Small Spaces, Big Plans: Living With Pets - Keeping House

Living With Pets - Keeping House (1 of 2)

Continuing with a series of posts 'Small Spaces, Big Plans,' I present to you - Living with Pets & Keeping House (a two-part post)!

One of the biggest challenges that pet-lovers face in small homes or apartments is living with (or without) their animals.  I, for one, can not imagine not having animals and operate under the assumption that some allowances have to be made to accommodate them in my home.

This post is designed to help small area dwelling animal-lovers keep their fuzzy loved ones happy and nearby, wherever you happen to be.

Cleaning

Perhaps the biggest concern with any small space, is keeping it clean and organized.  This concern is only amplified with the addition of a pet, or pets.  Whether you're a cat person, dog lover, or into feathers, scales, or fins, there's a certain amount of upkeep to having a pet in your home.

Though our avian, reptilian, or aquatic friends do require some maintenance, they are relatively self-contained.  Meaning them no disrespect, (especially as I have a Ball Python of my own at home), I am going to direct this post more toward the furry variety of household pets.

The biggest concern many people have with keeping furry loved ones nearby is the exact reason we love them so much: they're fluffy!  This means animal hair.  Everywhere.  Some days I feel like I'm waging my own private war against it.  However, there is good news!  Keeping your space relatively furless is easier than you may think.

Consider these tips and tricks:

1) Start at the source: The first thing you should consider is how you care for your animals themselves.  In general, the happier and healthier your animals are, the fewer problems you'll see in terms of shedding, hairballs, and other associated health problems that only make more of a mess for you.  Vitamin deficiencies and other health issues are fairly easy to diagnose, and anyone who's ever had to clean up after animals regularly can tell when something in their diet just isn't working... ick.

- Diet: The easiest way to control and maintain the health and wellness of our pets is to be mindful of what they're eating, and ensure that they're drinking enough water.  (My cats love their fountain!)  Healthy coats that smell fresh, bright, clear eyes, low dander, and strong teeth and nails, are all indications of an animal's overall health.  Of course, regular bathroom practices are also a good sign that all is well.  Keep your fuzzy ones well-fed and hydrated and the results will speak for themselves.

- Exercise: Activity is important to anyone or anything that lives in confined quarters, and our pets are no exception.  Regular activity keeps most major health problems at bay and can help with those pesky behavioral problems too.  Most animals develop destructive tendencies if they aren't getting enough interaction or activity from their people.  So go on, go play!

- Grooming: Regular grooming practices seems like a no-brainer, especially in the war on pet-hair.  Most pets love a good bath and brush if they are accustomed to the practice (please note: it is neither necessary nor wise to bathe cats regularly except in extreme circumstances).  Try to get into the habit of maintaining your pet's coat and claws to prevent dirt and fur build-up in the home, and to protect your floors and furniture from scratches too!

- Space: Who doesn't like having their own room?  It is particularly important in small living quarters to make sure that your pet(s) have a place they can go that is all their own.  Try to set up a small area that's out of the way of normal traffic, where they can escape and sleep, play, or just relax and watch the goings-on.

2. Maintaining Your Home

Many of us are no strangers to the sight of furry tumbleweeds wandering around the house.  'How to Remove Pet Hair Everywhere' has a ton of great information on how to manage and prevent fur build-up.  Other resources, including ApartmentTherapy.com cite simple ways to keep your home fresh.

Some highlights include:

- Invest in a good vacuum and make it a routine.  Many machines have pet-hair attachments or are specifically made to reduce the fur and allergens that pets bring to a home.  Try to vacuum thoroughly 1-2x a week, depending on the size of your space.  In between vacuum days, you can touch-up the place with the use of a handheld vacuum, static dry mop, or even a Roomba!

- Another important area of cleanliness in your home is the litter box.  It is vital to keep up with your cat-box, not only for the cleanliness of your home, but for the health of your kitties.  (Remember, you should have a separate litter box for each cat, in ideal circumstances.)  Use a good litter, and keep it scooped and fresh.  Don't keep the litter box anywhere near food (human or pet).  It's also important to note that pregnant women shouldn't handle litter box chores.  There are a lot of creative hide-away cat box furniture options.  With a little help from a nearby air-purifier, your space won't show any signs (or smells) of containing a cat box.

