Those of us who have discovered the joy of having dogs have to make a few design changes in the way we live our lives. For example, working at my desk means I (usually) have two dogs wrapped around my feet, so there must be space to accommodate them. While writing this article, there was a third dog “Emma” whom I was babysitting. This means I need to be careful not to have my printer or electric cable positioned in such a way that if Xena or Dax jumps up when Dad gets home, they don’t accidentally wrap the cable around their chest, leg or head and drag my laptop to the front door with them.
Another adjustment was to raise our king-sized bed on blocks and put an area rug beneath it so both our pooches could sleep under the bed comfortably without getting stuck (which happened before we raised it). They don’t want to sleep on the bed – there is more room under it and it is cooler. We also added a bed sheet on top of the area rug for ease of cleaning – pull it out and toss in the wash – no more trying to reach the middle of the king bed with the vacuum cleaner.
Waterproof Foyer Furniture
Aside from such adjustments, there are also furniture and material decisions to make. We prefer wood flooring and leather couches so shedding dog hair is easier to manage. In our foyer, I wanted a bench to sit on to dry the dogs where I could leave the wet towel if need be. I also wanted a display table and a place to temporarily toss keys, camera, glasses, and so on. I wanted it big enough to hold groceries and tool boxes and I needed it dog claw resistant so I could sit on it while welcoming my over exuberant pooches when I came home from work. The answer to all these requirements was actually quite simple. Bruce, my husband (Dad to the dogs) and cabinetmaker extraordinaire, made a custom bench/table that is 18” high x 22” deep x 57” long. It is a perfect height for sitting on and a perfect depth for bags and boxes, and is certainly long enough for display while still leaving room to sit. The top and edges of this table/bench is laminate with a small wood relief. Laminate is waterproof, scratch resistant and comes in a huge array of colours and patterns for easy styling. It also looks uber chic when used as a design element on furnishings. I love this piece and I really like the way it looks with the wall art, table sculpture and pottery, but best of all it is soooo functional. The two oversized raku storage pots tucked underneath are great for hats, gloves and leashes.
Designer Dog House
Designing for dogs doesn’t just have to reflect human usage. Xena, our older golden retriever has always liked to hang out in our front yard, so Bruce created an awesome doghouse for her. It has aromatic cedar on the inside to keep insects, bugs and fleas at bay. It has a motion-detecting solar light on its roof to scare off deer (or bear) at night. Bruce mounted a National Geographic Weather Station on it that we can read from indoors. There is even a short hose connected on one end to roof gutters and on the other end to a water tank with a tap for filling up one of Xena’s water dishes.
Now that we have two full grown golden retrievers that like to hang out together, Xena’s doghouse is no longer big enough; therefore last year, we raffled it off to raise money for the Campbell River SPCA medical fund. Since Xena is LocaLHomeSpot.com’s spokesdog, we still use the photo of her doghouse as part of our marketing for the site.
Keeping Pets Separated In Style
One of our Design House customers has four dogs and two cats. When they are at work, they need to separate one of the dogs from the rest while still letting their cats come and go. They didn’t like the look of the makeshift gates they had been using, so asked Bruce to custom design a gate to go with their fir trim and doors. They liked the first one he created so much that they commissioned two more for two other doorways. The gates are Douglas Fir and the latches have Purple Heart detailing.
The Dog Spot
These are just a few of the ways we have been designing for dogs. For other ideas check out The Dog Spot on our LocaLHomeSpot.com website.
Evelyn M, Associate of Interior Design
250-204-4417
www.EvelynM.com
Evelyn M Interiors/Design House BC
Evelyn M Fine Art
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