EDMONTON - There was a time when pets were pets. They had bowls and beds, and that was about it. Then something changed.
As interior decorator Kristi Linauer put it: "Pets have become family members. We love them like children, so people are naturally drawn to anything that gives our pets a special place in our homes."
For some animal lovers, that means not just buying esthetically pleasing pet supplies, but also creating their own animal-friendly design solutions to complement their human-centric decor.
Interior designer Amy Britton said that more of her clients are asking her to include amenities for their pets as part of their renovations. One of her solutions is a kitchen island with alcoves for food and water dishes, drawers for leashes and treats, and roll-out storage bins to hold bulk kibble.
"People are trying to do a better job at planning everything out and accommodating the whole family, pets included," Britton said.
Keeping pets happy helps prevent unwanted behaviours, said Kate Benjamin, who runs the blog Moderncat (moderncat. net) and recently created a line of cat products, like artfully shaped scratching posts. "Integrating pet-friendly design into your home makes for a more serene environment for both you and your pet," Benjamin said.
For Kim Johnson, who runs the home-design blog Desire to Inspire in Ottawa (desiretoinspire. net), that meant installing a small door in the hatch leading to her basement during a kitchen renovation, so her cats could get to the basement-level litter box as needed.
"I hate it when designers say you shouldn't decorate for your pets," Johnson said. "If I didn't, my cats would be miserable."
Table for three
Linauer shares her 834-square-foot condo with her husband, Matthew, 36; a dog, Boo; and two cats, Powder and Peeve. When Boo began eating out of the cats' bowls on the floor, Linauer, 37, tried putting them on the kitchen counter.
"I know some people don't have a problem with that," she said. "But I just envisioned their little paws digging through the litter, then getting up on my kitchen counter, and that was disgusting."
Then she had an inspiration: A few months earlier, a neighbour had given her an old secretary desk. Linauer realized, after seeing a feeding station online, that she could turn the desk into something similar for her pets.
Linauer removed the hatched door, the bottom drawers and a shelf inside. She cut out three holes large enough to nest stainless steel dishes in -- one on the top shelf for her cats and two at the bottom, for her dog and for a shared water bowl. To top it off , she made a foam-and-down cushion with a zippered cover.
The project took two weekends and cost $80. Friends have asked her to build another, but for now, Boo, Powder and Peeve are dining and snoozing on a one-of-a-kind.
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