How One Designer Earned $4K Hosting a New Kind of Garage Sale

Photography byJacob Kauffman,ByGarrett Fleming

UpdatedOct 12, 2018 4:43 AM EDT

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Last May, following her divorce, interior designer Patricia Nogueira settled into a circa 1953 rental in Tiburon, California (a peninsula across the bay from San Francisco). Unlike the home Nogueira shared with her ex, her new residence serves as a lab where she can explore a medley of different references and styles. “There’s no fear of disapproval from anyone. It’s really liberating,” she says of her newfound, freewheeling approach to decorating. Relocating during the pandemic, on the other hand, proved a “physically and emotionally” taxing ordeal given the precautions Nogueira had to observe. Here, she eases the experience for future relocators, letting us in on precisely how she safely began her new chapter.

Nogueira held a sizable garage sale to unload everything but her bed, a few lamps, and some records. “I was really craving a fresh start after the divorce, so parting with things was easy,” she says. To prevent the spread of the coronavirus at the event, Nogueira permitted only one customer to shop at a time and required masks. Much to her surprise, she drew a large turnout and earned an impressive $4,000, which she later applied toward furnishing her new rental.

Securing a home last spring was no simple feat as families across California hunkered down—inventory was low. “I spent two months obsessively searching for a new house online,” says Nogueira, and the challenges didn’t cease once she found one. The listing agent remained in his car while she toured the home to uphold social distancing guidelines, meaning no one was present to answer questions or point out key details. Thankfully, Nogueira anticipated this, so she assembled a list of “watch outs” in advance—the condition of the appliances, confirming the doors locked properly, any damage—to ensure she didn’t overlook any potential drawbacks in the moment.

Unable to visit brick-and-mortar shops to fill the gaps left by her garage sale, Nogueira turned to Craigslist, Etsy, and her “best friend,” Facebook Marketplace. Her finds include a $40 set of Patricia Urquiola dining chairs that typically retail for $1,500 apiece and a Knoll table she secured for $500. “I wore gloves and a mask and didn’t even meet the seller most of the time,” Nogueira says of the process. Sellers would leave the item outside for pickup, and often she would Venmo them rather than use a credit card or cash. Before settling each piece into its perfect spot indoors, Nogueira gave it a thorough wipe-down. “This home’s decorated exactly how I want in every possible way,” she says. “It feels amazing.”

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