Feel like I left something out?  Or have you already figured out the perfect system for maintaining your home with pets?  Let me know in the comments!

Sources:

Living In A Small Space With Pets

Best Modern Litter Boxes

Litterbox Furniture

Cat-Friendly Decorating

How to Remove Pet Hair Everywhere

Vacuums for Pet Owners

Small Spaces, Big Plans: Vertical Space

 

 

 

 

"A place for everything, and everything in its place." -Benjamin Franklin

Nowhere is this more true than in small living-quarters with minimal storage options.  For many of us suffering from a lack of space, a great way to utilize otherwise dead-space is to think vertical!  Vertical storage solutions are simple to manage and can be aesthetically pleasing as well as amazingly functional.  Consider these great tips!

 

Downsize your stuff!

Humans have a tendency to grow and expand to fill whatever space we are given, it's natural.  However, that also means that we generally have more than our fair share of items in duplicate that we don't need.  When you're working with a small space and limited storage, consider what you're trying to save and keep only the essentials.

Sure, kitchen gadgets are fun, but if you only use them once a year, do they really need to take up counter-space?  As a woman, I can assure you that I have a greater variety of lotions that anybody would ever realistically use.  Squish the urge to collect and weed out anything that has sat unused, been lost and replaced before being found again, or is just clutter.

 

Once you know what your essentials are, it's easier to prioritize how and where to store things.

Double-up!

No, this doesn't mean undoing everything we talked about in the previous section.  Instead, consider multi-purpose items like furniture that will complement your efforts to save space and manage your stuff effectively.  Sure a coffee table is handy, but using an old storage trunk instead can create a unique look, while offering additional storage for out-of-season blankets.  See where I'm going with this?

If you're working with a studio apartment, consider a futon for your seating and sleeping needs (they've come a long way, and are actually pretty comfortable nowadays.)

Consider replacing your table lamps with floor lamps.  This will expand the feel of the room and clear off valuable table-space without sacrificing your ability to see.

No room in the bedroom for a nightstand?  Back your bed up to a thin modular shelving unit for a do-it-yourself storage headboard - perfect for your alarm clock, favorite books, and whatever else you may need during the night, or winding down.

Hang it up!

Utilizing your vertical space can be as easy as hanging up things you haven't thought of before.  By installing a simple railing system, you can easily hang large storage bins and get rid of those bulky trash cans that are taking up cabinet or floor space.

Floating shelves are a great option for decorating empty wall space and providing storage for all manner of electronics, books, paperwork, or other household essentials.  There are also a ton of options that will allow you to use otherwise dead-spaces like corners and tiny nooks that serve no other purpose.

Eliminate Dead Space!

Look around for any area of your home that isn't particularly useful on its own.  Popular options include the back-side of doors and cabinets, or the open spaces above doorways.  By installing shelving above doors, you've created a handy way to store extra items that you don't want in plain view.

 

Additionally, over-the-door shoe organizers are great for more than just shoes!  Put one in your pantry to organize your cleaning supplies or spice cabinet.  Use one in the bathroom for your make-up, beauty supplies, jewelry or other miscellaneous items.  Over-the-door racks are also available that are great for filing, storing cutting boards in the pantry, or organizing the linen closet.

 

Boxes & Baskets!

If you're looking to store things out of sight, but don't have the hidden-storage options, invest in decorative boxes or baskets.  This way, items that you don't want in plain sight, can be put in a pretty basket and tucked into a modular bookshelf - for instance.  Who says your storage has to be ugly?  Hiding things in plain sight has never been more attractive!

Have suggestions of your own, or something to add?  Let me know in the comments!

Children's Miracle Network

Furniture USA is proud to announce that we are participating in the 2015 fundraising campaign for the Children's Miracle Network of Sacramento!  For the entire month of May, we will be collecting donations from our employees and customers to benefit children at local area hospitals.

