Home Design with Dogs in Mind

PUPPY
FUN
He quickly had two square openings which he
calls doggie lookouts framed into the wall so the
dogs can keep tabs on family activities taking place
in the room below. Rudolph even went a step further
installing a number of windows at lower heights and
interior glass doors so that Purcell and Elmslie can
easily see outside or into rooms.
Today more than ever before, dog owners are
making architectural and interior design choices not
only to please their pets, but to satisfy their own
sense of style. Having a beautiful interior is easy,
thanks to fabrics, flooring and paint that are
practically impervious to doggie damage.
IN THE
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Dog-friendly fabrics will hide hair, as
well as pet wear and tear.
With
Dogs in Mind W
Interior decorating tips for dog lovers.
BY MARYANN MOTT
130
DOGS USA 2007
hen Christopher
Rudolph s country
home was being
built in Three Oaks,
Michigan, his two
Labrador Retrievers
accompanied him
one day to check on its progress. Shortly after arriving, the curious duo Purcell and Elmslie ran
upstairs to the second-floor loft and poked their
heads between the studs of the unfinished wall.
Rudolph, an architect in Chicago, Illinois, was
immediately inspired.
NORVIA BEHLING/COLLIE
FIDO-FRIENDLY FABRICS
Debbie Wiener of Designing Solutions in Silver
Spring, Maryland, recommends reupholstering
chairs and sofas with outdoor furniture fabric (sold
under the trade name Sunbrella). If you think they
all look like patio furniture, you haven t been
shopping lately, Wiener says. Thousands of
attractive styles, ranging from soft chenille solids to
French toile prints, are available. Best of all, they
resist scratches, stains, mold, discoloration and
odors.
For clients who have their hearts set on leather,
Wiener suggests pleather instead. The synthetic
material looks like real leather, but it s less expensive, and holds up well in an active pet household.
If you took a sharp fingernail and ran it down the
fabric, it would show no mark or scratch, she says.
After picking a rugged fabric, the next step is to
choose a solid or patterned print that hides dog hair
for a more maintenance-free home. Wiener recently
worked with a client who had a heavy-shedding dog.
Every decision we made, we made with a clump of
his hair, Wiener says, adding that they used fabrics
and flooring that best camouflaged the dog s butterscotch-colored fur.
DURABLE FLOORING AND
PAINT
When shopping for flooring, look for products
made of solution-dyed acrylic, available in carpeting, vinyl and other laminated synthetic floors.
Avoid hardwood floors and shiny stone surfaces,
such as marble. A better choice is textured tile or
stone in a matte finish, which hides scratch marks
and provides your dog with better traction.
The goal here is not just to choose flooring that
will clean up in an accident, but to choose flooring
where odors won t linger, Wiener says. She advises
avoiding natural fibers and deep-pile rugs.
DOGS USA 2007
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Sunbrella outdoor fabric (which resists mold, mildew, spotting and staining) works great in this traditional bedroom, which has been perfectly pet-proofed.
Before deciding on a carpet to buy, Wiener has
clients leave several samples on their floor for one
week. At the end of the week, some samples need
vacuuming and care, while others look brand new.
Simply select the one that held up the best, she says.
Regular steam cleaning is important to keep your
carpet looking as good as the day it was installed.
But not from the kind of machine you rent in the
supermarket, Wiener warns. Invest in a professional service. It will take out pet dander, spots and
stains, and keeps the carpet odor free, as well.
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DOGS USA 2007
Keeping walls free from brown smudge marks
(caused by the oil in dogs coats) is another chore dog
owners must tackle. In the past, some homeowners
used paint with an eggshell finish on their interior
walls because the light sheen makes it a snap to wipe
away smudge marks. But it s far from fashionable.
Now dog owners can have the best of both
worlds. Benjamin Moore Paints recently introduced
Ulti-Matte, the first washable, flat-finish paint.
See DOGS USA 2007 Annual for the complete article.
A sunroom with porcelain tile never needs sealing, so it’s perfect for an accident-prone pet or a sloppy drinker.
Spills from a water bowl leave no spots on this floor.