Living Stylishly With Pets

Our furry family members are an important part of our families, but they do present a challenge when it comes to having a stylish home. To keep your home’s floors and upholstery looking good, you have to consider your pets when it comes to decorating. At The Stair Barrier we know you don’t have to sacrifice your style when living with pets, and we’re happy to share what we’ve learned. Below are our top tips for how to live stylishly with pets.

Consider your flooring 

When considering how to decorate a home for your pet, the cardinal rule is no expensive rugs. In fact, it’s better to do away with carpet altogether, and if you can’t, use low pile carpet or area rugs because they will be easier to clean. Rugs collect pet hair, trap odor, and absorb stains like sponge. Also, cats love to scratch carpets, and a dog can easily snag them with their toenails.

Going bare is the best choice for flooring. Options range from concrete to hardwood to ceramic tile, but keep in mind that a large dog can scratch hardwood. Natural stone floors can be porous and need to be treated properly, and even then the acid from a pet’s vomit can damage them. Insider designer tip: match your flooring to your pet’s fur. If you have a Gray Poodle or a Great Dane, treated concrete floors make a great choice. If you have a black lab and choose ivory tile, you’ll see dark dust bunnies in every corner.

Use a pet gate that matches your décor

There’s almost always a need for a pet gate to keep your pet in or out of certain spaces or contained to one level. Unfortunately, most pet gates are a series of bars or a modern looking retractable mesh. What if they don’t work with your style? The Stair Barrier offers another option: rigorously safety-tested gates designed to complement your home’s décor, whether it’s farmhouse, modern, or coastal. Our gates come in a choice of 20+ upholstery grade fabrics, including five made by Crypton, the industry standard for fabrics that stand up to pets. Crypton Home Fabrics are stain and odor resistant as well as durable and easy to clean. Also, our pet gates often work where other gates do not because they are designed to be installed on an angle and work on banisters of all shapes and sizes. Stair Barriers are available in three configurations (banister to banister, wall to banister, and wall to wall) to make it easy to install a pet gate that meets all of your containment needs. Pet parents and designers alike love our pet friendly and stylish solution.

Choose your fabrics wisely

Crypton is also a favorite choice of designers for upholstery and is the only EPA approved fabric that can be disinfected. Steer away from silk, velvet, and chintz as they either stain easily or attract pet fur. Sticking to fabrics with tight weaves will make cleaning easier, and they will be less likely to snag. Again, choosing upholstery is also a great time to think about matching the color of your pet’s fur. 

For your bedding, choose fabrics that aren’t delicate and can stand up to a lot of washings, especially if your pet sleeps with you. It also helps to choose patterns or medium to dark fabrics to hide the inevitable pet stains. Matelasse works well as a bedspread because the tight quilting curbs pet snags. Duvet covers are also a great choice because you can easily take them off to wash or replace as needed.

It is completely possible to have a chic, stylish home that works for both you and your pets. We hope this information has given you a good start on creating the beautiful nest for all your family members, both furry and otherwise.