With Amazon‘s Prime Day sale event on the horizon, do you have your eyes on anything? While it can be tempting to just think about the big deals on home and kitchen tech in the sales, don’t forget there are also big savings to be found on decor and furniture too — especially if you know how to filter through the bad to find the good.
Having worked as an interior editor for nearly 10 years, I’m pretty much a professional shopper at this point, and I’ve got a few secrets to finding gems in the Amazon Prime Day sale, and any other websites with an overwhelming selection. It’s all about knowing your “keywords” — pay attention to the objects you’re drawn to, and pick out any words from their titles that best describe your style. Keep them saved, and use them to prefix whatever you’re looking for. It may be a style of decor, an unusual material or even an “Amazon Brand” you may not have heard of before, but that delivers on style. If you’re looking for a discount, make sure to filter “All Discounts” on your search results, too.
I’ve put this to the test with a selection of some of my favorite discounted finds on the site right now. I’ve made my selections based on a few key criteria, to ensure we’re spending on things that are going to satisfy, not disappoint. Sopping decor and furniture on Amazon is always going to be a bit riskier than seeing something in a shop, but with the right shopping attitude, you can pretty much foolproof it.
Reviews: How many reviews has the product got? How many are positive? Read reviews and look at images. Discount 1 and 2 star reviews based on service, rather than quality of the product — Amazon’s retailers have a pretty good reputation for solving problems and offering returns where needed, and these poor reviews often come from trigger-happy buyers who don’t wait for a resolution.
Style: When you spot a design you like, click through to the Store. You’ll often find products of a similar style, and you can “follow” them to keep an eye out for other designs and new additions. I’ve got a good number saved on my own profile — a useful shortcut in finding the most design-forward styles to share with you.
Materials: At Livingetc, we like the look for less, but not at the expense of quality. I keep my eyes peeled for solid materials, whether that’s wood or stone, rather than laminated replicas. In textiles, too, fabric listings can help you make a guess at whether something is going to look as expensive in real life as it does on the site.
Discount: How much does it have off? Outside of major sale events, discounts on Amazon can be small, but it pays to be conscious of not buying larger investment piece only because they have a little money off. It’s better to shop with your heart, with a little bit of head, rather than buying the most discounted option, only to not love it once it arrives.
Where to shop the Amazon Prime Day sales
Amazon Home Decor on Sale
Creative Co-Op Modern Marble Canister With Wood Lid
Material: Marble, mango wood
This small marble container is part of a kitchen set, but you could use this anywhere in your home. It’s a simple design that lets the beauty of the materials shine through, and for a great price that means you can add this onto your Amazon order and pop it on a coffee table or shelving to finish off your styling scheme. There’s not much to go wrong with here, so unsurprisingly it’s got over 100 good reviews, and an average star rating of 4.3.
Household Essentials Seagrass Tray With Scalloped Edge
Material: Seagrass
Scallops are still a huge trend in design right now. On the downside, if you marry scallops with any of the other big trends, think bright or pastel colors, it can read a little child-like, but in this seagrass tray it hangs onto a sophistication that makes it feel much more expensive than it is. It’s a great price now it’s on sale, and with 86% of reviews 5 star, it’s got a lot going for it.
Linen Fringed Throw Pillow Cover
Material: Linen/Viscose Mix
I’ve been obsessing over these subtly-fringed pillows of late, and they’ve got a great selection on Amazon at decent prices. This one, for example, comes in seven mostly-neutral shades. It’s just the cover, be warned, though. Material-wise, it’s a 80/20 split of linen and vicose — that little bit of manmade material just helps the linen become a bit more durable and hold its shape better, so you’re not constantly having to wash them to look their best. Nearly 400 ratings with a star count of 4.6 speaks for itself, too.
Amazon Bed & Bath on Sale
Nate Home Cotton Jacquard 6-Piece Towel Set
Material: Cotton
Nate Home by designer Nate Berkus is one of our go-tos for bath towels and bed sheets — they’re rated well for quality and good design. This set has an intriguing pattern to jazz up your bathroom a little, and for a set of 6, it’s really not a bad price at all. You’ll find overall ratings are a little lower on bedding and bath sheets as they’re so subjective, so a 4 out of 5 stars is still considered pretty solid.
French Flax Linen Duvet Cover King
Material: 100% linen
A bedding set being 100% linen isn’t always a sign of quality, so I always dive straight into the reviews when shopping for Amazon bedding. This set stands up to scrutiny, with great reviews (75% of which are 5 stars), and a particularly good color story in this olive green. Critiques refer back to washability and fit, but as someone who has almost exclusively linen bedding, you’ll find this with most sets, in my opinion.
Boho Floral Throw Blanket
Material: Cotton
This bed throw might be giving Anthropologie vibes in style, but it’s certainly not in price tag. We’d be talking $150 to $250 for something similar in style from our favorite Boho-inspired retailer, and though we’re sure this version doesn’t quite stand up against Anthro’s quality, it’s a cotton throw, and it’s got overwhelmingly positive reviews. 4.7 out of 5 stars is a rating not to be ignored!
Amazon Furniture on Sale
Kate and Laurel Alessia Round Coffee Table
Material: Aluminum
The bronze finish of this compact coffee table looks much more expensive than it is — and while the price tag isn’t super budget, this Amazon coffee table has enough sought-after details, such as its waved lip, to make it worth an investment. It’s got over 100 reviews, most of which are all praising how elegant it looks in real life.
