When you share your home with animals, buying furniture gets a bit more complicated. Here’s what to look for when hunting for pet-friendly furniture.
When you share your home with four-legged friends, you have to think about more than design. You want your pets to be just as safe and comfortable around your furniture as you are.
Not to mention, picking out the best pieces for them will mean fewer headaches for you in the long run.
We’re going to walk you through the most important elements you should look for when buying pet-friendly furniture. By the time you finish, your home will be virtually pet proof!
Fabric
The choices you make about your furniture should begin with the upholstery.
When you have pets running around, your furniture is bound to get some wear and tear. It’s important that the fabrics are easy to clean and hold up well in the presence of claws.
You have a few options if you want something that will really stand the test of time against your fur babies.
Perhaps the best pet-friendly fabric you can get is microfiber. It’s extremely resilient to being scratched and is one of the most stain-resistant fabrics on the market. Because of its durability, it will last you a long time.
Pets are inevitably messy, but cleaning microfiber is a lot easier than cleaning regular woven fabrics because they don’t soak up liquids the same way.
Another great fabric option for your furniture is leather. It’s hearty and will last you a lifetime if you take good care of it. The fact that it’s so strong means it will hold up against damage well.
Not to mention, it’s the easiest fabric to wipe clean when needed. Pet hair just doesn’t stick to leather like it does other fabrics.
And while leather makes scratch marks more visible, pets are actually less inclined to scratch it because of the way it feels. Plus, the lack of a loose weave means their claws won’t get stuck on it.
Color
When you have pets, you have to consider color when picking out furniture.
Pets have a lot of hair, and they tend to leave it everywhere. Shedding is no joke. Thankfully, you can hide it (at least a little bit) by choosing the perfect color furniture for your home.
If your animals have light fur, go with a light-colored fabric. If their fur is dark, pick something in a darker color.
Nothing is more obvious than black fur on a white couch.
Alternatively, you can go bold with a patterned piece of furniture. A busy pattern will make pet hair less noticeable than something plain. It will simply blend in with the markings.
Design
The most important thing to think about is how durable a piece of furniture is.
Pets like to run around and play, knocking into things, or even jumping on top of it. The last thing you want is a flimsy end table falling over or collapsing completely.
Look for couches, chairs, and tables with a sturdy base. You want something strong that won’t budge if your pets get a little too rambunctious.
Wooden legs are a beautiful design element. However, you may be better off skipping the wood if you have pets that like to chew and scratch. They’ll be much more likely to attack your furniture if it’s made of wood.
Metal is definitely a better option if you want to avoid damage.
Lastly, keep your pet’s safety in mind. Sharp corners and angles can be dangerous for animals that do a lot of running around and playing. If you want to make your apartment more pet friendly, opt for rounded corners or circular furniture so you don’t have to worry about them getting hurt.
Accessories
Protect your floors from pet damage by investing in a good pet-friendly rug.
This applies whether you have wood flooring or carpet. You don’t want your wooden floors getting scratched up or your carpets getting stained or torn. Find a rug with a low pile to lessen the chance of your pets getting their claws snagged.
It’s best to get a rug you like that is either machine washable or easy to replace.
You probably already know this, but pets are messy.
When your rug starts accumulating stains and smelling a certain way, you don’t want it to be a hassle to clean (and you certainly don’t want to just keep it that way). So, do yourself a favor and don’t get designer accessories for your floor.
Use smaller pieces, such as ottomans or sturdy potted plants, to block off areas that you don’t want your pets getting into.
A nice ottoman will also give your pet another place to lounge and relax that isn’t directly on your couch.
Other Tips
Here are a few other things to keep in mind during your hunt for pet-friendly furniture:
Keep your linens machine washable. Pillow covers, throw blankets, and bedsheets are all going to get dirty. It’ll be so much easier to keep the things that cover your furniture clean if you can throw them in the wash.
Keeping your pet off the furniture is the best way to keep your furniture clean.
Make sure you have a place for your pet to hang out nearby so they aren’t as tempted to climb where they’re not supposed to. They want to be close to you and they should have a comfy spot to call their own.
Include toys for chewing and scratching to keep the roughhousing away from the furniture as much as possible!
In Conclusion
The definition of pet-friendly furniture is something that is easy to clean, doesn’t show hair well, and keeps your pet safe from harm. You don’t need to have a built-in nook for a pet bed, but that would be pretty cool!
The most important thing is to keep up with maintaining your furniture while your pet is jumping, scratching, and shedding everywhere.
Now that you know what to look for, your hunt for the ideal pet-friendly furniture will be a cinch. Happy hunting!
Author Bio:
Caitlin Sinclair is the Property Manager at Broadstone Sawyer Yards.
