Having pets shouldn’t detract from your home’s interior. But pets, no matter how obedient, do pose challenges to keeping your home looking its best. Decorators suggest minimizing challenges by designing your home’s look with them in mind. Less time cleaning up, and less spent replacing and repairing means more time and money dedicated to perfecting your home.
Julie Szabo, a designer with HGTV, suggests “If you must collect something, collect iron doorstops.” You don’t have to collect iron doorstops, but her suggestion illustrates one common error in pet-friendly decorating: too many breakable knick-knacks. Even well-behaved pets endanger fragile collectibles accidentally. Keep fragile items out of reach, or in display cabinets.
Also, use rugs that are easy to clean and/or replace. If you have a beautiful heirloom rug, consider using it as a wall hanging instead; this eclectic touch will spice up your decor without leaving the rug to the mercy of frequent vacuuming or shampooing. For carpets, choose an option that is replaceable in sections, rather than wall to wall carpeting.
Even your choice of interior paints can make your decorating more pet-resilient. Don’t choose flat finish paints, which show smudges easily. An eggshell or satin finish is more forgiving of damage, and cleans up more easily as well.