Furry friends: welcome home!
Are you a proud pet parent? Then follow our tips on how to style the perfect home your furry friends won’t destroy!
Animal lovers, this article is for you! We are all very familiar with the upsides of having a pet; after all, who wouldn’t want to be welcomed home every day by a cute little doggie, madly wagging its tail because it’s overwhelmed by the joy of seeing us again? Or alternatively, by a majestic Norwegian Forest cat, demanding to be fed? Either way, having a pet, any pet, even a goldfish, has been proven to be a great stress-reliever: after all, it’s like benefitting from a pet-therapy service, only 24/7 rather than by appointment. Still, we’re also very much aware of the downsides: pet hairs everywhere, constant drooling if you own a big dog, scratches all over the floor and furniture; we don’t even need to go on with this list, correct? Well, having a stylish and overall undamaged house is still possible, even with a pet! Follow our tips to learn how to achieve this goal.
Convert yourself to ceramic tiles
Let’s start from the basics: it’s time to say goodbye to your beloved, soft, wall-to-wall carpet as a flooring solution. It’s hard to clean, and believe us, it will get dirty in no time. Besides, it’s very easy for a pet’s toenail to catch on a thread and rip it. So, what are the alternatives? Marble might be a good idea, although keep in mind that acids contained in your pet’s saliva can damage naturally porous stones -- like marble. Ceramic tiles are the best solution! Super easy and fast to clean, it’s also virtually impossible for a pet to crack them, unless your pet is the proverbial elephant in the room. And, even in the unlikely event that this happened, replacing the damaged ones with some new ones is quick and inexpensive. A tip? Choose the colors based on your pet’s fur: if it’s a white Persian cat, opt for white tiles; the hairs are still going to be there, but at least you can pretend they’re not.
Hardwood floors: yes or no?
It depends! If you own a Great Dane, then yes, there’s a fairly good chance a hardwood floor will end up being quite scratched. However, small dog breeds shouldn’t cause this problem, unless of course they actively enjoy scratching the floor. If you’re not up for this risk, we’ve got the perfect solution for you: ceramic tiles that look like wood! Yep, they do exist, and they will be an excellent compromise if you love a wooden floor but don’t want it to get ruined
Inexpensive rugs
As much as you might love Aubusson rugs, it’s time to wave them goodbye. A pet will sleep and chew on all of your rugs, so what’s the point of investing a fortune in a top-of-the-line rug when you might have to throw it out in a few months? But hey, that’s not a tragedy: there’s a market full of colorful and inexpensive rugs out there that will cheer up your home, while sparing you a good cry when it’s time to chuck them in the bin. Cotton rugs are perfect because they’re likely to get quite clean again after a good washing; we’d avoid really light colors, like white, as stains will be easily noticeable and the last thing you want to do is having to wash a bunch of rugs day in and day out.
But what if you really like your precious rugs?
Treat them as a work of art and hang them on the wall! Although of course, remember that a Bernese dog can fling drool all the way across the room, so you still might want to think twice before you hang an expensive, hand-knotted rug on the wall.
Say goodbye to fragile objects
You won’t have to get rid of every single glass vase and ceramic statuette, but it’s safe to say you can’t really afford to keep them on your coffee table, where they will inevitably be swept off by your dog’s tail. And in fact, you should even be more careful with a cat! You’re familiar with how much they love knocking things off shelves and tables, right? Yes, we know, this isn’t very good news, but there’s a silver lining, if you want to see it: a fully pet-proof house is fully baby-proof too. If your dream is not that of starting a human family, too bad: you’re still going to have to put away your Murano glass vases.
Lamps
What we’ve just said about fragile objects is valid for lamps too: except for when absolutely necessary, like on a desk for instance, we’d get rid of table lamps. Not only are they at risk of breaking into pieces, but there’s also a good chance they might be boiling-hot: a puppy or a hyperactive cat might be too absent-minded to realize it.
The good news is, many lighting brands often design a whole collection, including table lamps, wall lamps and chandeliers. That’s just to say you don’t have to despair: you might very well find a ceiling or wall version of that table lamp that stole your heart.
Cotton sheets and duvet
If your pets usually sleep with you, then you should restyle your bed with cotton sheets, and basically, cotton everything. Fabrics like satin and silk are delicate, whereas you can wash cotton at a high temperature, as many times as you wish. Tip! Avoid white sheets and blankets: again, at least you’ll be able to pretend everything is clean and totally not covered in pet hairs.
Leather
Upholster chairs, armchairs and sofas in leather! Unlike silk, satin and velvet, it’s a resistant material that you can quickly clean with just a sponge and a bit of detergent, and it’s guaranteed to last for years. True, leather does get scratched, but how awesome does distressed leather look? Finally, why don’t you choose the color based on your pet’s fur? For example, for a brownish red English Cocker Spaniel, choose a brownish red shade of leather!
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