Interested in some pet-friendly decorating ideas? Our friend Megan Fulweiler, a design author and journalist based in Rhode Island, has lots of them. She recently sent us this post on a few easy-care decorating solutions she’s deployed in her own home to accommodate her family’s pup. She also included a few decor tips for canine lovers from notable designers, too. Read on for her thoughts.
According to the American Pet Products Association’s 2009/10 National Pet Owner’s Survey, 62% of American households own pets. Out of that number, 45.6 million feature dogs. If you have one, you already know dogs are all about comfort. A soft cushion or a feel-good rug draws them like a magnet. And it’s no use trying to dissuade them with a bed of their own. Sooner or later they’ll want couch time too. The only solution is to devise a décor that’s forgiving of paw prints and puppy hair.
Interior designers have always known this. Renowned decorator and canine-enthusiast Bunny Williams often incorporates show-no-muss items like Indian quilts, faux-fur throws and leopard patterned rugs in her rooms. Interior designer Chris Madden takes a bolder approach, frequently covering sofas and chairs with white-denim slipcovers. Since they’re easily washable, the pretty covers withstand the rigors of her family’s West Highland Terriers.
Our dog, Ink—rescued from the local pound ten years ago—is the consummate shedder. And rain, snow or sleet she’s out the door, which means when she’s back in the elements seem to come with her. Our defenses? Black and cream checkered slipcovers (they modernize my mother’s 19th century armchairs and I know she’d approve, she always had dogs), a motley of aging also-inherited or auction-bought Oriental rugs in high-traffic areas and a paisley coverlet for our bed (where’s Ink is supposedly not allowed, but that’s another story).
Rather than being an ugly eyesore, Ink’s beds (one upstairs, one down) are cute. Using inexpensive fabric, I regularly sew new covers—more checks (remnants from the slipcovers) or red and black flannel for winter, say, something floral for spring and cool geometric prints for summer. No zippers necessary. Instead, I punch in a handful of grommets and tie up the covers with grosgrain ribbons. Leashes and dog whistles hang by the door on a peg rack. A wicker basket holds Ink’s tennis balls and toys.
With all our subterfuge and organization, no one notices the occasional bit of mud that sneaks by here or there, the hair on the pillow or the stray doggie bone crumbs. If they do they’re kind enough not to mention them. And since love is blind, we pay them no heed. “Dogs make a home more memorable,” lifestyle author and fashion designer, Carolyne Roehm (owner of more than half-a dozen dogs) claims. We couldn’t agree more.
(For a peek at Bunny Williams’s dog-friendly world check out her book An Affair with a House. Dogs also appear in The Soul of a House by Chris Madden. Living with Dogs by Laurence Sheehan explores all the different ways we happily coexist with man’s best friend. And any book by Carolyne Roehm is almost sure to include some sweet dogs.)—Megan Fulweiler
