Make Your Home Dog-Friendly without Sacrificing Style
We spend a lot of money trying to decorate our living space just the way we imagined it, and we take pride in knowing that others also admire the way our homes look. On the other hand, when you have a pet, it’s difficult to make your house both dog-friendly and stylish at the same time, because we tend to put our pet’s comfort first and style second. To help you out with this problem, we’ve come up with several decorating tips which will combine dog-friendly and elegant designs into one.
Protect your floors
Times have changed a lot in the past couple of decades, and a great number of dog owners have decided that their pets don’t belong in yards, but indoors. This has brought many changes—as well as challenges—in interior design, and one of the most important questions involves choosing how to protect your floors from their paws and nails. In order to withstand the daily wear of paws, be they tiny or large, the flooring should be durable, yet stylish. In addition, there will also (always) be some spills as well as mud brought by their little paws, and that’s one of the reasons why carpets have been thrown out and hard surface flooring chosen instead. While there’s no such thing as perfect flooring, laminate is usually considered the best choice because it can be waterproof and easy to clean and maintain.
A place of their own
It doesn’t matter if you have a small Chihuahua or a huge golden, you know how much they love to snuggle and climb sofas and chairs. Still, even though they enjoy being by your side, it’s important for every pet, be they dogs or cats, to have their own space. They adore their beds and are very protective of them, so they will spend a lot of time there. The best thing about pet cushions and beds today is that they can be found in a variety of prints and sizes, so you’ll be able to find something that’ll fit into your living room design. Whatever design you choose, make sure that cushions, as well as covers, are washable—you don’t want to throw them away when they get dirty, do you?
Think about fabrics
It may come as a surprise, but velvet is actually one of the best upholstery choices dog owners can make. It looks elegant and luxurious, but it doesn’t trap pet hair. Linen and tweed may seem like a good choice at first, but these fabrics are looped and they can get snagged by dog nails (trapping hair is inevitable). You can simply wipe away velvet, so you can make sofa and cushion covers made of it, but if you’re looking for something a bit simpler, you can always opt for denim. Simple blankets are also great as they come in many colors and patterns and work well with pretty much any design and style. Not to mention that blankets protect furniture from muddy paws and dog hair, saving you a lot of time and effort.
Organize their accessories
Dog owners know how many toys and accessories their four-legged friends have, and keeping them all in order can sometimes be really difficult. Leashes, toys, and combs scattered everywhere certainly make a house look messy and disorganized, and you don’t want that. You can keep everything in order easily if you store all your dog’s toys in a simple box or a basket which you can keep close to your front door, so you can take them out when you’re going for a walk or for play in the yard. It’s also convenient to keep leashes and collars by your front door too, as this will cut your walk-preparation time in half.
It can be difficult to achieve the perfect balance between meeting pets’ needs and keeping our homes neat and elegant, but it doesn’t mean that it’s impossible. Your house will may not look exactly like the houses on the covers of interior design magazines, but that’s okay—your house is your home and home to your beloved furry friends, so a little bit of imperfection can be truly charming.
