Achieving great quality interior design when you have pets can be a challenge, especially if you’re still at the early stages of training your pet to be house trained. Often, this can lead to compromises with your indoor furniture, opting for old and worn over new and stylish. There is also the option to keep your pets out of your well-decorated rooms, but that is a sacrifice some are unable to make. After all, your house is not a home if you and your pet can’t enjoy it together. You might be pleased to know that there are some interior design changes you can make to your house to make your home pet-friendly, as well as beautiful.
Think Like Your Pet
Before you make any new changes to your interior design, look around your rooms thinking like your pet. Consider all areas they could jump up onto, climb over, and chew through. If you own a dog, your dog may like to chew, scratch and gnaw anything interesting, new and different to your pet. Cats, on the other hand, are enthusiastic climbers and enjoy sharpening their claws on any scratch-able surface, so watch out for corners of the sofa, curtains, armchairs and any other soft or wood leg surfaces.
Opt for blinds over curtains…
If you own a cat you will have a nightmare on your hands if you go for long, beautiful curtains. Cats love being at the highest spot in a room, if they see a trail of fabric there will be no stopping them climbing up your luscious curtains tearing them to shreds with their claws. Blinds can come in a range of different colours, styles, and designs, and can ensure you can still stylishly shut out the sun without the need of pet un-friendly curtains.
Cover your furniture…
Considering how well trained your dog is, they may tear up any new furniture at first sight, or be completely indifferent to it. To play it on the safe side, make sure you use great big throws over your brand new sofas and armchairs, especially if you are renting and using landlord furniture. Not only will this prevent your pet’s hairs getting all over your brand new furniture’s upholstery, but it will also stop them scratching the fabric underneath. Using a throw means you can wash it easily if your pet were to get muddy poor prints over it, much easier than trying to remove stains from the furniture itself.
Find the perfect pet-friendly flooring…
Finally, don’t forget the flooring. Hard wooden, lino or laminate wood flooring is ideal for pet-friendly homes. Not only are they easier to clean, they will stop your pets from scratching and tearing it up too. If you opt for a carpet and rugs instead, or are limited to carpet due to living in an apartment but are still seeking great apartment interior design, make sure you vacuum it regularly. This is important because if your pet is prone to fleas, you may find it difficult to completely cure your pet of them. Whilst the fleas are living and feeding on your pet, they will often live in the carpet and jump back on your pet once they’ve had a treatment to cure them of their fleas, therefore infecting your pet yet again.
