Getting your apartment decorated and suitable for both you and your four-legged friend can be a challenge. Between your own style, your pet’s needs, and your space restrictions, there’s a lot to think about when decorating for a pet friendly apartment. Read on for a few tips about how to decorate with your pet in mind.
DECORATE UP
Use your wall space as much as possible. Tables and bookshelves can be great for storage and aesthetics, but you run the risk of your valuables getting damaged. Your pet might knock into a table while playing in the house and accidentally break vases, picture frames, artwork, or other expensive decorations. Avoid this by placing your decorations out of reach from your pet. Consider floating shelves, hang artwork on the walls, and keep breakable items away from your four-legged friend.
FLOOR RUGS: DO’S AND DON’TS
If you have hardwood floors, you might want to consider skipping the rugs. Cloth absorbs all sorts of things — smells, spills, bacteria — and you can easily avoid this by sticking with hard, smooth surfaces. If your pet has an accident on your hardwood floors, you can easily clean it up without anything soaking into the floor.
On the other hand, if you have wall-to-wall carpeting, you might want to consider a rug. Since rugs absorb most of a spill or smell, you can easily toss it in the washing machine. It will protect the carpet beneath it and can add a nice pop of color to an otherwise bland room.
CONSIDER YOUR FABRICS
Thinking of getting a new couch? How about a chic loveseat? Consider the type fabric you’ll be putting in your home or apartment. Is it going to attract your pet’s fur? Will it be easy to remove fur and stains from it? Typically, fabrics like velvet and silk are notoriously bad choices for pet owners. Instead, try furniture made from materials like leather (faux or real) and ultra-suede (machine-washable); they’re both pet friendly and can still create the look you want.
MAKE DEDICATED PLAY AREA
If you’re lucky enough to have space in your home or apartment to create a dedicated play area for your pet, then do it. It could be something as small as a corner of the living room that houses your cat’s scratching post or a basket full of your dog’s chew toys, or even an entire room for your pet to play in while you’re at work. Whatever it looks like for you, confining the play space to one area of the apartment is an easy way to create a pet friendly apartment.