About the event:

Children’s Miracle Network is a non-profit organization that raises funds for more than 170 children’s hospitals. Countless individuals, organizations, and media partners unite with Children’s Miracle Network hospitals to help sick and injured kids in local communities. Donations to Children’s Miracle Network create miracles by funding medical care, research, and education that saves and improves the lives of 17 million children each year.

Through its continuous efforts to help kids, Children’s Miracle Network has raised more than $3.4 billion to date, most of which is donated a dollar or two at a time by caring individuals. Children’s Miracle Network has grown dramatically since its founding in 1983, from a televised fundraiser in a small studio to one of the world’s leading children’s charities helping million of kids each year.

The Children's Miracle Network campaign is easily identifiable by the balloons!  Every participant gets a balloon that they can customize, advertising their donation to the event, and so that companies can present a visible representation of how much money they've raised.

All donations benefit local hospitals; all proceeds collected by Furniture USA will benefit the UC Davis Children's Hospital.  If you are interested in participating, please come and see us!

For more information, visit Children's Miracle Network.

Salvation Army's Angel Tree

The Salvation Army's Angel Tree Event

For the past several years, Furniture USA has hosted the Salvation Army's Angel Tree program.  It's a simple but effective method to give back to our community and an excellent opportunity to get our customers and employees into the spirit of the season!  Each year we set up a collection area and turn our entire 100,000 sq/ft showroom into the ultimate Winter Wonderland.  (Don't believe me, come see for yourself!  Decorations roll out the first of December.)

 

 

Working hand-in-hand with the Salvation Army, we are given tags with the names and wishes of local area children and teens in need.  These tags are 'adopted' by our customers and staff, who go shopping and make these kids' dreams come true.  All toys collected are labelled and shipped off to the Salvation Army for distribution on Christmas Eve.

 

Whether you're a regular Santa Clause, or don't quite have that jolly physique, if you're interested in participating in the Angel Tree event, look no further than Furniture USA!

KCRA3's Kids Can! Food Drive

October is a busy month for Furniture USA.  We like to start the month off with Kids Day (read more here), and follow it up with KCRA3's Kids Can! Food Drive.

The Kids Can! Food Drive is an annual event hosted by KCRA3 to collect donations of cans and other non-perishable food items to help local Sacramento-area children and families in need of assistance.

Every year, we collect, purchase, and donate thousands of cans to the cause - rising before the sun and driving our company vehicle out to Cal Expo, where we get to hang out with the My58 team!  For more information on the event, or to find out where to donate, check out KCRA3's webpage, here.

 

 

Kids Day! A Fundraiser for Shriners Children's Hospitals

The first Tuesday in October is a bit of a holiday for Furniture USA employees and their families.  Around here it's known as Kids Day! a fundraising event where interested participants can sign up and sell newspapers to benefit Shriners Children's Hospitals.

Every year Furniture USA volunteers to distribute hundreds of newspapers at street corners all around our Mack Road location.  We have raised over $600 each year that we have participated, often collecting donations even after we've run out of newspapers to sell!

For more information on Shriners Children's Hospitals and Kids Day!, or to see how you can volunteer, check out their event page here.

Small Spaces, Big Plans: How to Use Area Dividers

Decorating a small space can be challenging; whether you have an apartment, a small home, or even a small space within your home, there are some tips you can use to make the space inviting, aesthetically pleasing, and functional.  One of my favorite space-saving secrets is the use of room-dividers.

Creating designated "areas" within a small space can make a room look and feel much larger than it actually is.

Consider a studio apartment: most people require a sleeping area, living area, dining area, and work area, at the very least.  Utilizing area dividers properly can open up small spaces while providing the additional functionality of storage, privacy, or simple aesthetics.

Using a tall, solid divider like a tack-board between the back of a desk and another piece of furniture - like the bed, or sofa - can effectively separate work space from the entertainment or sleeping area.  It can also provide a sense of privacy for when you need to sit down and work comfortably, without interruption.  A tack-board, specifically, can be used to post notes or photos, and can keep your desk free of clutter by accessing vertical space (which I'll discuss in a later post.)

