Blog posts of '2018' 'May'

Console tables can be a great addition to your home. They can evoke a sense of elevated décor and provide an additional piece of functional furniture in the home as well. But if you just purchased one and aren’t sure how to dress it up, you can keep on reading for tips on how to style a console table to fit your personal sense of function and fashion.

What’s the point?

Once you have all of your staple furniture pieces established, a console table can add that extra bit of extravagance and functionality you might be looking for in your furniture. Console tables should be seen as more than just an additional piece of furniture to fill in the empty spaces and instead, be viewed as a new opportunity to organize and elaborate your sense of style. You can place almost anything on your console table and keep treasured items on display, or establish a new resting place for your keys and wallet. While looking at your console table might cause some confusion on where to begin, it’s really quite easy to make it a part of your home that you’re proud of. Try these various elements of décor to help achieve the look you want from your console table.

...........................................................................................................Polished and refined

Stack it up: Have a favorite subscription or coveted collection of books? Create a stack to display on your console table. Magazine and book covers can surprisingly create an attractive assortment to display on your console table. You may also stack vertically by placing your books between charming bookends. Build an asymmetrical arrangement by putting your books on one end of the table and setting a tall, slender vase on the other.
Artful display: Utilize your console table to show off your favorite pieces of artwork. Let your taste in art tell a story about you, and arrange your desired pieces in a way that balances out the rest of the room. For example, if you would like to show off a priceless ceramic statue, consider putting it on one side of the table instead of the center, and balance it out by placing a coordinating minimalist table lamp to keep the statue as the main focal point.
Fresh feeling: The console table is a fantastic area to feature fresh flowers, plants, and small succulents. Whether they’re real or not, you are sure to add a little nature-inspired flair to your living room, dining room, or entryway.

BONUS TIP: Give your plants a seasonal twist by trading out your everyday florals with tiny pumpkins for fall, and fragrant herbs for summer.

When decorating your console table, keep in mind the material that your table is made of. You wouldn’t want to set items on top of your table that could easily damage the finish and ruin the integrity of the table itself. Make sure your console table is cleared off and clean of any dust or other debris before decorating, and do your best to keep it clean even after you have locked in the look that you want.

More than just décor

Believe it or not, your console table can offer a huge chance to add some extra storage space and help you get organized! This can include using baskets, decorative boxes, and bowls to keep things neat and tidy. You can try to place small woven or wooden baskets under your table to hold items like retractable umbrellas, rain boots, or anything else you might like by the front door. You can also use baskets to throw today and yesterday’s mail in. If you would like to take an extra step, you can separate them out into categories like bills, recycle, and personal. Next, you can use gorgeously designed bowls and boxes to store smaller objects like your keys or cell phone. Boxes can make your tiny trinkets appear hidden to visitors while they work as an attractive addition to your home look.

At Texas Furniture Hut, we have a number of beautifully constructed console tables to shop from. You can even browse console tables from our collection of luxurious name brands like Universal Furniture, and Flexsteel Industries. Feel free to share our blog about how to style a console table on Facebook, and come back every month for additional home tips.

After a few hours of labor, you have finally managed to dust, disinfect, sweep and vacuum. But what about your furniture? While the rest of your home may look neat and tidy, you might find that your furniture looks dull and dirty, which can leave the rest of your house looking dreary by association. We’re going to walk you through a simple tutorial on how to clean couch cushions as well as the rest of the couch depending on the type of couch you have.

Before we begin

Use the attachment on your vacuum to get rid of any unwanted dirt and debris from the outermost layer of your couch, couch cushions, and in between the cracks down to the frame of the couch. Doing this will make the cleaning process easier as you go along. If you have pets, try to vacuum up pet hair and dander from your cushions as well before attempting to spot clean. Use the vacuum attachment with a brush to gather up hair as you go along. You will also want to make sure to carefully spot test an ambiguous area on your couch to test any treatments and make sure they are safe to use on your couch. You don’t want to damage an entire couch because of a missed opportunity to spot test.

...........................................................................................................Take off the cushions & casings

Once you’ve vacuumed up excess pet hair and dirt, it’s safe to pull the cushions up and out. Before beginning the true cleaning process, read furniture care instructions carefully to ensure that you won’t ruin the fabric. If your casings are safe to run through the washing machine, you can place each one in the wash with a delicate detergent on a cold water cycle. Using cold water can keep your cushion cases from shrinking while being cleaned. You may also follow up the wash with the sanitize setting on your machine if you happen to have one. While your cushion cases are being washed, you should leave your actual cushions out to get some air. Once your cushion cases are done being washed, you can throw them into the dryer on a gentle cycle, and pull out promptly when dried. Once clean and dry, you can put your cushion cases back where they belong on your cushions.

What if my cushion cases can’t be washed?

We have a few solutions that can help for cushion cases that cannot go through a washing cycle in the machine, or if your cushions are not exactly detachable. There are a few various methods to cleaning different types of couch materials including:

• Leather: Use a soft cloth and cleaning agent made especially for leather to solve spot issues on your leather sofa and cushions. You can also use a DIY recipe of 1 part water to 1 part white vinegar in a clean spray bottle to help get rid of those stubborn stains. Simply spray the solution onto the problem area and use a soft cloth to gently rub away any dirt or grime. Allow your couch to completely dry before attempting to sit on it again.

• Fabric: Make a paste of equal parts baking soda and water to focus on set in stains. Use a brush to scrub at the stain and loosen the mess. In addition to cleaning cushions and spots with your baking soda and water mixture, you can also use a generous sprinkling of baking soda on the entire couch to help remove stains and soak up less than appealing smells. After letting the baking soda sit for about 15 minutes, use the small attachment on your vacuum cleaner to pick up the remaining baking soda. You’ll be left with a clean and fresh smelling couch.
• Suede (microfiber): Use a paper towel to soak up liquid stains immediately as they happen. To spot treat suede, you can use a spray bottle filled with water and a few drops of dish soap to spritz onto the stain and loosen it up. Apply a suede brush to the stain and use gentle motions to remove the stain.

Again, check the label on your furniture before you begin giving it a deep clean.

...........................................................................................................Give it some breathing room

You want to make sure your couch and couch cushions are completely dry before letting people sit on them again. This means you will want to make sure your family and pets steer clear from the living area for a little while during the couch cleaning phase of your tidying up process.

If you have just cleaned a fabric or microfiber couch, you can give it a finishing touch by spraying some fabric freshener in a sweeping motion over your completed work. Let the freshener dry as well before sitting.

If you have any excessive damage to your sofa such as burns, set in stains, or rips and tears, you might want to consider purchasing new furniture or furniture sets that fit within your budget. When you shop with Texas Furniture Hut, you might even get more than you would think! We offer tons of luxurious sets and individual pieces at wholesale prices made to fit you and your lifestyle. We even offer furniture made out of top-quality stain resistant fabric. Still not convinced? Take a look at our website and browse both leather and upholstered living room collections at prices so low, you might even get some accessories to match.