Pet Friendly Décor and Design
Today’s pet owners have more choices than ever when it comes to selecting fabrics, furniture, flooring and paint to keep a pet-friendly home maintenance free.
Fabrics
When odor is a concern fabrics such as microfiber or synthetic velvet are the go to since they low pile they have less material to trap stink. They also hide claw marks, and tear resistant – making them very easy to clean.
Commercial contract grade fabric (think hotels/restaurants) is incredibly soil and water repellant with long wear. When you think of the fabric Sunbrella, you immediately think of outdoors. Sunbrella comes in a wide range of prints that are just as beautiful as a use for inside coverings. It is also remarkable on keeping scratches and stains at bay and is a water barrier as well. With leather being the exception synthetic materials are generally preferred over natural materials when it comes to picking a fabric for pet-friendly furniture. Fabrics such as polyester that mimics linen, acrylic, or other materials like nylon are easier to clean and stand up longer to wear and tear. At a minimum if you have not-so-friendly fabrics give them a douse (or two) of Scotchguard.
Flooring
As lovely as they are hardwood floors are not our furry friends best surface. Scratches can add up quick! Fortunately, there are a plethora of gorgeous options. Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP) has come a long way from the days “vinyl flooring”. The wide planked, “hand scrubbed” textural LVP can fool even the sharpest critics that it is not actual wood. Scratch proof, water proof, fade proof (even vomit proof!) may be a people favorite but pets love the feel underfoot.
If you want something a little more glam you can go with a textured tile or stone in a matte finish. That helps with keeping scratch marks down and provides your pets better traction. Just remember to have the tile or stone properly sealed to keep moisture out!
Paint/Wall Applications
In the past you have had to opt for a gloss of some level in your interior paints to avoid nose smudges, drool, and oil from pet’s fur rubbing against walls. There are now under many manufacturers including Benjamin Moore a washable flat finish paint so you don’t lose that designer feel for your wall color.
Another fun and creative idea is vinyl peel off wall coverings – similar to wallpaper. There are a ton of interesting patterns, pictures and colors. Easy to wipe down and even better – super easy to change out when you tire of the look. Eazywallz.com is a great place to start!
Whatever your indoor pet challenge may be when it comes to décor there’s many more options and ways to overcome. If you’d like to make some changes to your living space as a current pet owner or a future pet owner – give us a call and we’ll be happy to help!