In many Atlanta homes, pets are as much a part of the family as children or the in-laws. And designing with their needs and challenges in mind has become an important focus for many contractors and interior designers.
“As people renovate their homes, they are more conscious of renovating for their pets,” said Ili Nilsson, co-owner of the design-build firm TerraCotta Properties.
Nilsson has created her share of built-ins in her own Decatur home to accommodate her two German Shepherds Pax, who recently passed away, and Zo. Her breakfast room features pull-out drawers that hide food and water bowls, compartments for food bins and dedicated drawers for doggie accessories. Like many in Atlanta’s home improvement industry, Nilsson has seen a definite increase in the number of people decorating or renovating their homes to suit resident cats or dogs.
“You do what you can, but you can’t make it pet-proof,” Nilsson said. Accidents will happen. Fur will be shed.
“I would say the attitude toward pet-ownership has changed. People are much more inclined to spend money on their pets,” said Nilsson, citing items like $200-plus Tempur-Pedic dog beds from Orvis.
“For every client that has a dog, we do something specific for that dog,” said Nilsson. “You can fit the needs of your pet very easily with good planning.” That includes the clever location of built-ins for pet items or the installation of a hot water faucet outdoors for mess-free dog-washing.
The American Pet Products Association bears Nilsson’s opinion out. The APPA estimates that in 2011, Americans spent $50 billion on their pets.
Jeannie Zeldin, a clinical pharmacist, and her husband James, an executive in a financial services company, tackled the redesign of the first floor of their Marietta home with their dog Maxwell in mind.
“One of my biggest concerns was his chewing,” Jeannie said of her family’s beloved white and tan mutt, which is part Great Pyrenees and part St. Bernard. “He’s the best dog in the world.”
Making their home beautiful and comfortable for Max while holding down pet hair and wear and tear was an integral part of the design process. Zeldin admitted that decorating with dogs in mind has often proven a bigger design challenge than creating a child-proof home. Children generally grow out of their messy years. Animals don’t always grow out of shedding, tracking muddy paws, slobbering and chewing.
Because Max’s chewing on the carpet was a big issue, the Zeldins' design team of Joann Kandrac and Kelly Kole of Kandrac and Kole Interior Designs, Inc. in Acworth recommended Flor carpet tiles.
“The squares come out. So if he chewed on anything, I would not have to replace the whole carpet, but just replace one square,” said Zeldin. The designers also recommended buying multiples of the Flor tiles so that the dye lots would match when the Zeldins needed to swap out a tile.
“I would say 90 percent of our clients have pets,” said Kandrac. In addition to Flor tiles, Kandrac and Kole used a teflon-coated fabric to protect the sofa and upholstered chairs in the Zeldins' great room and easily cleaned vinyl on their breakfast room seats.
“So I don’t have to worry about his slobber on anything,” said Zeldin.
“The hair seems to be the biggest problem people have” said Kandrac. “I know it sounds crazy. A lot of times we will pick a fabric based on the animal’s fur color. Same with rugs.”
She added, “If you have a black Lab, you definitely don’t want to do a light-colored sofa.”
Clever storage solutions were also key in the redesign of the Zeldins' home. Two green leather ottomans provide storage for Max’s dog toys and a place to stash extra throws pillows for the couch.
“When it gets hairy and yucky, I pull it off and put on a new one,” said Zeldin.
Prior to having the designers re-do her house, Zeldin built a separate dog run in her fenced-in back yard so that Max can run and play without disturbing the family’s pool or garden. Segregating Max in his own play space also allows for a completely organic dog run separated from the chemicals used by the Zeldins' lawn service.
Zeldin advised fellow homeowners do a thorough appraisal of their pet's habits before redesigning or renovating.
“Sit back, see how things happen for a week or two and then build around that,” said Zeldin, who figured where Max would most often sit on the family couch and always made sure to place a throw on that section. “Know your dog.”
Cynthia Waldenmaier, an interior designer based in Kentucky, operates a pet-centric design blog Interior Design Hound (www.interiordesignhound.com). She agreed that homework is critical.
“It’s not ‘one size fits all,'" Waldenmaier said. "I have a little Scottie and they don’t shed that much but they love to dig and they can open things with those long noses. That’s totally different than someone who has a retriever. Those were bred for hunting and were in and out of the water to get game so their coats are naturally oily to let the water drip off. So when they rub up against a sofa, they tend to leave oily marks after awhile.”
Waldenmaier has created mud room pet showers to rinse off dirty animals and has seen built-ins for pet beds created in kitchen islands, breakfast room banquettes and window seats. She created a cubby bed in the cabinetry in her own laundry room office for her Scottish Terrier Taffy.
Manufacturers like Den Haus (www.denhaus.com) also offer dog crates in modern and traditional designs that make these typically unsightly pet accessories instead look like beautifully designed pieces of furniture.
“Everything has worked really great,” Zeldin said of her new Max-friendly interior design scheme. “I feel carefree. I feel like I’m not following him around or worried about him ruining anything. Because anything that he would do, we thought about ahead of that.”
