WRITTEN BY: Nancy Gallimore
I’ve been sitting in my home, staring at the walls. I don’t
think I’m alone in this mindnumbing exercise. At writing, it’s mid-April, and we’re still on COVID-19 lockdown. I’m ever hopeful that by the time you’re actually reading this, maybe the world will be trying to return to normal.
The true key to successful dog house living is to design and decorate for human comfort and taste—but always with your dogs in mind.
But like a lot of you, quarantine time equals desperate-for-somethingto-do home improvement time. Clean out the closets. Reorganize the kitchen. OK, truth be told, these are fairly hopeless tasks in our home. Marie Kondo would walk in this house, burst into perfect, dainty tears and immediately flee the scene. But as I have said before, Jim Thomason—my partner in the madness we call life—and I are far from normal.
We live in the dog house. Not the “in trouble” dog house, the actual dog house. We share our home with a healthy number of dogs. So we are no strangers to the wear and tear dogs can exact on an otherwise perfectly stable, well-designed home.
And as I stare at my walls, floors, furniture and décor, it occurs to me that we have learned a lot about how to create a home that is both dog and human friendly. Well, Jim and I haven’t exactly nailed it, but other people can and have pulled it off. Jim, in the roll of proprietor of Thomason Design, has helped them do it.
So what’s the secret to living in a dog house?
I have three words for you: durability, wash-ability, camouflage-ability. (Two of those may not actually be words, but for the purpose of this article, go with it.)
Durability—perhaps the word does not conjure a mental picture of comfort and “House Beautiful” appeal. But I’m here to tell you that with a little creativity and help from the experts, durable can also be attractive and welcoming.
First, let’s talk about flooring. Your floors take a big hit when you choose to live with dogs. Big dogs are wear-and-tear experts, and little dogs tend to do the liquids test, if you know what I mean. The overriding advice from all the experts is to avoid wall-to-wall carpeting and expensive rugs.
In our home, we have opted for stained concrete. Admittedly, that may not sound appealing, but stained concrete floors have actually become quite popular. It’s amazing the looks that can be pulled off with a little specialized stain and sealer. According to Jim, you can achieve a variety of colors as well as stylish, high-end effects and patterns. According to me, the expert who cleans stained concrete floors a lot, the dogs can’t destroy them, and they’re super easy to clean.
If you’re not quite ready to give up on more traditional flooring options, you still have some great choices. Tile or natural stone, like travertine, is probably the sturdiest option going and passes the cleanability test quite well. Your Roomba can race across a good tile floor, dogs in merry pursuit, and a good mopping now and then will do the trick. The range of looks and pawprint camouflage-ability you can achieve with tile flooring is vast. You can even find tile that looks like hardwood. Amity Edwards (four dog home), Allied ASID and owner of 918 Interiors, recommends porcelain tile for high durability.
Amity is also a fan of luxury vinyl flooring in a pet-centric home. “It’s really resistant to water and stains, and now they make the material look so much like wood, you can’t even tell it’s vinyl. We’ve used it in several clients’ houses over the past few years,” she says.
If you want to soften those hard flooring choices, invest in some area rugs. Now wait! Do not run out to buy that expensive wool, custommade rug. As sure as you do, your dog will see that floral print as the perfect indoor potty-patch. Instead consider some of the more sturdy, cost-efficient options available today that are still cushy and attractive.
Amity recommends a brand of outdoor mat called Mad Mats for durability and wash-ability. She says while they are designed for outdoor living use, they are pretty enough to bring indoors. She also recommends looking into Ruggable Rugs, a two-piece non-skid rug pad with machine washable cover that may well be a dog-owner’s new best friend. It comes in a wide variety of colors and patterns and promises to stand up to the challenge of everything from your incontinent Dachshund to your galloping Great Dane.
