Dr Purcell's aim was to furnish the house as a lived in house of the period of the late 18th/ beginning of the 19thcentury. Owing to lack of funds and personal ailing health only certain rooms were done, such as the dining and drawing rooms. He often referred to the unsatisfactory use of modern showcases for some of the precious items which were not compatible with a house atmosphere. In decades following the opening of the house as a museum many people from all over South Africa contributed material for the house, not all, however, suitable to fit in a period house setting. So much so that in the beginning of the 1960's the house was reported to be overcrowded "like an auction sale room before a sale".

Owing to a dispute surrounding a codicil to the joint will of the de Wet sisters, the house and its contents were put on a public auction in 1913. The proceeds from the sale would have to pay for the legacies provided for in the joint will.

Dr Purcell was appointed by the Koopmans committee to retrieve some of the pieces at the auction for the purpose of furnishing the house. The auction of the smaller items took place in the Good Hope Hall in Cape Town and lasted for six days but the larger items such as the furniture and painting were sold at the house over a period of two days. Of the more than 2 000 lots about 356 appearing to be "in the best of condition and of the best workmanship" were purchased by the committee. They comprised mainly of furniture and porcelain, many collected by Marie's father, Johannes de Wet. Most of these items today form the nucleus of the displays in the museum. They are indicated with an asterisk in the catalogue of objects available at the museum.

Dr Purcell also donated to the house some of his own personally collected items such as part of a dinner service made in c. 1800 for the Cloete family who farmed on the Groot Constantia Estate (see drawing room), several display cabinets (see dining room and upper hall), and a canopy bed c. 1750 in the main bedroom.

During its first year as a museum a total of 144 items were donated to the museum, 93 of them by the Misses Buyskes, while the extensive Daniel Krynauw collection was acquired in 1917.