Pet furniture doesn’t have to stand out

We love our pets, but sometimes their cages, equipment or toys can take over the house and make you feel like you are living more in a zoo than your own home.

One reader asked, “Is there a way to make pet furniture blend in with your furniture? For example, my kids have a hamster and it’s in the living room because it keeps them up otherwise, but the cage looks strange with my décor, and there’s also the dog crate ...”

She is not alone.

I grew up with a six-foot iguana in our living room and now my house has a giant cage for three degu rodents. I painted the wooden cage the same colour as the walls, in hoping to have it blend in more, and put it in the far corner, but there is no disguising that it is there!

Interior designer and dog owner Virginia Ward offers her best advice on how to incorporate pets into our décor.

Ward operates Virginia Ann Interiors, which services the Halifax region. She works with clients to design custom spaces that fit their life and design needs. They do so from ground-up building design to a quick makeover in a small space.

DOGS

Dogs, says Ward, are one of the more common pets and are also one of the biggest, which makes them harder to hide. Dog beds

• Find an area where the dog bed might be tucked away around a corner or is part of a furniture set up. Don’t just have it sitting alone in a corner — this will draw attention to it.

• Invest in a nice bed that co-ordinates with the colours and finishes of your room.

• You can get dog beds that look more like a piece of human furniture. These can be good options for smaller spaces. Crates

If you have a dog that gets crated while you are out, that crate is likely in plain sight all the time and they are generally not known for their beautiful finishes, says Ward.

• Opt for a wooden crate. They are more expensive, but think of it as a piece of furniture as it is something that is always in your space.

• Integrate it into cabinetry if you have the option. Having a space like a mudroom or laundry room, you can have the crate built right into the cabinet so that it fits in seamlessly.

• End tables that double as crates can also be a fun way to blend your crate into the furniture.

Toys

Ward says she likes to keep her dog toys in a basket under a side table in her main living space. This keeps them out of the way and off the floor but still accessible to her dog.

CATS

• Use wall-mounted climbers that are less unsightly and don’t take up floor space.

• Purchase cat beds that double as side tables. These have an open area with a cushion built within the side table.

• If you don’t have anywhere for the unwanted litter box, you can source some that do double and include a planter above or are integrated into some sleek piece of furniture.

• Like with dog toys, cat toys can be kept in a pretty basket on the floor in a living space. This keeps them organized and still accessible to your pet.

BIRDS AND RODENTS

If you are serious about wanting your bird cage to become part of the decor, there are plenty of options for a nice cage that can be a statement piece, but get ready to invest in it, warns Ward.

If you don’t want to have your cage break the bank, put it in an area that has other items around it so that it can blend in. For example, maybe you have a corner that has some plants around it, and you can strategically place them around the cage to make a nice little corner. Make sure any plants you have by any cage are either not too close and are animal-safe. There are plenty of toxic plants out there that we want to keep away from our furry friends, cautions Ward.

• Like birds, hamsters and other rodents have some attractive home options. Having one made from wood instead of plastic will come with other challenges, like cleaning and smells, but if you take care of them properly, they are a good option for becoming part of the decor and not an eyesore.

FISH AND EXOTIC PETS

There are tonnes of excellent and affordable fishbowl and tank options online for your basic fish pets, says Ward. This could be anything from a wall-mounted bubble bowl to a tank that has an integrated planter on top, making it not only functional, but also attractive.

Fish are a fairly easy pet but, if you get into the exotic fish species and salt water, you need a proper tank set up. If one can afford it, having something custom made to have your tank fit into your room is ideal. It could be a media unit style piece of furniture or even a wall that houses the tank, she says.

Keeping that tank clean and clear will have a major impact on the space. The pretty colours of the fish, along with the hopefully natural-looking finishes inside, will stand out and become part of your interior finishes.

As for snakes, frogs or any other type of pet that would have plant life in its aquarium, refer to the idea of surrounding it with other plants of the same type, says Ward.

OVERALL ADVICE

Keep your pet and their living space clean, says Ward.

Keeping your cages clean, be it bird, hamster or guinea pig, is a sure-fire way to keep your pet more discreet in a space. Nothing says welcome to my home like the pungent smell of animal urine, says Ward.

Additionally, keep your pet well groomed and its bed clean and that will help hide the most obvious signs of owning a pet — both the smell and fur!