Our family includes two dogs. We have a 12-year-old yellow labrador retriever and an 8-year-old golden retriever. As you can probably imagine, our home is often filled with dog hair and dog toys. Because we love our pups, we try to make our home as pet-friendly as possible, while still maintaining our home’s style.
Here are some ways to integrate pet-friendly decor into your home.
1. Choose flooring wisely.
Let’s face it: pets make messes. Choose flooring in your home that can handle the messes and the general wear and tear of cute little claws.
We have hardwood floors in our home. It’s a great choice because the wood makes cleaning up messes easy and the dog hair doesn’t stick to it.
You could also choose laminate flooring, which boasts the same benefits as wood, but doesn’t scratch as easily.
Tile is also a good choice for pets, given its hard surface and easy clean-up.
If you want to use a rug or carpet with pets, make sure it is durable, easy to clean, and, preferably, the same color as your pet. Stain-resistant carpets are great for pet owners.
In the living room, we have a jute rug that happens to be the same color as our pups.
Indoor-outdoor rugs are a great choice for pet owners’ decor because they are usually low-pile and so easy to clean. They come in all kinds of bright and funky colors and designs.
No matter which kind of flooring you choose, make sure you vacuum often and clean up any messes as soon as possible.
2. Choose fabrics that are washable.
For better or for worse, we allow our dogs on our beds. Thus, each bed has a washable quilt or duvet cover on it.
If you allow your pets on your furniture, you can find washable and attractive covers to protect your furniture. You can find everything from full-on slipcovers to small mats you can just drape over the furniture.
3. Use your mudroom or entry as “Pet Central.”
Have a central location in your home for pet gear. In our mudroom, we have hooks for leashes and towels for wet dogs coming in the house.
That way, everything we need for coming in or going out with the dogs is right by our door.
If you have space for it, having a dog bath or sink in your mudroom is a luxury that would certainly come in handy.
I would love a dog shower or sink in our mudroom! (Our golden retriever is like Pig Pen from Charlie Brown!)
4. Integrate pet-related gear into your home’s decor.
This is more challenging, to be sure, but, when possible, make the pet-related gear fit into your home’s decor. For example, choose a pet bed with the same fabric as one of the pillows on your sofa:
Or make a creative pet feeding station.
