Cheengoo Contour Bed
Largely credited with starting the “pet décor” movement, Szabo says that animal-happy homes no longer need be accessorized with tatty pet beds featuring a paw-print theme.
Holly Hoenes feels the same way. When she couldn’t find a toile-covered dog bed to match the French Country décor of her home, Hoenes experienced the proverbial light bulb moment and the Yuppy Puppy Pet Boutique was born. Now the Ellicott City shop caters to pet owners like Hoenes who don’t see why a pet-friendly home can’t still be a well-designed home.
“We’ve already decorated for ourselves,” says Hoenes. “Now we want to decorate for our pets.”
Hoenes did indeed find that toile-covered dog bed. But if toile doesn’t fit in with your décor, perhaps stripes or plaid would work better. Or maybe you’d like to bring in an upholstery swatch and have Pooch’s bed custom-made. “We can pretty much match any décor you have in mind,” says Hoenes. Some customers even request different covers for different seasons…“like a slipcover for your pet bed,” Hoenes explains.
Pet Decor "Cool Cat" Furniture
“More companies are realizing that pet lovers have taste,” says Szabo, mentioning some of her favorites, including Crypton Fabric (cryptonfabric.com), Everyday Studio (everydaystudio.com), Smart Cat Products (esmartcat.com), Alessi (yes, the Italian design company), and FatBoy (fatboyusa.com).
“Many companies—such as Alessi—are smart enough to fold in options for pet lovers,” says Szabo.
Leather couches are a popular item on the website for A Bone to Pick, Alison Vannoy’s on-line store for pampered pets—and their discriminating owners. And mirroring the growing “green” movement, Vannoy—who is based in Davidsonville, Maryland—also offers a number of eco-friendly products, from organic cotton beds filled with recycled polar fleece to toys and collars made from hemp and dyed with beet pulp.
At Dogma in Canton, owners Scott Stanton and Virginia Byrnes offer “beautiful things for your home and your pets,” they say. And, they aren’t kidding. Pet beds in more than 50 fabrics, dog sofas in vinyl, leather, and cowhide, wicker crates that double as end tables, even Danish contemporary cat and dog houses mean “you don’t have to have your pets’ items stick out like a sore thumb anymore,” says Stanton.
Interior designer Wendy Appleby of Your Home by Wendy in Columbia, Maryland, has had several requests to cover pet beds in fabrics or color schemes to match her clients’ interiors and has found them readily available. “Stylish pet products are so easy to find now,” she says, recalling the pet bed in chocolate brown and peacock blue—the very same colors she had used in the client’s home—that she found at a local home decorating store.
Does Fido or Fluffy really need a designer sofa or pet bed? Probably not, says Stanton. “Pets are usually happy with whatever you give them. “But,” Stanton adds, “if you’re spending thousands of dollars on your own home, why put a shabby pet bed in the middle of it?”It’s not just furniture and accessories (perhaps you’d like a hand-painted doggy armoire?) for the pets themselves that are so popular. Decorative accents such as wallcoverings, throws, placemats, bowls, lamp finials, and even commissioned portraits of your beloved four-legged friends are another way to complement the design of your home.
Appleby recently papered the walls of one client’s laundry room—where the doggy door was located—with a wallcovering known as “Best in Show,” just one of many themed papers and borders that are popular now.
Wet Noz Tid Bits Treat Jar
“From wallcoverings to sheets to desk blotters,” says Appleby, “pet themes are everywhere.”
“People have always loved their pets,” says Appleby, “but now they’re much more interested in including them when making their house a home.”
“Having an animal makes a house a home,” adds Szabo. “People love their pets, they love their homes, and they’re not settling for less than the best.”
Click here for more photos of stylish pet décor.
Carol Sorgen is a frequent contributor to ChesapeakeHome.
Contacts:
A Bone to Pick: abone-to-pick.com or 410-451-4494
Cheengoo Boutique: cheengoo.com
Design Public: designpublic.com
Dogbedworks.com: dogbedworks.com
Dogma: dogmaforpets.com or 410-276-3410
Hammacher Schlemmer: hammacher.com
Your Home by Wendy: 410-531-1138
Yuppy Puppy Pet Boutique: yuppypuppypetboutique.com or 410-750-9663
