Tuesday, July 16, 2019

Why Performance Fabric Is Wonderful as Upholstery


Scientifically advanced performance fabric should be your upholstery of choice if you’re tired of stains and sun ruining furniture. These wonder fabrics take man-made fibers to the next level for colorfastness and overall durability. And thanks to this lab-perfected performance upholstery, cleanup after the inevitable spills that come with using living room furniture have never been easier to deal with. Just wipe it off and it’s like nothing happened. Here is a quick overview of these fabrics and their definite advantages. And luckily for you, American Furniture Galleries carries many living room sofas and other fine pieces clothed in this indestructible marvel.

performance fabric sofa chaise

How Performance Fabric Is Made

Unlike ordinary fabric dipped in a color, performance fabric, which begins as molten plastic, has its color put into it before it’s even turned into cloth fibers. That means the bright colors of your new upholstery or outdoor chaise go entirely into the fibers so they will never go away.

performance fabric outdoor umbrella

Why Performance Fabric Helps YOU!

When you get Nuvella or Sunbrella performance fabric for your living room upholstery or outdoor umbrella, you’re getting proven quality in both stainproofing and abrasion resistance. Plus, if you use performance fabric on your outdoor furniture or awning, the color NEVER fades in the sun’s relentless rays! Easy to clean, your performance fabric will give your household many years of flawless service.

Check out your performance upholstery and umbrella options at our Sacramento, CA store.

Tuesday, June 18, 2019

Design Tips: Wall Accents Are Effective and Economical


Choose cool wall accent accessories when you need to liven up a room on a tight budget. Here are some practical and economical design tips to brighten your decor for less.

accent mirror

Dramatic Wall Mirrors to Accentuate the Light

A classic designer’s tip is to employ wall mirrors to make a dark room seem much larger AND brighter. Choose an accent mirror large enough to be a commanding presence in the room and with an interesting frame design/shape, be it distressed white paint or a warm gold tone. Plus you get to sneak a peek or two at the mirror to check your appearance, your guests none the wiser.

accent candle holders

Romantic Accent Candles in Sconces, in Unusual Places

Speaking of light, accent candles are a standard when it comes to setting a sexy mood. Shake things up a bit with this old solution. Put your accent wall sconces with candles in unusual spots that don’t normally get a lot of love. For example, a forlorn stretch of wall where electric sconces wouldn’t work. A few spots of subdued light in out-of-the-way places is irresistible!

wall art

Striking Wall Art to Add Splashes of Color

Finally we come to wall art for inspiration and color in an otherwise drab, spartan space. This accent art can be anything from huge prints of classic midcentury cityscapes to copies of your favorite era in painting from Renaissance Old Masters to Impressionism to the way-out styles of Pollack and De Kooning. Maybe some Andy Warhol pop art parodying advertising is your groove.

All the wall accents you desire to awaken your room are at our Rancho Cordova, CA store and other American Furniture Galleries locations.

Tuesday, March 19, 2019

Quick and Inexpensive Ways to Transform a Kids’ Room for a Teen


One of the quandaries of shopping for kids’ room furniture is, alas, the little ones grow up. That awesome race-car or TV cartoon-show theme so adorable when they were 5 doesn’t quite fit when they’re 13. And wow, don’t they let you know it! Change is inevitable as the philosophers remind us. Everything is in flux. Remember what it felt like to try to break away from your parents and assert your own identity? Well, first off, when updating your kids’ bedroom set to reflect your curious young person’s rapidly changing needs and interests, of course ask your son or daughter what they’d like! Make it a collaborative effort. You and your emerging adult might even bond a bit during this task. So here is American Furniture Galleries’ practical kids’ room furniture advice to successfully make this change.

kids' full panel bed

Consider Darker Colors and Clean Lines

Your new young adult wants to reinvent him or herself as the person they are trying to be. Not a problem with some judicious kids’ room furniture planning. So maybe it’s time to go for a kids’ bed more understated, showing emerging sophistication. Consider a full bed, big enough to account for at least one growth spurt, in a cool gray tone for a mature look. The simple lines of a rustic panel bed or low-profile midcentury cool might be just the thing for your teen. If your budding scholar wants to buckle down on some physics homework or complete that college entrance essay, consider an ultramodern kids’ desk in serene, neutral tones. Such pieces have tremendous design longevity.

red pillow and coverlet set

Keep Some Bright Kids’ Bedding for a Pop of Color

Even though your son or daughter is not quite a kid anymore, include a pop of color in the decor, because of course being grown up doesn’t rule out all kid-like fun. Something such as updated kids’ bedding continuing the boy or girl theme but in a richer shade can make a new bedroom layout come alive.

If you take this advice to heart AND shop our Sacramento, CA store, you might even save a dollar or three.

