FROM OUR EDITOR

If there’s one thing those of us in the decorating industry love more than great design, it’s our pets. So many members of this community are animal lovers. Style at Home’s editors rarely attend house shoots where there aren’t dogs, cats, rabbits or birds in residence, and as you know, they frequently make an appearance in the magazine. We animal aficionados always agree: A house is simply not a home without the presence of our furry (or feathered) friends.

It’s a message that brings tears to my eyes even as I write this letter. A few months ago, I lost my dog Janou. This devoted partner in crime had seen me through many relationships, moves and jobs as well as all the unpredictable ups and downs that come with life – for 15 years he was my constant companion.

Janou also inspired my decorating style in more ways than I can count. His lovely mottled coat, for example, was the perfect mix of neutrals and was the jumping-off point for a paint palette in Beauti-Tone’s Style at Home Country Colour Collection. And he was unwittingly the cause of some of my own home makeovers (due to his pesky habit of burying bones into upholstery, destroying a few of my favourite furniture pieces in the process).

When he died, I sobbed into the coats of my other fourlegged friends – my lovely horse, Fleur, and my dog, Tallulah. But I was also surrounded with love and support from family and friends, including so many from the design community who had met Janou over the years.

We share so much of our lives with these loyal companions – so they deserve their day in the sun, too. Share a snap of your pet at home on Twitter or Instagram and hashtag it #PetStyleAtHome. I’d love to see them.