We call it The Livable Home for a reason.
You know those glamorous rooms in all the fabulous design magazines? Not one of them looks remotely pet or kid-friendly! Beautiful, yes. But not realistic in the world of pets& kids. But having pets or kids or both doesn’t mean that you CAN'T have a beautiful living space. You just have to have the right products and placement.
Flooring: One of the first things to think about is flooring. If you have carpet and have pets and kids, you may want to think about hardwood floors. Although carpets have come a long way since the days of our parents' powder blue shag or the ubiquitous Berber, carpet still stains and still can retain odor. With pets & kids, who needs that!? Hardwood floors are durable and easy to maintain. Many of the woods are incredibly eco-friendly too. But do be careful, not all woods are created equal! When selecting a hardwood you may want to stay away from cherry or dark walnut. These will scratch. Bamboo has been praised as being very eco-friendly, but it isn't so pet-friendly. It scratches. Stick with hard oaks, hickory and maple.
Accessories: Accessories add to any room and just because you have pets, doesn’t mean you can’t accessorize. Just use common sense. No breakable items near the floor or on the floor. It isn’t Fido's fault if he goes into a puppy frenzy and knocks over a vase on the floor. He doesn't know it is a priceless Ming. When accessorizing, think about the path that your pet walks through rooms, about where Kitty jumps or climbs, think about being at their level and what would look fun to play with. Then, move the vase to someplace waist high.
Furniture selection: Is Fido or Kitty beating the back cushions on your sofa up like they have taken up boxing or wrestling. If so, consider purchasing a Livable Home sofa, sectional or loveseat with a "tight back", a semi-attached sofa cushion or upgrading your sofa cushions to a memory foam.
The pet friendly kitchen: How about adding a cool-looking raised food & water bowl. There are so many companies out there doing fantastic wall mounted bowls that they are easy to find and help not only keep the kitchen free of the "trippable" water bowl (who hasn’t stepped into one?) but the raised bowls are better for your four legged friend.
In general... The thing to remember about the pet-friendly home is to never take anything too seriously. At one time or another some sort of accident will happen that will challenge ANY pet friendly product. Humor is one of the best ways to live the Pet- Friendly Life!
