9 Tips for Designing a Pet-Friendly Home

Many of the questions I get are around the topic of balancing a beautiful home and one that is well suited for our furry friends! I’m sharing all of my tips and recommended purchases to design a pet-friendly home! If expecting a new pet or puppy, be sure to check out my Puppy Edit, which is full of all of my favorite products and toys.

1. Choose the Right Fabric

You aren’t as limited as you think here, but it is important to weigh what you’ll allow and the function of the space. Are you one that loves to cuddle your pet on the couch? Or, are you a strict no-pets on furniture? Here are pros and cons for different furniture fabrics to meet your needs:

Woven

Everyone loves a woven fabric to get that perfect combination of comfort and beauty in a piece of furniture. If you do your diligence, you can find a stain-resistant, quality, and long-lasting durable piece that will last you years. Finding fabric that maybe has some texture to it (ours is not a solid) you can actually hide pet hair. Woven textures can be great, but consider your dog as their nails could dig into and cause damage. The most pet-friendly is something like microfibre due to its ease of spot cleaning and the ability to just brush off the hair. Lastly, everyone loves the look of a white couch. However, if you have a pet with dark hair – you need to consider how often you want to see and remove that hair! Bottom line, do your research on the specific fabric and you will find the perfect one that meets at the intersection of looks and function!

Leather

This is actually the go-to recommendation for pet owners. Its easy to clean and hair naturally doesn’t stick around. The scratches also fade over time. From my research, faux leather cleans just as well but of course not as durable as real.

Velvet

Velvet furniture is really making a come back as it easily provides that mix of modern and vintage everyone is so craving. Many recommend velvet and even synthetic velvet for ease of cleaning and less hair build up. 

Overall, if there is a performance fabric option and it is in your budget, go for it! It tends to have that extra protection from all the things.

2. Coverings Can Be Pretty & Easy

When you google furniture coverings, almost always the ugly quilted brown fabric with huge straps appear. Even if you find a color that matches, they’re a pain to put up and down and an eye-sore when guests come over. The best solution is to use throw blankets! Not only do throw blankets provide depth to your design, they make it easy to move around your coverings depending on where your pet wants to post up. When you aren’t using it for your pet, toss it in a basket or fold it over the arm. Being able to just throw them in the wash is so key!

3. Lidded Trash Cans are a Must

This may seem obvious, but better safe than sorry! You never know what smell may trigger your pet. Avoid any trouble or sickness by purchasing lidded trash cans or being diligent about consistently closing the door. 

4. Create Clear Space for The Tail

Another seemingly obvious one, but every time you style something, consider the traffic and the size of your pet’s tail to avoid any breakables shattering. 

5. Choose a Stain-Resistant Rug

Make your life a little easier by choosing from one of the following easy to clean rugs:

Vintage Persian

The patterns alone do a great job hiding any stains and hair. These tend to be a bigger expense, so opt for a vintage inspired rug by finding a pattern with similar texture and hold to easily clean and hide stains. 

Ruggable

If you’re not new here, you know I recently partnered with Ruggable for our kitchen runner and I am obsessed! It is so great to not only find an affordable option, but one that I don’t have to really worry if a mess occurs because I can toss it right in the wash! I’ve included my favorites below.

Cowhide

While this is a particular look, it is a reliable material for ease of cleaning. I have a few friends that swear by the ease of cleaning it! 

6. Design a Spot with a View

Not only is doing this out of love, but you can actually avoid other areas of the home potentially getting stained or covered in hair. Pets love to post up and wait / watch for us to come home, soak up the sun, and snooze! Creating that area by a window is great, just be conscious of your treatment choices to avoid clingy hair.

7. Have your Cleaning Squad on Deck

While I try to use as many clean products as I can, sometimes you just gotta get the stain out. Here are my favorite items to have on deck to prepare for life with a pet:

8. Create a Cleaning Area

If you live in a small space like me, you may not be able to utilize a mudroom for those rainy muddy days. Creating an area or station for these instances ahead of time will be a game changer. We keep wipes and a towel in our bench by the door so that as soon as he comes in, the paws are taken care of!

9. Choose Plants Wisely

We all love exploring our abilities to have a green thumb. However, its very important to know your pet and whether or not they’d get into a poisonous plant. Here is a list of ones to be aware of and where you may be placing them in the home:

• Philodendron
• Pothos
• Pace lily
• Calla lily
• Dumb cane
• Arrowhead vine
• Mother-in-law’s tongue
• Sweetheart vine
• Devil’s ivy
• Umbrella plant
• Elephant ear.
• English shamrock
• Rhubarb (leaves)
• Tropical star fruit
• Kalanchoe.
• Corn plant or dragon tree
• Spring flowers – daffodils, hyacinth, and tulips
• Poinsettias, holly, ivy, mistletoe, and lilies

Plants that do improve air quality and are safe include:

• Spider plant
• Aloe vera
• Chrysanthemums

Lastly, avoid all of this by going faux! Here are some of my favorites:

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