A New Pet Could Mean A New Furniture Set

You love your pets, but they can be hard on your furniture. Cats love to treat wooden surfaces like scratching posts and a dirty dog can wreak havoc on your couches. So if you're in the market for new furniture, you should definitely make sure to find pieces that will be pet-friendly. The key is choosing fabrics and materials that will repel dirt and moisture as much as possible, are easy to clean, and can withstand the punishing claws of a feline fiend. 

Choose the Right Fabric

Are your pets shedding machines? Then you might want to consider getting leather pieces. Fabric can attract and hold your pet's fur, but can be easily vacuumed off of leather furniture. Leather also tends to be better at repelling stains. So if your pup should jump up on your leather couch with muddy paws, you can usually just wipe the muck off. And while it's not a pleasant topic, pets will sometimes do their business or vomit on furniture. Unfortunately, these types of accidents can penetrate into fabric and leave permanent marks. 

Interior designers also caution against purchasing light-colored furniture, which are easier to ruin. Some designers suggest selecting pieces that will match your pet's hair -- not for design purposes, but to mask the hair that will get onto your fabrics.  

Find Pieces on Sale

In a perfect world, your pets (and children) would never scratch or stain any of your furniture. But the likelihood of that occurring is slim to none. You could try going old school and cover all of your pieces with slip covers or ban everybody but visiting adults from using your furniture. But a better idea would be to find good quality pieces that are on clearance. That way if a ding or a scratch should occur, you won't feel as devastated as you would have if you had paid full price for the same item.

Keeping Kitty at Bay

Does your cat love to scratch your wooden furniture? Then you might want to consider switching to a more modern style. For example, look for chairs or tables with metal or chrome legs. Not only will these pieces look sleek and stylish, your cat will not want to sharpen its claws on them.

Pets may be hard on your furniture, but that doesn't mean you have to let your house go to the dogs. Instead, just pick furniture styles that will work with your lifestyle and your beloved pets. Check out furniture stores like Visions In Contemporary Living to see what kinds of contemporary pieces would work for you.