Living Room Armchair with Metal Frame
Material: Wood, metal, “fabric”
I’m often nervous of textile finishes on things like Amazon accent chairs — especially if the listings aren’t specific. There’s the worry that they’re going to look cheaper than they appear in real life — after all, there’s a fine line between fabrics looking trendy and looking inexpensive. However, this minimalist chair has such glowing reviews, I’m willing to take a chance on it. Cool and lightweight, it’s not a super cheap option in terms of Amazon, but is much more affordable than comparable design shops.
Brandyss Engineered Wood Burl End Table
Material: Engineered wood
Burled wood is everywhere right now, from retailers with more classical style leanings to the most modern interior design shops. I reckon you’d see something like this end table go more towards $600 at the likes of West Elm or CB2 which are both loving burl finishes right now. There isn’t a loaf of reviews for this piece on Amazon, but I’ve checked against other sites that also stock it, and it’s looking good. Lots of 5 star reviews which give me confidence the finish is what you’d hope for.
Amazon Lighting on Sale
Japanese Paper Floor Lamp
Materials: Paper, Metal
Shapely paper lanterns are having a moment right now, inspired by a resurgence in designers using classic pieces from designer Isamu Noguchi in their projects — we’ve even named this style of lighting one of our big lighting trends of this year. This isn’t a dupe by any means, and it’s got by far the most and best reviews of any paper lantern lamp we found on Amazon. It looks good in real life, and is dimmable too, which is a real plus point.
Nourison Ceramic Table Lamp
Materials: Ceramic, Cotton
With a modern organic base in concrete-look ceramic, this table lamp competes with the likes of Pottery Barn and West Elm in this earthy, grounded aesthetic. It’s a good price for the size, and attention has been paid to the details, like the brass fittings, which makes it feel way more elevated. Review wise, it’s stellar too — nearly 500 reviews at the time of writing, and an average rating of 4.5 out of 5.
Dimmable Led Pharmacy Floor Lamp
Material: Antique brass
If you’re looking for an on-trend floor lamp right now, this simpler style of head is the design we’re seeing come through more and more in designer projects. It’s more discreet, and it’s linear form is a nice antidote to a space with lots of curvaceous furniture and seating. Thousands of great reviews mean you can buy with confidence too — something you’ll want when buying a larger purchase that’s more time-consuming to return.
Amazon Home Tech on Sale
Discounts on designer tech on Amazon tend to only happen during bigger sale events —we’ve curated the designs our editors swear by here, even if they’re not currently discounted, so you can keep an eye for discounts during events like Amazon Prime Day.
Samsung 43-Inch Class Qled 4k the Serif 2024
Price: $997.99
This Samsung Serif TV looks good that more than one Livingetc editor has it in their home already. It gives you freedom to position your TV a little more creatively, and is far less bulky than a traditional media unit. Take a look at our Samsung Serif review for the full low-down on it.
Sonos Move Portable Wireless Speaker
Sonos is our editor’s favorite sound system for its balance of great audio quality and modern-feeling design. His latest purchase from the brand was the Sonos Move, which makes transitioning your music from indoors to out in the summer a breeze, and it’s much easier to use within your home than a smaller portable speaker that always ends up out of battery when you need it.
Google Nest Doorbell (Battery) – Linen
Price: $177.99
Amazon has its own doorbell offering between Blink vs Ring doorbells, but our editor’s pick with great design in mind the Google Nest. It’s more expensive, but quite frankly it looks a lot nicer — especially if you pick up this Linen shade from Amazon. I’m hoping this one ends up in the Amazon sales this year.
FAQs
How often does Amazon have a sale?
You won’t have to wait long for a sale on Amazon. There’s always products on discount (you can find them with the ‘All Discounts’ filter in search), but its major discount periods are based around Amazon Prime Day and Black Friday. However, you’ll also find sales events in January, and around other holidays like Labor Day and Memorial Day, while there was also a Big Spring Sale event this year — basically, they don’t need much excuse to throw a sale on Amazon.
What day is Prime Day 2024?
This year, the summer Prime Day sales event takes place on Amazon between the 16th and 17th July. You may find some “early access” deals hits the site before this date, though.
How often does Prime sale happen?
Amazon Prime Day used to be just once a year; however, in recents years, there has been one Prime Day event during summer, and one during the fall/winter. Last year, it took place in October.
Are things cheaper on Amazon Prime Day?
Traditionally, Prime Day is the best opportunity to shop for home tech — this is where you’ll find the biggest and most consistent savings during this event. The best deal for Prime Day are generally on Amazon-owned products, so think smart assistants, video doorbells, security systems, and more. However, you’ll also find Amazon signposting some great deals across other sections during the time, too, including home decor and fashion. Though it’s not a given for every brand, you should find plenty of products for your home on sale during Amazon Prime Day.
Do you need to have Amazon Prime to shop Prime Day?
Amazon Prime Day discounts are only available to Prime members. You can sign up on Amazon for a free 30 day trial — after that, membership costs $14.99 a month, but includes free and fast shipping, where available, and a membership to Amazon Prime Video’s ad-supported tier.
