It’s a dog’s life (and his sofa)
Never mind an old towel, today’s canines are granted a little more luxury, says Arabella Youens
THERE’S no doubt that, when it comes to our dogs, we’ve become a soft touch. Where once we banished them to outdoor kennels, we now allow them free access to every inch of a house, from our sofas to our beds. For some, it was ever thus; in the 15th-century manuscript the Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry, one of the Duke’s servants can clearly be seen feeding a much-loved greyhound, straight from the table by hand. ‘Look closer,’ says dog-bedding designer Christine Chau of Charley Chau, ‘and you’ll notice there’s a small dog actually sitting on the table itself.’
We’re now frequently asked to design special places for dogs in more than one room
Dog ownership in London has soared by 84% in the past year. Luxury dog-wash sales are up 800% at John Lewis and the Spanish clothing company Zara recently launched a pets’ collection. Sleeping arrangements for hounds have evolved, too. Gone are the days when they were banished to an outhouse at night. Nor are they ushered into vinyl-floored utility rooms to sleep in plastic baskets (typically chewed around the edges and upholstered with an old towel) sitting next to a precarious-sounding boiler. In the homes of a new generation, the latter have been replaced with boot rooms complete with smart stone flooring, bespoke cabinetry and feather-filled dog beds.
Interior designer Emma Sims-hilditch has seen this evolution from the dogs’ room to the boot room, which she regards as vital to the 21st-century country house. She is frequently asked to include underfloor heating in her schemes. ‘Not only does this help to heat the space and dry out wet clothes, but it keeps the dog nice and snug, too,’ she points out.
Joinery expert Artichoke recently worked together with interior designer Henriette von Stockhausen of VSP Interiors on a boot room in Hampshire (Designer’s Room, March 3), which demonstrates the level of detailing that is now going into these spaces. It was fitted with heated stone floors with zinc skirtings and a central drain so it could be hosed down. A heated dog area was incorporated into the joinery. ‘Dogs have long had a special place in our lives and homes,’ says Miss von Stockhausen. ‘What’s changed is that we’re now frequently asked to design
special places for them in more than one room—often, these are custom-built.’
Agas—as well as their cousins, such as Everhots—are frequently bought both for their cooking and warming functions, but also as a space for dogs to lie against. In the same room, Shaker-style kitchen specialist Humphrey Munson will build in dog-bed sized alcoves (raised off the ground to escape any chilly draughts) into islands or units.
Many sofas in dog lovers’ homes have loose covers that can be removed and washed, so dogs are allowed to be ‘part of the family’, says Miss von Stockhausen (that’s code for regarding the sofas as their own daytime kingdoms). Then there’s the next level: furniture specifically designed for dogs. Pimlico Road-based Christopher Howe sets the bar high with his dog-bed sofa, which he designed after spotting two Great Danes kipping on the original at Newark Park in Gloucestershire. Conceived with hallways in mind, it’s made with horsehair squab or feather-anddown filling and the seat cushion has removable covers ‘in your dog’s choice of fabric’.
Miss Chau believes that, if you buy the right bed for your dog, you stand a good chance that it will sleep in it, rather than on furniture intended for humans. She established her business by accident after investing in an expensive, but ultimately poor-quality dog bed. ‘When it arrived, I was disappointed to discover it was the same standard as the garden-centre variety—merely lacking the tell-tale paw-print fabric,’ she explains.
Working together with her sister, Jenny, Miss Chau aimed to come up with a dog bed that was not only comfortable for the dog, but would also look good in the room. The range comes in smart plain fabric colours or discreet prints and includes snuggle beds ‘for burrowers’, deep beds that create a ‘den-like feel’ and raised beds painted in soothing hues. ‘Everything is machine washable, which is important. When dog beds are smelly, what’s happening is that bacteria and mites are feeding on animal dander—and that smells.’
Floors, of course, are another consideration. Washable rugs are one way to protect carpet from the daily onslaught of the postbreakfast muzzle rub. A good pet-friendly flooring option is The Unnatural Flooring Company’s hard-wearing Portland, which looks similar to ordinary carpet, but is nigh-on indestructible, says Miss von Stockhausen. Mrs Sims-hilditch recommends laying terracotta brick on boot-room floors, which is easy to clean. ‘And position a shower close to the back door of your boot room to avoid tracking dirt through the house,’ she recommends. ‘Or if that won’t work, we also install hot-and-cold water showers outside. Don’t forget to use a plug protector over the drain to catch errant dog hair.’ It seems that, today, it really is a dog’s life.
If you buy the right bed for your dog, it will sleep in it, rather than on human furniture