Another way to separate areas and save space, is to hang curtains.

Curtains are easy to install and can be moved or changed out as your moods require.  They provide a sense of privacy and can be opened or closed to achieve whatever feeling you're after.  Hanging curtains are particularly effective around bathroom and bedroom spaces, and can be sheer or opaque, and come in any color you can imagine.

Cubby-hole bookshelves are another excellent option for room division, while also providing a excellent storage solution.  These bookshelves can be single-sided, double-sided, or completely see-through.

 

If placed between a living and sleeping area, for instance, these shelves can serve as storage for both areas while taking up the least amount of space.  These highly versatile units are available in a wide range of colors, styles, and dimensions, to suit your particular tastes and needs.

 

Last, but not least, I would be remiss if I didn't mention traditional room dividers.  These versatile accessories come in any number of styles, colors, and options and can replace any of the suggestions mentioned above - though they require more space than a hanging curtain, and provide less storage than a bookshelf or tack-board.  Still, if you're a fan of the traditional, or just want a little something extra, room dividers are a wonderful accessory that can be used with any decor.

 

Have something to add?  Tell us in the comments!

 

Spring Cleaning Tips to Prevent Allergies!

 

Here in sunny California, spring is right around the corner, and our resident allergy sufferers have already started to notice.  Trees are blooming, bees are buzzing, and it seems like more and more people are sniffling and sneezing.  Fortunately, your spring cleaning routine can be adapted to prevent nasty allergens from spoiling your enjoyment of the season.  Check out some of the tips below.  Have something add?  Let us know in the comments!

Did you know that the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) estimates that between 35-50 million Americans suffer from seasonal allergies?  Many of which are children.  Fortunately, their researchers and experts have also taken the time to create a list of helpful Spring Cleaning tips to help you and your family suffer less this season.

The most common allergens include: dust mites, mold, pollen, and pet dander.  By focusing on 3 main areas in your home, it's possible to easily reduce the number of these pesky allergens.  Here are your main 'hot spots' to consider:

1) The Bedroom

Your bedroom is where you spend the most of your time at home, including time spent sleeping.  Therefore, it's important to ensure that you're getting the most out of your resting time by preventing the things that make you miserable during the day, from following you to bed!

Some simple actions include:

- Wash your bedding in hot water (130*).  Remove all sheets, pillow-cases, throw blankets, and duvet covers and wash them weekly.

- Case pillows, mattresses, and box springs in allergen resistant covers (available in most department stores.)

- Keep your pets out of the bedroom and off of your bed.

- Be sure to vacuum regularly, and include those hard-to-reach places that trap dirt and dust, such as behind stationary furniture and underneath the bed.  Your vacuum should also be equipped with a built-in HEPA filter, which traps allergens rather than releasing them back into the air!

- Avoid clutter, which collects dust, and makes things tougher to clean.

- Dust with a damp microfiber cloth to avoid releasing allergens back into the air.

2) The Bathroom

Your bathroom brings a unique set of challenges to the allergy-fighting effort - namely mold.  Many people with asthma or other lung conditions are particularly sensitive to mold.  Follow these steps to prevent it!

- Avoid carpeting in the bathroom.  Porous surfaces like carpeting and plastic will trap and hold moisture allowing mold to grow there.

- Be sure to clean all bathroom towels, bath mats, and shower curtains regularly.

- Avoid standing water!  Mind the drips that you leave behind, and mop them up promptly.

- If your bathroom is equipped with ventilation or windows, keep them open while you're showering to control humidity.  A hot, humid environment is perfect for mold.

- If you spot mold, address it immediately.  Use a mild bleach or vinegar solution to kill existing spores and prevent it from coming back.  (Be sure to protect yourself from the chemicals and mold by using gloves and a mask!)

3) Entryways

Your entryways are the portals to your home.  Whether you're inviting friends, family, or pets over, be sure that they're not bringing too much of the 'outside' in with them!

- Clean any front, rear, and side entryways regularly and often.

- Keep your windows closed during the peak allergy season to avoid unwanted allergens entering your home.

- Replace your air conditioning filters every 30-90 days.

