How to Design a Home With Your Pets in Mind

When making changes to a home with pets, several considerations must be considered. Here are several interior design ideas to help you start on the right path to a pet-friendly residence.

When we think about ways to improve our homes, we often only think about how to make life easier or make our spaces more modern and stylish.

But the game changes when you live with pets. As many of us basically consider them part of the family, many interior design companies have begun taking them into account when redesigning our spaces.

Let’s check out some simple but effective ideas that can make our homes more hospitable to the special critters in our lives.

Why Make Your Home Pet-Friendly?

Designing a pet-friendly residence has several advantages for you and your furry friends:

• It can reduce the risk of problems like spills and broken items.
• You also protect your pets from accidents that could injure them.
• When a pet is happier in their living environment, they’re less likely to engage in destructive behaviour like chewing on furniture, destroying cushions, or urinating indoors.

Things to Consider Before You Design

• Assess Your Pet’s Needs - Pets have vastly different needs from one another. While a cat will love having room to climb up, dogs often need a larger space to roam.
• Do You Have the Budget For This? - While it probably won’t be as expensive as, say, the cost of a 4-room resale flat renovation project, you should still make sure you have the funds for all the improvements you plan to make.
• Safety First for Your Furry Friends - You should also use this project as an opportunity to deal with potential hazards such as exposed electrical cords and sharp-edged furniture.

Home Improvements That Make Your Place Pet-Friendly

• Create Dedicated Pet Spaces - Consider designing a special area just for your pet, like a corner with a built-in pet bed for your dog to nap on or a cat tower and window perches for felines to climb up. You could also set up a feeding nook in your kitchen so your pet would know where to eat.
• Close Your Floating Staircases - A staircase with an open riser is more difficult for dogs to go up and down on. The lack of a visible riser can disorient the pet since they use depth perception to get around safely. It would be safer to install closed riser stairs to prevent accidents.
• Pet-Proof Your Furniture - Dealing with drool and shedding? Try using stain-resistant fabrics for your upholstery so they’re easier to clean when your pets make a mess on them. You should also consider replacing sharp-edged furniture with round-edge ones to reduce the risk of injuries.
• Add Storage Space for Pet Essentials - Keep your pet’s clutter at a minimum with solutions such as storage ottomans for toys and wall hooks for their leashes and collars.
• Switch to More Durable Flooring - Hardwood looks great, but it’s vulnerable to scratches and water damage. A cheaper but durable flooring alternative for pets would include vinyl and tiles.

Get an Interior Designer Experienced With Pets

The list we’ve made here is just the tip of the iceberg on everything you can do to make a pet-friendly home. If you want to truly optimise your place, it would be better to call in an interior design company that knows how to conceptualise with pets in mind. They can offer solutions that take you and your pet into consideration and ensure that your ideas blend well with the rest of your home.

Create an Enjoyable Home for You and Your Pets

A home that’s designed for your pets doesn’t simply make their lives easier. It creates a comfortable environment for the rest of your household too.

If you need any help designing a space that’s both practical and trendy, go ahead and contact your local interior design company. They can guide you in creating the ideal home for your entire family — including its furry little members!