Pet-Friendly Home Décor

Our pets are as much a part of our families as we are, and yet many homeowners find themselves fighting a never-ending battle between their pets and their style. Dogs and cats shed, bring in dirt or mud, and may be responsible for messes around the house if they are young and still being trained. It can be tempting to ditch beautiful rugs, fancy sofas, and anything even resembling a scratch post from your home décor – but you don’t have to sacrifice style just to cohabitate peacefully. Here are some tips for creating pet-friendly décor around your home.

Maintenance

The first step to marrying your pets and your elegant style is to maintain cleanliness on all fronts. Be sure you vacuum regularly, and that doesn’t mean just mean carpet cleaning and sweeping the floors. It also means regular upholstery cleaning. The sides of upholstered furniture where pets rub against, curtains that hang down low and often hide sleeping kitties and similar areas all need to be vacuumed to keep hair to a minimum.

Be sure that your pets are bathed and groomed regularly as well. You can have long-hair breeds if you are careful to brush them often and keep their coats healthy. If your pet is shedding uncontrollably, you may need to look at their diet and adjust what they are eating, as this is a sign of less than optimal health.

Material is Everything

The materials you choose for your home are everything when it comes to pets. If you must have carpet or upholstery, choose stain-resistant versions that can be washed. You may have better luck with removable, washable chair covers, for example. Make sure the fabric on your bed is washable, too, if your pets sleep there.

It’s best to choose materials that aren’t fabric if you can. Wood or tile floors, wicker furniture, and low-pile fabrics will be far easier to keep clean with your pets.

Work with Your Pets

Instead of only trying to work around your pet when designing your space, consider working with them. What if you placed a pet-friendly room just off the entrance, where your pets were trained to spend most of their time? Giving your pets attractive, stylish toys can make the sight of the toy basket much easier to look at. Pet furniture, like dog beds and cat trees, can also be much more stylish if you’re willing to purchase a high-quality version.

Some homeowners even go so far as to choose their home décor to match their pet, drawing inspiration from the color of the pet’s coat. Not only does this look great, but it also makes fur harder to detect.

Don’ts

Those were some things you can do to make your home décor more pet-friendly. Now let’s look at some of the biggest mistakes that homeowners make when they have a pet in the home.

The first thing you should never do is use breakable heirlooms or knickknacks in places where they could be broken. Pets aren’t like people; while they can be trained, and they don’t like to upset us, they could never understand why your grandmother’s china is precious, and so can’t be expected to take extra care not to bump the china hutch.

Don’t use matte paint, which shows smudges and is hard to clean, or semi-gloss paint, which shows every single mark left by a curious pet. Instead, satin finishes are easy to clean and the most forgiving when it comes to nose prints and claw marks.

Don’t spend your money on expensive rugs. This is a surefire way to waste your hard-earned cash. Instead, put your money into wall art, and cover your floors with inexpensive rugs that can be easily replaced.

With just a few simple tweaks, you can keep your stylish décor and make your pet feel right at home.

Sources:

http://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/make-and-decorate/decorating/12-tips-for-pet-friendly-decorating

http://www.hgtv.com/design/decorating/design-101/9-tips-for-a-chic-pet-friendly-home