The Perfect Space for Your Dog
/Catering To Your Four Legged Family Member
We build spaces in our homes for ourselves. For some people that’s the chef’s kitchen, for others you desire a dream closet. Our children of course get a room for themselves or at least a space to share with a sibling. With our pets being a big part of our family, should we build a space for them too?
Pet friendly flooring
When thinking of your pet, almost everyone starts with pet friendly flooring. For many people that means hard flooring rather than carpet. Many of our clients have been using tile and vinyl flooring that has a similar look to hardwood flooring. This allows you to get the look and warmth of hardwood while reducing the care that you often have to give to hardwood flooring.
This sweet basset hound is loving COREtec Luxury Vinyl in Vineyard Barrel Driftwood. This floor holds up to those toenails that might have gone an extra week between trims. It looks just like hardwood--we even had to do a double take! The floor in this home has a deep rich coloring of stained hardwood and even has the grain similar to that of real wood.
Dogs often love tile flooring because it is cool during the summer. After a nice round of fetch in the yard, dogs will often be found sprawled out on the floor inside to cool off. The cool tile or vinyl floor provides the perfect spot for your dog to lie belly down on the floor and experience that cool touch.
A dog spa
After you consider how your dog can live happily in your home, you may want to consider how you can personalize your home exactly for your dog’s needs. You get your own shower and you like to keep that space clean. So why not build a shower for your dog too?
This home has a dog spa where your pet can get a bath after a day at the lake or playing in the mud. This space takes up very little real estate and was placed in the laundry room so that a separate room didn’t have to be built.
Of course there is tile and marble everywhere in this room; it’s a shower after all. We worked with our client to create a small shower stall covered in cultured marble. There are stairs for the pet to walk up so that it can be bathed at a comfortable height. The owner can stand on the actual floor and reach the Delta shower head and pup quite comfortably without having to bend over. This protects the back of the person who is bathing the pet.
The backsplash around the shower is built up several feet so that when the dog tries to shake off the water it doesn’t cover the sheetrock. Cleaning the shower, backsplash, and stairs is super easy with the smooth surface. There are limited grout lines in the shower which leaves less spaces to collect dirt leaving it looking sparkly clean.
Highly functional laundry room
We helped our client secure Liberty Calacatta tile by Atlas or the laundry room floor. The lighter coloring is a beautiful complement to the shower. You may notice there is a drain in the middle of the floor outside the shower. This drain is quite functional. Not only does it collect any water that drips from the dog, but it also makes cleaning the outside of the shower and steps quite easy. Having a drain in your laundry room floor is always beneficial in case the washer decides to give out at an inconvenient time. Many professionals recommend a drain in the floor of this room to avoid water damage.
When building a laundry room, always consider the storage you may need. This room has KraftMaid cabinetry. It comes prefinished so that you don’t have to go to the extra step of painting it after installation.
Accent wall
The highlight of this highly functional space is the accent wall. That is not a granite covered wall as you might think at first glance from a distance. It is a dog covered wall!! This wall makes it clear that this space is all about your Fido. Is this wallpaper not the best thing you’ve ever seen for a pet space? Dogs of all breeds are in this print. You may even be able to find a dog that looks like your own fluffy friend. If this print isn’t your favorite, check out all of the dog wallpapers on Pinterest.
If you are remodeling or building a home that you want to ensure meets the needs of all of your family members (both the people and the furry ones), we’d love to help you pick out your best materials and design your space. Our team can help you think through the pros and cons while also ensuring you love the look of your new rooms. Reach out to our team to discuss your space.