Decorating for Your Dog.

8 Tips to Help You Transform Your Home into a Doggie Paradise…

Without skimping out on style and comfort!

We love our pets and we would do just about anything for them, but they sure do make a mess! Here at Saratoga Signature we know all about that! We are each blessed with the unconditional love of our best buddies, our FUR-ever friends! Nancy and Pete adore their West Highland Terrier named Maggie Mae. She is the perfect pampered little pooch, just one problem: She loves to lick the sofa! Dan  is crazy about his Cocker Spaniel Harley,but he likes to “nest” on his favorite chair!  Colby and I wouldn’t know what to do with our selves if we didn’t have our Coon hound Shepherd mix Huckleberry, but boy does he shed! How do you make your home stylish and comfortable, but also dog proof? Here are 8 steps to get you started!

Huckberry1
Here is the shed master himself! Huckleberry is enjoying his window seat!

Use paint with an egg shell finish!

Flat-finish paint is nearly impossible to clean; try to wipe off a dirty spot and some of the paint comes off as well, leaving an unsightly mark that must be repainted. Semigloss is the easiest to wipe down, but its sheen will call attention to every ding and irregularity in your walls. Satin or eggshell finishes are more elegant and as easy to clean as glossier paint. So, the next time you decide to paint the walls, remember this helpful tip!

Choose The Right Color…

Here is Nancy's pampered pooch, Maggie! This is her "oh! did I do something bad?" look!
Here is Nancy’s pampered pooch, Maggie! This is her “oh! did I do something bad?” look!

Match Carpet and Upholstery to Fur Color!

This isn’t just an aesthetic shout-out to your pet; it’s also a practical choice because the hair they leave behind won’t be as visible. Put a white floor in a house with a black Lab, you’re going to have black tumbleweeds everywhere! You don’t have to be precise, but choosing rugs, floor color, and fabrics close to your pet’s fur color will help hide all of those fur balls until you get a chance to bust out the vacuum! If matching your dogs coat color is a bit too much for you, then you might want to think about animal prints. They are stylish and less likely to show stains and paw prints!

Choose Stain Resistant Fabrics!

This living room is done in worry free Crypton fabrics. The Fabric and furniture seen here is available at Saratoga Signature Interiors.
Photograph Courtesy of Huntington House. This living room is done in worry-free Crypton fabric. The fabric and furniture seen here are available at Saratoga Signature Interiors.

 

You may have heard of Crypton and Sunbrella fabrics, but if you haven’t then here is the rundown:

Sunbrella Fabrics offer superior stain resistance and fade resistance. This fabric comes in a variety of easy to clean colors, patterns, and styles to fit any home decor. Most spills, paw prints, and stains can be easily removed with just a few squirts of water and and clean cloth or paper towel! They is made to resist things like muddy paws, and couch licking pups so you can enjoy your sometimes messy fur ball without worrying about your furniture. They are also great for households with sticky fingered children, or clumsy wine drinkers! Nancy Smith just finished her whole living room in Sunbrella. Now Maggie can be Maggie, and Nancy can rest easy knowing that her cute little Westie won’t get the best of her furniture. Crypton fabric is also stain resistant. Spills just bead up and are easily wiped away! This fabric is made to be stain and smell resistant, so go ahead and let Fido up on the sofa, you’re covered!

We offer these fabrics in our showroom! Stop by and feel how soft and luxurious they are.

Photograph Courtesy of The MT Company. The fabric and furniture seen here is available at Saratoga Signature Interiors. Sunbrella fabric allows you the freedom to choose lighter colors! Go ahead and let your pooch play!
Photograph Courtesy of The MT Company. The fabric and furniture seen here are available at Saratoga Signature Interiors. Sunbrella fabric allows you the freedom to choose lighter colors! Go ahead and let your pooch play!

More Sunbrella…

Photograph Courtesy of The MT Company. Furniture and Fabric available at Saratoga Signature Interiors.
Photograph Courtesy of The MT Company. Furniture and Fabric available at Saratoga Signature Interiors.

