Design with Pets in Mind
A whopping 86.9 million households in the United States (nearly 70%) have a pet according to the American Pet Products Association's (APPA) 2024 survey. With this rise in pet ownership, it’s no surprise we’re seeing more frequent asks to incorporate pet-friendly home designs. At H2D, we love helping clients realize their pets’ needs into thoughtfully designed functional spaces. From catios, built-in dog washes, plumbed self-flushing litter boxes, to alpaca ‘drive-thru’ feeding windows (yep, you read that right!) we’ve designed it and welcome the opportunity to do more!
In this blog, we’ll discuss a few key design elements and dive into some practical tips and ideas to consider that can make your home a welcoming haven for people and pets alike.
Material Selections
Basic pet-proofing of any space comes down to material selections; choosing durable, pet-friendly materials is essential for any home shared with pets. There are many factors to consider, and our in-house interior designer can help guide you in the right direction making sure you select materials, finishes, and furniture that align with your desired style, functional needs, and can handle the wear and tear of your beloved pet!
Scratch-Resistant Flooring: A main concern of clients is how easily pets can scratch up floors. We recommend you consider scratch-resistant flooring options like concrete, laminate, or sealed hardwood with enough thickness to allow for multiple refinishes over the years.
Pet-Friendly Doors: It’s not just your floors that take damage, pets can also damage doors; laminate finishes on solid-core interior doors and/or metal entry doors are great solutions.
Spaces for Pets Needs
Customizing spaces to meet your pets’ needs make everyday life more seamless. One of the more popular requests is an in-home dog wash station. The ideal space for a dog wash station within your home is a room that leads directly from the outdoors inside, such as a mud or laundry room. In this case, you can wash off muddy paws before even entering the main part of the home. What a dream! Additionally, keeping food, food bowls, leashes, and crates organized in a dedicated space can help simplify your daily routines. Want to take it a step further? Design a deep cushioned window seat in their favorite lookout spot, build a fenced in dog-run in the yard, plan for a space for their crate to live full-time, or install built-in pocket gates to separate areas. For pets prone to counter-surfing, we offer kitchen designs that keep appliances (and those pesky cords) hidden from view unless in use.
Luxury Pet Upgrades
For those seeking high-end pet upgrades, the possibilities are endless! From dedicated catios to custom pet rooms, H2D has helped clients design spaces that make pets feel like royalty. Some unique pet upgrades we’ve designed to consider:
Custom Pet Rooms: Complete with designated crate spots, cozy beds, filtered water taps, and built-in cabinetry for easy pet supply storage.
Self-Flushing Litter Boxes: An extremely low-maintenance solution for cat owners alike.
In-Floor Vacuum for Pet Hair: A hair salon-style in-floor vacuum for sweeping up pet fur as a quick clean up option.
outdoor catio
Conclusion
From scratch-proof materials to customized pet spaces, H2D is here to make sure your pet-friendly design balances comfort, style, and functionality. As pet parents ourselves we understand pets are part of the family, and we’ll work with you to ensure your design reflects that. If you dream it, we can help make it a reality!
Ready to create a pet-friendly space of your own? Contact our designers today for an initial consultation to further discuss pet-friendly materials, custom catios, and more. Please note our resident Barkitect, Captain, will not be responding to email inquiries (due to lack of opposable thumbs) but the rest of us are here to help!
H2D team members with their pets