiting her adult children and their families, she takes joy in seeing how they have incorporated many of her cast-off pieces into their home décor. Indeed, as some of her grandchildren approach adulthood, they, too, will be beneficiaries of their grandmother’s collections, from furnishings to artwork to dishes and household items, as they set up their first apartments.
All this passing on of items and their background stories provide Nancy with joy, but family is always the priority.
“What’s important is where your family is,” she says. “In the end, what difference does it make…physical things aren’t the important things. Just go with how you are feeling and enjoy your life and your family. Downsizing can be a very positive, pleasant experience, and every stage of life can be exciting with new adventures.”