- Beware of air fresheners and cleaning products that contain a lot of fragrances, which can irritate allergies and asthma.

- Consider implementing a no-shoes policy.  Leave your shoes on a mat near the entryway that can be easily and regularly washed.

- Vacuum high-traffic areas at least once a week.  (For pet owners, it's recommended that you vacuum every other day, especially if you have indoor-outdoor pets!)

Additionally, it's important to note what kinds of cleaning products you're using.  Many companies aren't required to report the ingredients in their cleaning solutions, most of which contain added perfumes and irritants that can be more hindrance than help.  Consider making your own cleaning solutions or using green or natural alternatives to harsh cleaners to prevent any unnecessary allergy irritation.

Happy cleaning!

Furniture Styles Defined: What is Contemporary, anyway?

Many of you have asked what the difference between 'contemporary' furniture, and 'modern' furniture is.  It's a good question that I've caught myself asking a time or two; so I decided to do some research and create an easy-reference guide for our shoppers and inquisitive minds alike.  Hopefully it will help make navigating the ever-changing atmosphere of the furniture industry that much easier for everyone!

Today's furniture is primarily categorized into the following styles: contemporary, modern, traditional, classic, and transitional.

Contemporary furniture: The defining characteristic of contemporary furniture, is that it is the most current trend.  The furniture industry is constantly changing, and as such, the definition of 'contemporary' merchandise changes too.  Contemporary merchandise comes in a variety of styles.  Today's styles feature clean lines and geometric shapes.  Colors are muted, and accessories can be used as the personality and feel of a room.  One advantage of using accessories to create the atmosphere of an area, is that the functionality of the furniture remains unchanged, while a complete change in feel and appearance can be managed in an area by simply switching out accessory sets.  You can do this as the seasons change, to celebrate different holidays, or whenever the mood strikes you!

Modern furniture: Modern furniture favors cleanliness and simplicity in both styling and appearance.  Straight lines, solid fabrics, and simple fixtures are key elements of this style.  This look works well in any room and for any situation.  You won't find any curves, patterns, or distracting adornments within this category.  Keep it simple and functional; a practical futon in a studio apartment, paired with a couple of uncomplicated end tables, and maybe a chair for company creates the perfect modern atmosphere.  Colors favored here are solid and neutral.  Materials and fixtures are simple and functional.  In some extremely modern styles, this category of furniture can create a sterile sense in a room.

Traditional furniture: The defining feature of traditional furniture is the warm, cozy feeling of coming home.  Furniture in this category is designed for comfort with cushions you just want to sink into, fabrics you can't resist touching, and attractive fixtures and adornments that create a welcoming environment for family, friends, or just for you!  Seating may be overstuffed and adorned with ornate pillows in brightly colored or patterned fabrics.  Wood furniture may have intricate details carved into the drawers and legs, or show off detailed metal drawer pulls and accent features.  Designed to be both attractive and functional, it's furniture that makes you feel good to be home.

Classic furniture: Classic furniture goes beyond the 'traditional' category by taking on a much more formal feeling.  While many of the style elements between 'traditional' and 'classic' furniture are similar, classic furniture often has a museum quality about it - a kind of look-but-don't-touch feeling.  That's not to say that it can't be used, of course.

Transitional furniture:  'Transitional' is a term that is applied to pieces which combine one or more elements from any of the categories mentioned above.  Something that is transitional may include the clean, sharp lines of modern furniture, but be upholstered in a fun, patterned fabric like you would see in the traditional category.

Which style best suites your personality and space?  Let us know in the comments below!

Pantone's Color of the Year 2015: Marsala!

Imagine pomegranates, first-date lipstick, and your favorite wine for cuddling up with a nice book before bed.  What do all of these things have in common?  For me, they’re all red.  Introducing Pantone’s Color of the Year 2015.

Are you adventurous enough to incorporate this beautiful color into your home furnishings?  Whether you use a little or a lot, it’s certain to make your room pop.

Need a little inspiration?  Take a look at these great products!

Marbella - Lindy Berry Sofa

Selma Accent Chair