If you are a pet owner, you’ll probably recognize the need to pet-proof your home, but have you ever thought about incorporating the needs of your pet into your home design?  If not, you might be surprised how easy it is to gear your home toward the needs of your pets, as well as how much fun it can be to decorate with your pets in mind.  After all, pets need bedroom furniture too!

First of all, your decisions will probably be affected by the type of pet you have.  If you have a dog, for example, the design will be completely different from the design you’ll gear toward if you have a bird or a hamster.  You’ll also need to consider the size of your pet.  If you have a Great Dane, your design choices will obviously be different than if you have a Chihuahua.

Start with the basics.  Your pet needs a place of his or her own to be comfortable.  That place should be with the rest of the family, meaning it would probably be best to work into the living room design (unless there is another room in the house where you and your family spend most of your time).  Building a bed, especially for a dog, is a simple thing to do, and making it a part of the home design can be a lot of fun.  Dogs like the same things humans do when it’s time to get cozy – pillows and blankets galore!  If you really want to pamper your pooch you can purchase one of the great Dog Beds online.  There is a great selection of Brass Beds and Iron Beds for Dogs at http://www.bedsfordoggies.com

If you want to make something yourself, you can start with some sort of container.  Small dogs and cats may fit into a wicker basket or something similar, while you might need to modify a wooden crate for a larger dog.  You can paint it to match furniture or cover it with a cloth or put a finish on the wood that matches built-ins or bookshelves.  Next, you’ll provide blankets and throw pillows that match the home décor in the room – throw pillows can be the same as the ones on the couches, for example.  If you want to get really creative, you can add a name plate to the structure somewhere to let everyone know who the bed belongs to.

For small animals, you may want to purchase animal steps that assist them in climbing onto furniture with short legs.  While these steps are not by any means ugly or made in odd colors that don’t match standard furnishings (usually in black or white), you may still find them to be an eyesore.  You can purchase cloth and cover them or buy a simple throw rug from your local superstore that matches the room and cut it, pasting the pieces on the steps for a little more style.  You can even take a can of paint and a brush to it, if you don’t mind the paint getting scratched up by animal claws!

Designing with your pet in mind involves more than simply pet proofing the house so that your beloved friend can’t get hurt or break anything.  It also means incorporating their needs into your home to make the atmosphere more pleasant and continuous while also catering to the needs of your pet.