Many people love having a beautiful, clean, tastefully-designed home. Homeowners like to walk in the door, see everything nice and neat, and relax for the evening in a luxury they have created. However, the beauty of their interior design can be disrupted when there are dog bowls on the floor, dog bones in the middle of the floor, a dog pillow that is old and ratty, and a cat scratching post stuck in the corner. The ideal of beauty has been shattered. Yet, the pets stay; so what has to change?
J Turner & Co is an interior design company with offices in Jacksonville and Ponte Vedra. We offer an amazing interior design program that will allow you to work with one of our exceptional interior designers and have one room designed for only $199 annually. Contact us today to get started!
HOW TO INTERIOR DESIGN WHEN YOU HAVE PETS
Design With Your Pets in Mind
While you shouldn’t necessarily make your whole interior design around your pets, you should take them into consideration when you are designing your home. For each room, think about how your pet will be using that room. If it’s your living room, odds are, your dog will be lying on the floor, couch (if you allow it), or will have a dog pillow in that room. Your cat will probably claim the back of their couch for their personal space. In your bedroom, your dog will need its bed, and your cat will probably just sleep in your bed. By anticipating how your pet will use the room (much like you do for yourself when you are designing a room), you’ll be able to integrate their needs right alongside yours.
Fabrics
Fabrics of all types, from the fabric on your couch to the fabric of your rugs and carpets, should be chosen with your pets in mind. Pets shed, and if you allow your pets up on the furniture (cat owners have no choice), then you will have to deal with dirt and grime as well. You’ll want to choose fabrics that won’t allow pet hair to cling. Great choices are leather, faux leather, and acrylic. You can even use outdoor fabrics on your interior furniture. The important thing is that you want a fabric that is easy to wipe down and is inviting to guests, and no one wants to sit on pet hair! Leather is also resistant to cat scratches. For accessory items, such as pillows and throw blankets, we recommend that you consider buying patterns so that pet hair and dirt will be hidden more easily. Another final option that is a bit on the extreme end is to buy furniture that is the same color as your pet. This is the ultimate in designing around your pet, but it’s a bit restrictive in terms of design.
Rugs
Patterned rugs will be your best friend if you have pets. They will also save your floors from Fido’s claws and will hide tracked-in dirt from the outdoors. J Turner & Co in Jacksonville recommends that you don’t invest in top-of-the-line designer rugs for those rooms where your pet will be frequenting the most. In fact, you’ll want to do just the opposite — invest in cheap rugs so that if they are ruined, you’re not out a lot of excess cash. This can be especially true if you are potty-training a new puppy. Great options are natural-fiber rugs that are neutral to most rooms and cheap. However, you’ll want to make sure your rugs do have non-skid padding, especially if you have a dog who loves to run to the door every time the doorbell rings.
Walls
White walls will not be your friend if you have pets, no matter what kind of interior decorating style you are going for. Cats have scent glands on their faces, in their mouths, on their front paws, and on their tail. They can’t help but rub up against things. Luckily, cats keep themselves pretty clean. Still, you may want to avoid textured walls since they invite a cat to scratch themselves as well as mark their territory. Paint should be satin or gloss since matte paint is a bit more sticky and pet hair can cling to it. If you have a dog that is prone to drooling (think big jowls in dog breeds such as mastiffs, danes, and Saint Bernards), you will inevitably have dog slob on the walls. Thus, you’ll definitely want to pick a darker shade of color for the areas your dog will most likely shake, and you’ll want a type of paint that is easy to wipe down.
Flooring
It almost goes without saying, but if you have pets, you really should have hard flooring, such as wood floors, tile, travertine, and the like. Carpet is just a mess to have with animals. Carpet holds pet hair, pet dandruff, and if it is soiled, odors can linger. Furthermore, most pets will puke wherever they are standing (if you have a dog that knows to puke in the toilet, you should definitely YouTube that), which leads to even more nasties on your carpet. Flooring is probably the one area you do want to choose for your pets. Having a hard surface flooring will make your home healthier and will yield way less headaches when the inevitable happens.
CHOOSE J TURNER & CO FOR YOUR NEXT HOME INTERIOR DESIGN
When looking for an interior decorator, you want one who understands not only style and decor, but also your needs and wants. More so, you want an interior decorator who can translate your needs and wants into something beautiful that you can’t wait to come home to after a long day.
J Turner & Co offers the best interior designers, as well as home decor furniture selections. We have offices in St. Augustine and Ponte Vedra FL. From dining room sofas to bedroom drawers, we have everything you need to make your home warm, inviting, and uniquely yours. You want a home you can relax in, take in a sunrise or a sunset, and have a nice cup of coffee with friends comfortably. Our interior designers can help you with all of your design needs, including with your pet design needs. With years of experience creating homes you can’t wait to come home to, our team can’t wait to help you create the space of your dreams. Call us today!
