A pet-friendly home? Here are 10+1 tips!

A pet-friendly home is not always easy to achieve!

You have to succeed in balancing good design well with functionality and ease of cleaning!

Dog and cat, especially, have now become actual members of our families and share everything with us!

It is paramount, therefore, to ensure that everything is comfortable for them without necessarily giving up good design!

– CREATE AREAS FOR THEM

It is essential, even for them, to have different functionalities well separated!

Then identify where to create for your pet the area to eat, the one to sleep, another to play, and for cats the zone to keep the litter box!

Those will be dedicated areas designed just for them!

Also think about having the necessities to clean up your 4-legged friend when you come home after a walk.

Of course, he won’t wipe his paws on the doormat, so you will need to clean him a bit to prevent him from bringing all the dirt into the house, especially if you allow him to get on the couch or bed!

(credits: Roy Beeson; crateandbarrel.com)

– USE THE RIGHT FABRICS

When you have pets at home, one essential thing is to use suitable fabrics for sofas, armchairs, and beds!

For sofas, it is ideal to have removable covers so you can wash them regularly.

However, look for stain-resistant fabrics that are easy to clean, scrub, or vacuum!

Nowadays, there are some really high-performance materials; usually, they are fabrics with synthetic fibers interwoven with natural ones.

Other suitable fabrics may be leather and microfiber.

Seek fabrics with very dense fibers: they will be much less easily ruined by dog and/or cat nails!

You can also put throw blankets on both the couch and bed to protect them a bit!

(credits: doitbutdoitnow.de; 78.media.tumblr.com)

– CURTAINS

If you have puppies, especially cats, drapery curtains may not be the best solution, at least not at first.

You could opt for panel or packet glass curtains and then, at a later date, add, if you like, drapery, perhaps open at the sides.

Packet curtains could also be helpful for allowing your “furry” to look outside, something they love to do, especially when you are away from home.

(credits: twotwentyone.net; Lisa Plummer)

– RUGS

When you have pets in your home, rugs can be a problem because, in addition to collecting their fur, they can be easily ruined by their nails.

So you will need to look for durable and easy-to-clean rugs; one solution might be to buy outdoor ones.

They are designed to withstand the weather; they will resist better than normal ones to our 4-legged friends!

Another solution might be rugs that we can call “patchwork,” that is, they are rugs formed by the union of rug loons.

The beauty of these rugs is that you can make them the size you want, but more importantly, you can replace the ruined pieces without needing to change everything!

(If you want to learn more about rugs, I talk about them here!)

(credits: floor.com)

– FLOORING

For floors, the same considerations made for textiles and rugs apply; the choice should also be made toward durable materials.

For sure, one of the best materials could be porcelain tile.

In addition to being durable, they will also need to be easy to clean!

Also, choose a color that “camouflages” the stains well!

(If you have to choose floors and you’re in a bit of a crisis, I talk about it here!)

(credits: flooringamericachampaign.com)

– FURNITURE

Again, the trick is to buy furniture that is durable and easy to clean!

You should avoid wood so cats don’t get their nails on it and dogs don’t bite them!

For cats, one trick might be to put a scratching post next to anything you care about that they might scratch: they will tend to use the scratching post and not the furniture!

(credits: bestdograincoats.com; cuckoo4design.com)

– PLANTS

As we always say, plants are vital in the home because they purify the air, bring beauty, and make us feel close to nature!

However, when you have pets, especially puppies, you must be careful because they might eat some leaves.

The problem is that some plants for animals can be toxic, so best to ask your vet!

(credits: emilieeats.com; missmv.com)

– CHOOSE ACCESSORIES PROPERLY

When choosing accessories for your dog or cat, remember the color palette and style you’ve decided on for your home, and try to stick with those choices as much as possible!

That will allow you to maintain harmony in your rooms, and even these accessories will, somehow, seem to be part of the decor!

Always arrange the various toys together to avoid visual clutter: you can collect them, for example, in baskets, which are always pretty to see!

As for cat litter, there are also litter boxes disguised as cabinets on the market.

It could be an original and visually less “invasive” solution!

(credits: Rejuvenation; wayfair.com)

– BEWARE OF FRAGILE THINGS

I have read several times that when you have pets, you should give up having fragile objects and avoid having knick-knacks.

Now it’s true, dogs wag their tails, and cats jump all over the place, but that doesn’t mean you have to give up anything!

Now we know that one should never overdo it, but if there are objects you care about, even if they are fragile, and you want to make your compositions DO IT!

There’s a simple trick, which I’ve already talked about in “Home decorating tricks” (you can find it here): it is enough to block these items with wax or double-sided tape!

That’s what they do in museums, to protect the various artworks!

(credits: Amazon)

– PERFUME

No matter how clean they are, pets smell; it is normal!

You may not notice it anymore because you have become used to it, but those who may come to visit you will feel it!

Since washing them every three for two is not healthy, it will be necessary to provide room perfuming.

Obviously, the first thing is to air often and clean, but even adding perfumers such as scented candles or essential oil vaporizers can be a good idea.

Use natural products, but again, as with plants, ask your vet because not all essences are suitable for pets.

(credits: edensgarden.com; ilovepaket.com)

– LITTLE TRICK

Whether for floors or rugs and textiles, use the colors of your pet’s fur…

It seems like a trifle, but by doing so, the fur will be less visible, saving you from having to go crazy cleaning up every day!

In the case of a “multicolor” pet, use patterns: this will camouflage the fur too!

(credits: the-sun.com)

I hope this article was helpful and you love it; in case, let me know in the comments!

Feel free to share it with anyone you think might be interested, I will be honored, and it will help me get my name out there.

If you feel that your home, or some environment of it, does not reflect you enough, do not wait any longer and book your consultancy!

This post is also available in: Italian