Tuesday, February 19, 2019

The Art of Decluttering


If you’ve had a home for a while, and especially if you have kids, chances are clutter is a bane of your existence. From stray toys underfoot (who can forget stepping barefoot on a Lego piece for the first time?) to simply a cumulative ugliness marring your home’s look, we at American Furniture Galleries bet you’re looking for spring-cleaning tips. While the time is opportune with spring just around the corner, we’ve found that these tricks to make your home seem more organized work well year round. We draw our inspiration from diverse sources, everything from top Western designers to customer feedback over the years to the ancient Chinese belief in feng shui (pronounced fung shway). The last includes the idea that clutter literally blocks a life-giving energy, called chi, producing deleterious effects that seem like plain bad luck! Tripping over your clutter would be unfortunate indeed, so let’s get started on that cleaning.

 queen poster bed

Stack the Stuff You Need Now and Stow the Rest

If you’ve got hips you don’t want to emphasize, you stay away from dresses with horizontal lines or patterns, right? This optical trick works in your home too. Try choosing furniture and wall art that emphasizes the vertical instead, such as poster beds or curio cabinets. Now, consider rotating your household items and even memento displays seasonally, not just for the holidays. Try gradually changing over from the wintry theme of hearth and home to outdoor and beach stuff now that the warmer months are fast approaching. If you need someplace handy to hide all the stuff rotating out of your room, consider an accent cabinet.

accent cabinet

Lose the Excess

The Japanese-born maven of tidying, Marie Kondo, has a simple Shinto-inspired rule for decluttering. If an item no longer brings you joy, toss it out. Perhaps you no longer need the item but treasure the memories. Do some soul-searching, then start filling the discard pile or bin to give to your favorite charity, for instance. One bit of wisdom: if you don’t regularly use it AND it’s easily available in stores, why have it wasting space in your home?

For furniture to fill your home the right way once it’s straightened up, stop by our Sacramento, CA store.

Wednesday, February 6, 2019

Outdoor Furniture Ideas for Spring


Now that February is upon us with its teasings of spring on the occasional nice day, let’s plan ahead a bit for when the weather is most amenable to entertaining on your porch, patio, or deck. Outdoor furniture adds immensely to your enjoyment of your home. Take in the fresh evening air as the sun sets, making your barbecued delights, drinks, and company all that more special. At American Furniture Galleries we keep outdoor dining sets and other accessories so affordable that having seasonal-themed outdoor decor is now possible. Here are a few insider tips from designers to give your spring outdoor gathering some “pop.”

 red outdoor sectional

Celebrate the Good Weather with Bolder Colors

Earth tones are nice, but spring with its renewal of life and accompanying riot of color in the flowers etc. calls for something much for exuberant. Go for either warm (reds, burnt orange, electric yellow) or cool (blues, greens) colors as long as they stand out! For example, the outdoor sectional shown above practically cheers with its confident hue welcoming the lengthening days and rising temperatures.

 outdoor seating with rug

When the Weather’s Great, Break Out the Rugs and More

A cool way to make your deck or patio seating set look even better in the spring is to do as you would indoors with a sturdy area rug, preferably in a bold pattern with assertive colors. If you have any questions whether a rug is suitable to move outdoors even if only temporarily, don’t hesitate to ask us!

 outdoor umbrella

Give Your Patio or Deck a Good Cleaning!

Wash away all the gunk and debris that winter has left behind by giving your outdoor party area a good power washing. Be sure to get to your outdoor umbrellas and seat cushions too as they can get mildewy in storage. If your cushions are white, a dose of bleach might freshen them up.

For all your outdoor furniture and accessory needs stop by our Elk Grove, CA store for incredible bargains every day!

Tuesday, January 15, 2019

Sofa-Less Living Room Ideas


What?! American Furniture Galleries is NOT trying to sell a certain piece of living room furniture? Yes and no. While the living room sofa will be an American mainstay till the end of time, we know very well that not every piece of furniture is for every home, even something as popular as the sofa. So from top New York designers by way of yours truly, here are some ways to get comfortable and shake up expectations by offering a novel living room arrangement with NO sofa.

 living room chair

All Chairs

This option is more inviting that it may seem at first. Living room chairs are every bit as comfortable as sofas and they take up less room. If armchairs seem to form a barrier, go with armless chairs such as the parts of a sectional; just get the pieces you want and you’ve got your anti-sofa.

 living room ottoman

Massive Ottomans

The humble living room ottoman has graduated in decor from a footrest to a piece of furniture in its own right. Considering 86ing both the living room sofa AND the coffee table in favor of two or three ginormous ottomans that wonderfully double as both chairs or tables as the need arises.

Floor Cushions, If They’re Thick Enough
Think something along the lines of the ’70s beanbag chair fad but lots more comfortable! Mattress-like floor cushions or poufs are a great seating alternative for smaller rooms, a pad on which to sit, eat, and even work! This option is great if you’re looking for something REALLY different.

Whatever your choice of living room furniture, from traditional to edgy, our Sacramento, CA store is here for you!