Pick The Right Chew Toy!

Creating a pet friendly home isn’t only about the furniture you choose to fill your home with, but the toys you choose to give your furry friend! It’s important to give your dog something to chew on, or he might go after a chair leg. Pig ears and rawhide chews can stain your floor, and they might even cost you a visit to the vet! Rubber toys like the Kong are tough enough to stand up to even the most extreme chewing, and they wont stain your floors and rugs with hard to get out oils and dyes!

Huckleberry is an extreme chewer. We find it hard to find things that last more than 10 minutes with him! He has had the same Kong toy since he was a puppy! believe me, they are durable, and they don't leave a huge mess on your floors!
Huckleberry is an extreme chewer. It is hard to find things that last more than 10 minutes with him! He has had the same Kong toy since he was a puppy! believe me, they are durable, and they don’t leave a huge mess on your floors! Note the colors in our area rug. We made sure to choose a multi-colored rug that features colors in Huck’s coat!

Create a cozy place for your puppy to view the outdoors!

We made Huckleberry a window seat so that he can look out, and make sure the mailman behaves! Maggie, Nancy’s cutie pie, likes to sit on top of the sofa and watch out the window for trespassing critters. Nancy suggests a semi-attached or tight-back sofa if you have a dog like hers. The back pillows are attached so they wont shift or get crushed under the weight of your pet! Nancy chose a tight-back sofa in Sunbrella fabric for her living room. With her old sofa she says: “pillows where everywhere!” You can strategically place chairs and ottomans under windows so your hound can get a look at what is happening outside!

decorating for your dog
Huck can be found here for hours at a time, which keeps him off the sofa and chairs!

Put Washable Fabrics On Your Bed!

If your dog or cat sleeps with you, there will be accidents. Deal with it! Protect your mattress from the inevitable by covering it with a thick pad. Use cotton bed sheets, preferably in a medium color or a pattern that can hide the pet hair and stains between washings. For bedspreads, duvet covers work well because you can take them off and wash them regularly.  If your fur-babies prefer to sleep in their own beds, then consider getting them a pet bed covered in a stain resistant fabric like Sunbrella or Crypton!  That way you can easily spot clean it when necessary!

decorating for your dog

Make sure to Vacuum Regularly…

Even if you match your chaise to your Siamese so perfectly that the hairballs are barely visible!

Even if you successfully match your four legged friend’s fur color exactly, you will still need to vacuum more frequently than your friends with pet free households! Shedding dogs and cats leave behind an incredible amount of hair. Animal hair can make your home feel messy and unclean. It can even make your home smell like a dog! To combat this you just need to vacuum more frequently. We recommend getting a vacuum designed for households with pets. Nancy swears by the Shark Rotator Professional Lift-Away. she uses one both at  home and in our showroom! By the way: If you’re still using a vacuum with a bag, then you are wasting your money!  It might be time for an upgrade!

If you want to save time vacuuming then…

Skip Wall-To-Wall Carpet!

Carpet absorbs odors, traps pet hair and soaks up inevitable pet-related stains like a sponge. Bare floors are the way to go, but bare doesn’t have to be boring.  The best floor is ceramic tile because it’s easy to clean and resistant to any stain an animal can dish out. Tile is toenail-proof, makes a room look sleek and elegant and gives furry animals a cool place to nap during hot weather. You may not want wall-to-wall tile, especially during our upstate winters. Hardwood floors are simple to mop or vacuum and add a warm glow to any room, but keep in mind that large dogs can scratch wood.

“They are in our lives so briefly it seems, but we tend to measure the great moments of our life by the dogs that have been in them.”

We want to hear from you!

Do you have any more tips for creating a stylish pet proof home? Please share them with us, along with a picture of your fur-babies! Use the comment box below to share your tips and pictures with us!!

We are dog friendly here at Saratoga Signature Interiors, so stop by with your pooch and grab your favorite walking buddy a free treat!