Fancy giving your house an upgrade but not sure how to work around your four-legged friend?
We understand it can be difficult redecorating around your pets, especially to make your home functional yet fashionable. So, we’ve put together some of our top tips to benefit you both…
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Living room sofa styles
While choosing your sofa based on pet practicalities is the easiest option to keep your home clean, it may not match the interior design ideas you had in mind.
As a pet lover, you should take into account fur shredding and cleaning, but that doesn’t mean style has to be sacrificed!
Avoid fabrics such as velvet, mohair or corduroy that are easily damaged and are a magnet to pet hair. Instead, use leather or synthetic materials that won’t easily show claw marks, mud and fur – this is particularly important if your furry friend loves lounging on the sofa.
If you are worried about your pet leaving marks on your sofa, you can also cover it up. We’re not talking about a plastic cover; have a few machine-washable throw blankets on hand that you can toss on your sofa or bed before your dog jumps up for a snooze. This way, most of their hair and oils will be contained to the blanket, which you can wash whenever it needs to be freshened up.
Consider durable flooring
Muddy paws and wet fur don’t have to leave you scrubbing the floor for hours – laminate is a sensible choice of flooring for pet owners because it is easy to clean. Another benefit is that when scratches do inevitably happen, they are typically less noticeable.
Of course, you may not want hard flooring throughout your entire house. If you wanted to opt for a carpet, you could always go for a cut pile option. They come in various colours and styles to suit your requirements, plus, carpet tiles are surprisingly easy to replace so even if the odd spillage or stubborn stain does occur, there’s an easy solution.
Just make sure to avoid cord or loop pile carpets, as your pet could get a claw stuck and tear the carpet or their claw. However if this is the style you really want, opt for a darker colour or one with a bit of pattern to make any future stains or marks less evident.
Avoid chewable furniture
Does your dog love to chew? Or perhaps your cat prefers to scratch?
If you have a young puppy or kitten that’s taking a while to adjust to their new environment, you may have to deal with a chewing stage. Avoid any mishaps by opting for furniture with metal framing and legs, rather than wooden legs or soft, easy-tear fabrics.
If you’ve got a cat, we advise to stick with fabrics that are tightly woven and avoid loose-weave or looped upholstery such as linen and wool, as this will not only damage your furniture but may hurt the cats claws.
Let there be light
While pets love the outdoors, they may not always be able to go out if you’re working or out of the house. Instead, bring the outside in by reflecting nature with bright and airy interior decor.
Take off heavy blinds and thick curtains and choose a lighter alternative such as sheer fabric to match your pets’ comfort zone. Natural light fades away negative energies, so let plenty of brightness inside to make your pets feel happier.
LED lighting will also help add more brightness in your living space if you’re short on natural light.
Toy storage
Play is an important part of your pet’s day, so if you have plenty of space, creating a designated area can provide a safe environment for them to spend their time while you’re at work or out of the house.
Another option, if budget and space allow, is to create bespoke or made-to-measure cupboards and shelving to house any leads, dog food, toys and other pet accessories in one place. Not only does this keep things looking neat and tidy, you won’t have a pile of toys lying all over the house!
Top tip: We recommend the storage cupboards being above and around your dog’s sleeping area or play zone, so everything is easy to find and can be discreetly stored away when visitors come round.
Cover up the cage
You can’t really hide a bulky animal cage – but you can make it go with your house aesthetic.
To really tie it in, cover it with fabric that coordinates with your décor; this could be an off cut of material, or a blanket or throw to help make it blend in rather than being an eyesore to guests.
Consider an open plan space
Creating large and open plan living space can add approximately 9-10 per cent to your home’s value, but us humans are not the only ones who appreciate this style – pets love open plan too.
The spacious living space means they have the freedom to go where they want, instead of being restricted to a particular room and scratching on the door to get in or out.
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If you’re interested to find out how our interior design services could work for you or your business, get in touch today.