7 Savvy Decorating Ideas for a Pet-Friendly Home

If you let your pets on the sofa – and an American Kennel Club survey found that 80 percent of dog owners do – buy a sofa made of pet-friendly fabrics like leather, vinyl or microfiber that resist stains, pet hair and are easy to clean.

A leather couch is your best bet for a pet-proof couch, because it’s durable and pet hair won’t stick to it. Vinyl or faux leather is as easy to clean as leather but costs less. Microfiber is a tightly woven synthetic performance fabric that resists liquids and stands up to dog and cat toenails.

If you love rugs and you love pets, machine-washable rugs are the miracle you’ve been looking for. They’re usually made of polypropylene and have a short cut pile, meaning they’re not thick. When an accident happens, pick up the whole rug and throw it in the washing machine —your rug is good as new. Put a pet-proof rug pad under the machine-washable rug to protect your floors and you’ve outfitted your home with some of the best flooring for dogs and cats.

Look for pet furniture that does double duty, like litter box concealers that look like end tables. Stash the litter box inside the table and put a lamp and your cup of coffee on top. You save floor space, hide your pet’s supplies and look stylish in one shot. Some cat litter box furniture is wide enough to accommodate a bed or storage too.

Metal dog crates are homely and gobble up floor space, and a lot of dog beds are unattractive, too. Swap out both for a dog crate that doubles as an end or foyer table. Put a dog crate end table in the living room at the end of your sofa with a lamp on top.  Or put a dog crate table in an entryway. Put your pup’s bed inside and he gets his own cozy place to nap below, and you get a drop area for keys and bags on top. It’s a balance of style and functionality along with a dedicated sleeping place for your pet.

Dinner time gets messy and cluttered, with all those bowls and food sloshing around underfoot in your kitchen or mudroom. Corral the clutter with a pet-feeder station that holds the bowls and stores the unused food. Some pet-feeder stations have a flat top that allows them to double as a table, and some have room to store leashes and other supplies. Others just neaten up the space by holding the bowls in place.

You love pets and you love plants, but they don’t always mix. Keep your indoor jungle pet-safe by choosing houseplants that won’t make your dog or cat sick if they chomp on the leaves. Some of the most popular houseplants, like dragon tree, philodendron, snake plant and monstera are toxic to pets, so choose wisely. Pet-friendly houseplants include ponytail palms, spider plants, prayer plants and most ferns.

Replace that unattractive pet or baby gate with a Dutch door. A Dutch door is divided in half horizontally so that the top and bottom portions can open and close independently of one another. These doors came to the U.S. from the Netherlands originally, and date back to the 17th century. Dutch doors used to be a staple in a pre-HVAC age, particularly in homes in the Northeast. They allow fresh air and natural light into a house while keeping children inside and animals outside.

Bring them back into your home as a door that keeps your pets contained while still letting them see what’s happening outside. Dutch doors are traditionally used as an exterior door, but interior Dutch doors have risen in popularity because they complement the ever-popular modern farmhouse style.