From cute accessories to cosy nooks – the best interior design picks for pet lovers

Earlier this month, Ikea launched a collection of furniture and accessories for dogs, cats, and their humans. You’d wonder what took them so long.

The pets of today tend to live indoors and require, at the most basic level, a feeding bowl and a bed.

Many families also love to shop for pet accessories: scratching boards and hidey holes for cats; chewy toys and cushions for the dog. It’s a market ripe for the plucking.

The Utsådd collection is relatively small — 29 carefully conceived products — and replaces Ikea’s previous pet range, the Lurvig collection.

Lurvig (it means hairy) was released in 2017 but was never available in Ireland. It included a miniature version of the iconic Klippan sofa, a piece of whimsy that sadly didn’t make it into the current collection.

Other Lurvig classics, like a cat bed (€5) that fits into the Kallax cabinet, have migrated into the Utsådd range.

“We wanted a retake,” says Julia Rosenberg, product design developer at IKEA, Sweden. “We wanted to contextualise the collection to make it more focused and to build on the home furnishing aspect.

“We noticed during Covid that so many families were buying pets. That’s when we started exploring ideas and gaining insights from vets and other experts.”

The product testing panel included a carefully selected committee of pets. “I learned so much about cats and dogs!” says Rosenberg. She has no pets of her own but would love to have a dog.

Rather than cutesy miniature versions of furniture designed for humans, Rosenberg and team took a close look at what life at home looked like for cats and dogs.

“We wanted to focus on the main activities: eat, sleep, play and hide.” This approach, she explains, takes on Ikea’s existing expertise in home furnishing, and transfers it to things designed for animals.

The products needed to be safe and sturdy. “We worked with the design language that makes the products versatile, so that they blend in with what you already have in a home.”

Within the Utsådd collection, Rosenberg’s favourites are the food bowls (€3 for a cat-sized bowl and €7 for a dog).

They’re made of ceramic in easy-to-live-with colours and a good example of a cheap product with a lot of thought behind it. “I love the expression,” she says.

They combine with a non-slip place mat (€2) which won’t be a hard sell. “I also like the little tent. It’s such a fun eye-catcher.”

The tent-shaped cat house (€15) is made of felt and fits the smallest of the cushions (from €4) in the range. There’s also a handwoven rattan cat bed (€60) on legs with a handle on the top.

The most expensive items are the dog beds. One is made of rattan (€80) which, though aesthetically pleasing, looks extremely chewable.

There’s also a padded version (€50 to €70 depending on size) which, crucially, has a removable washable cover. To produce the range, at these price points, leans heavily on Ikea’s network of suppliers in ceramic, textiles, and woven rattan.

“I’m super-proud of the collection,” Rosenberg says. “We’ve had two years of research and product development. I’m so excited it’s finally launched.”

It takes a lot of research to make a range this simple and a lot of resources to make it affordable.

In terms of designing a pet-friendly home, first consider floors, walls and fabrics. Dogs and cats are hard on décor.

“My home is never going to be a show house,” says interior designer Gwen Kenny. She’s talking from her newly upholstered duck-egg velvet sofa, which she’s sharing with one of two beloved Newfoundland dogs (a woolly breed the size of a small pony).

Industrial strength velvet is surprisingly resistant to paws and claws.

“I do love a sustainable fabric but I had to choose something more chemically based for the sale of durability. It’s stain repellent and scrubbable with a wet rubber brush.”

Boucle fabric can be incompatible with cats who like to sharpen their claws. Faux leather can also be problematic.

“I had a friend with a PVC leather sofa. Her cats had the backing off it within the year. They destroyed it!”

In terms of flooring, she recommends LVT (luxury vinyl tile). “It looks nice, it’s easy to clean with a mop and bucket, and dogs can get traction on it. I’d run a mile from a laminate floor.

“Their claws click on it and they slip all over the place. For a natural flooring product, I’d really recommend cork, but you’d need a commercial grade finish to cope with claws.”

Given that pet hairs make their way into bedrooms, even when the animals themselves are barred, she prefers velvet carpets.

“Twist carpets are really hard to get the hairs out of,” she says. “Velvet is much easier.”

Most vacuum-cleaner brands have models designed to remove pet hair, which are better at the job than their standard versions. “Dyson even has an attachment you can hoover the dog with!” Best of luck with that.

When designing extensions for families with dogs, Kenny often recommends a low-level shower in the utility room.

This works a little like a cattle-crush. The dog walks in, the owner cleans it over a low wall with a hand-held shower, and the dog emerges ready for a blow-dry.

Bespoke joinery can also be designed to accommodate pets. Animals’ water bowls can be housed in alcoves built into kitchen kick-boards and some people have converted their under-stairs area to house the dog’s crate.

“It looks attractive but the dog is still crate-trained,” she says. “They need to have somewhere to go.”

Off-the-peg solutions include The Fido Nook from Omlet. This is a cabinet that contains a dog bed or crate, with a side cupboard for storing accessories like lead and toys.

There are various permutations with prices ranging from €129 for the smallest and most basic Fido Nook to €645 for the largest available with all accessories (storage options and a mirror on the inside of the cupboard so your dog can admire themselves before excursions).

Visually, it presents as a plain white cupboard that happens to contain a dog. The Omlet website includes a video that clearly illustrates just how uncomfortable an animal can be when their bed is in a thoroughfare or a draught. Everyone needs a place to hide.

See ikea.com/ie, @divinedesign, omlet.ie, fableengland.com

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