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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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!

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!

Easy Autumn Home Furnishing Tips

Now that August is coming to an end, autumn is just around the corner. It will soon be time to say goodbye to long days and sunny skies, and say hello to chilly winds and pumpkin spice. Before the new season officially arrives, you should take some time to make your home autumn-ready. Our three simple tips will help prepare your home for the changing seasons ahead.

Embrace Autumn-Inspired Home Decor

Nothing says autumn quite like a warm color palette. Choose colors reminiscent of the changing leaves—think red, orange, and brown—to create an atmosphere that is cozy and inviting. When it comes to applying fall colors to your home décor, you can do so easily and inexpensively by choosing items from our home accent collection. Consider purchasing a new area rug that features warm, earthy tones, or perhaps a new set of decorative pillows. You could even buy a few colored vases or small home accessories and use them to add a splash of autumnal color to your dining room centerpiece or your living room end tables.

Upgrade Your Bedding

Now is the time to bring out the comforters and bedding that you had stowed away all summer. Take some time to inspect all your bedding, ensuring everything still remains in good shape. If you notice some of your blankets or comforters have started to look old or worn-out, don’t hesitate to replace them. When you start off the season with new comfy bedding, it will give your bedroom an upgrade and leave you feeling refreshed!

Consider a Fireplace Addition

There’s no better way to combat the cold than gathering around a crackling fireplace. The warm glow of flickering flames creates a welcoming atmosphere that will encourage your entire family to come together. Worried that a fireplace is beyond your budget? Instead of purchasing a large and expensive wood burning fireplace, you can purchase an affordable LED fireplace unit for no more than a few hundred dollars. Our home furnishings store has unique fireplace units that can easily slip into a TV stand or media console (no fireplace mantle required), providing a convenient and low-maintenance alternative to a traditional fireplace setup.

When you are ready to give your home an autumn makeover, visit us at American Furniture Galleries, where unbeatable furniture deals are waiting for you. You can visit us in Sacramento, CA or at any one of our four furniture showrooms.