If you can’t quite turn loose of the idea of a room full of plush, sinkyour-toes-into-it carpeting, it’s wise to consult with an expert to determine the option that has the greatest hope of survival in your home. Katie Fletcher (two dogs, two cats), builder sales representative at Johnson Floor & Home – Carpet One, is happy to work with pet owners to find good solutions.
“If a customer is determined to have carpeting, I would recommend a Triexta nylon and polyester fiber combination installed with a special moisture barrier padding to stand up to wear, tear and inevitable accidents,” she says. According to Katie, Lee’s Carpet is a brand that also features a pet-proof line her company has carried and recommended to dog owners for many years with great success. You may want to match your carpet color to your pet for ultimate camouflage-ability. (Katie can help with that too.)
Now that we have the floors covered, let’s look at furniture. Well, don’t look at our furniture. We do not set a good example. But it is possible to have nice furniture that is still pet friendly. If you’re like me, you like to have your dog curl up with you on the couch. It’s comforting and cozy. But the hair, the muddy paws, the toenails—oh my!
In our home, the answer has been leather. Pet hair brushes off leather very easily. Leather can be wiped down and cleaned. And toenails, well, they just add that rugged, distressed look. If you’re not sure you want the special effect created when your dog digs and circles 12 times to get comfy on his favorite leather cushion, you can follow my lead, go into the furniture store and covertly scratch-test the floor models. Some leathers hold up much better to this stress-test than others. I guess another option is to ask a sales associate for advice instead of employing my technique that can potentially get you banned from the store.
Now, I do realize the idea of real leather does not appeal to everyone. Yes, it is a bit creepy to ask your dogs to lounge on the hide of another animal. Good news, there are many faux leather materials that look just as good and hold up well. We have tested just about all the options in our home. I think we need to belong to the couch-of-the-month club, but that’s another story.
If you prefer upholstery, once again, I recommend matching it to your dog’s fur. In our Dalmatian-heavy population, our furniture would need to be tweed. All of it. Another option is to pick sturdy fabrics that are easy to clean.
Forget about the luxury of silk or the fur magnet known as velvet. Instead explore synthetic fabrics like Crypton. The name alone suggests this is the superhero of couch coverings. It is billed as a nearly indestructible synthetic fabric, and claims on their website put a checkmark by all three of my “ability” requirements. In the company’s very own words, “Our fabric is durable, stain-resistant and has odor control built in at the molecular level.” Whoa—the molecular level. This company is begging you and your dog to put their product to the test.
If you really want to daydream (and what else do we have to do right now?), think of the possibilities that come with starting from scratch: a brand-new custom home (cue the trumpets!). If you are planning new construction, lucky, lucky you! You have the opportunity to design and decorate the gold-standard dog house. First step: ask your architect how many dogs he or she has. None? Find another architect. One Chihuahua and a cat? Risky. I think you want someone to design your home who truly understands life with four-leggers and takes them into account every step of the way.
Jim, wearing his architect/builder hat, has worked with many families who consider their dogs in the planning process as much as they do their human kids. “I’ve had several clients ask for dog rooms where muddy paws can be rinsed right as they come in from the yard, food can be safely stored, and dogs can lounge in comfort if they need to be contained for a bit,” he said. Several of his new construction homes have amazing dog spaces with special dog showers, built-in dog bowl stands, special cabinets for storing treats and supplies, built-in dog crates, and even one-of-a-kind dog beds. It is proof positive that you can have a dog house that is sturdy and functional while still being stylish.
Whether you’re refurbishing an existing house or building the house of your dreams, the true key to successful dog house living is to design and decorate for human comfort and taste—but always with your dogs in mind. You love the guys. You’re not going to convince them to wear booties so they don’t scuff the wood floors or get pawprints on the sofa.
The other big key is to treasure your dogs more than you treasure your stuff. You can replace a rug or refinish a wall (ask me how I know), but you can’t replace the love and fun your best dog buddy brings to your home.
I’m pretty sure Jim-the-partner and I have that last bit of advice down pat.
