Emily Henderson teamed up with Arm & Hammer Clump & Seal cat litter to makeover the Animal Haven cattery in New York City. Here are her design tips for living with a furry friend.
- “Consider your upholstery fabrics: Cats love to claw them some fabric. When you bring home furniture (and you have cats), you have to be careful with upholstered furniture that is low to the ground. Cats, in particular, like to claw, so skip anything with an open weave like linen. As an alternative, ultra suede and velvet are harder for cats to get their claws into; and commercial-grade fabrics, nylon, and polyester repel stains more easily.”
- “Streamline pet accessories: Cats require a variety of accessories to stay entertained, and if you already own a cat, you know that these toys generally end up prominently featured in your living room. To keep your space stylish and neat, think about buying cat toys that mix well with your color palette. You don’t need to get all OCD about it, but it’s something to think about that might make everything a little easier on the eye.”
- “Master the unattractive and smelly litter box: Most litter boxes aren’t something we want to display prominently in our homes. For something a little more attractive, look for litter boxes that double as furniture, such as nice chests or benches with a litter box hidden away underneath. To keep the odor under control, use cat litter that offers extended odor control like Arm & Hammer Clump & Seal. It guarantees a seven-day odor-free home. Since the litter easily clumps together, it also minimizes litter dust, so it doesn’t get all over your house.”
- “Choose shades over drapes: While drapes offer an elegant feel, cats love to climb and claw at them, causing rips and tears. So think about shades over drapes (something that goes up and down as opposed to left and right).”
- “Embrace organic shapes: From cages to tables and counters, if you have a lot of harsh lines and angles in your home, bring some movement to your space with a plant, which cats love, or other organic shape or sculpture. Adding a new shape or line will add balance and bring another dimension to the room while adding character, texture and depth.”
- “Help your pet furniture blend into your space: Similar to pet toys, pet furniture and apparatuses – like scratching posts for cats – are not always something you want to highlight in your home. I generally like to incorporate wicker or sisal-based furniture, which blends into the background instead of being too loud and drawing a lot of attention. For larger accessories like scratching posts, go for natural fiber. They’ll blend in, age better, and look nicer than plastic. And generally, unless you have a lot of black in your home, go for white accessories because they draw less attention.”
- “Pepper in color and different styles: When you have a consistent color palette, different styles, textures and patterns merge more easily. If you like to mix styles, try evenly spreading pieces in that style around the room, so it looks intentional, rather than random. If the styles you are drawn to are pattern-heavy, add in some minimalist pieces to give your eye a break. Accessories like pillows and flowers are also a simple way to bring color into your space, making it more pleasing to the eye – both yours and your pets’.”
- “Corral the toys: Sometimes your cat’s toys and accessories can cause unnecessary clutter, even if they’re in the same color palette, so try storing items that you don’t want lying around in a nice chest or ottoman when guests are over. Even better, buy a storage chest that doubles as a litter box.”
- “Incorporate bold wallpaper: Sometimes when you’re refreshing a space, you want to keep the original character of the room! If that’s the case, try breaking up the space with a bold wallpaper. It keeps the overall look and feel of the room, but also gives you and your pets something fun to look at.”
- “Try Lucite instead of glass: When you have a pet, there will be spills, stains, scratches and more. I recommend using Lucite tables – a clear acrylic material – when possible as an alternative to glass or tile. This material gives the room a modern feel and is also practical. It’s very easy to clean.”
