Biophilia design is becoming more and more popular among home owners, organizations and businesses. There are limitless benefits to incorporating mother nature into our homes and buildings. We will explore how bringing outdoor elements into your design can help your pets too! This article is all about fading indoor with outdoor using pet furniture design ideas.
Pet Furniture Design Ideas
What is biophilia design?
Biophilia design is a concept that incorporates that natural outdoor elements such as leaves, trees, plants and grass into interior design. Space and location are also ways to achieve this concept.
This technique has picked up popularity because the benefits are so undeniable. In addition to offering many physical, psychological and mental health benefits, the execution is stunning!
Including design elements straight from mother nature herself to improve your cat or dog’s health can be a lot of fun and very good for the environment. Your pet needs the great outdoors as much as a person so they love products made to mimic gardens, mountains, waterfalls and the countryside.
Although the concept seems easy enough, blurring the indoors with outdoors can be tricky. That is why we went out and found a bunch of products and pet furniture that will immediately bring a piece of the massive green earth we all crave and thrive into to your home.
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Pet Furniture Design Ideas & Pet-Friendly Decor
Here are some ways you can start having a more organic, natural environment for your cat or dog using pet furniture and design elements.
- Add water fountains for your cat
- Use products made of solid wood
- Add a grass mat for your dog
- Get a cat tree
- Create your dog’s portrait wall and trim it with succulents
- Grow an indoor catnip garden
- Use outdoor colors for your pet furniture covers
Pet Furniture Design Ideas: Add a Cat Fountain
Kitty cats love running water! They like to stick their little paws in it, play in the stream and most importantly drink from it. Water is one of the strongest elements of mother nature so it is no surprise cats are so attracted. A cat fountain will add soothing background sound to your home. The streaming water is almost mesmerizing.
Adding a cat fountain is a great way to include Biophilia elements; it is similar to a running stream or a gentle waterfall.
RELEVANT: How Biophilia Designing Can Improve Your Pet’s Well-Being
A cat fountain is symbolic of a waterfall or river streaming through the forest. Something as simple as this product can motive your feline to drink more water in a day which is super important. Proper hydration will help her skin, fur coat and overall energy level.
Amazon has a bunch of cat fountains that are highly-rated and in line with biophilia aesthetics. Just by placing a few good looking fountains around your home, you can start blending in the great outdoors. These are all available using Amazon Prime and have great reviews!
If you have a multi-cat home, the PetSafe Drinkwell Mulit-Tier might be a wise investment. This bad boy is good looking and holds a ton of water! Your cats can share while all getting big gulps and slurps.
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For a unique design element, check out the raindrop fountain by Pioneer Pet Supplies. Talk about an upgrade for the same old, same old cat dish! And it is made of shiny stainless steel, easy to clean and super durable! Stainless steel is a great material for pet supplies because it is naturally bacteria resistant. We also love being able to toss it in the dishwasher instead of hand washing.
Pet Furniture Design Ideas: Pick solid wood when choosing pet furniture.
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There is no simpler way to bring a sense of calming nature into your favorite then using products made of all natural wood. There are all types of wood to chose from, each with it’s own special qualities. Many times, matching wood color to other decor can be all you need when deciding which piece of pet furniture to choose.
This unique cat climber also inspires a forest feel through it’s treehouse like structure. Made of solid pine wood, this is a favorite piece of pet furniture among cat lovers!
Use doggy grass mats.
Although grass mats are artificial, dogs sure seem to understand the meaning behind their indoor intentions.
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Most kitty cats will agree, a grass mat as a wash house is a total upgrade from using a litter box. A grass mat for your dog can motivate him to be potty trained faster, help an older dog who may need to go when he needs to go pee pee! Not to mention those times when you are away from home a smidge longer than you thought you’d be and your dog needs a back-up plan.
Incorporate cat trees for an outdoor vibe.
Cats go nuts over cat trees and with good reason! Many of the ones you can find on the market today perfectly resemble the real thing.
The rustling of the leaves, trunk like posts and vibrant colors all bring that vivacious outdoor element straight to your indoor cat. Cat trees are like feline magnets!
Some cat trees are made of carpet and that is a good cat material too. Even though they are not outdoor elements, they are aesthetically pleasing and include a dash of the forest to your cat’s home.
RELEVANT: 8 Modern Cat Trees That Make A Major Statement
Build a dog portrait gallery with wall succulents.
Creating a wall of your favorite dog portraits shows your love for your pet and reflects a total dog home vibe. By weaving a succulent wall in and out of the images, or by trimming the sides with greenery, you can immediately add a splash of color.
Hanging planters can be used throughout a dog portrait gallery for a unique natural vibe.
Dog portraits are a favorite among design-conscious pet parents. If you have a friend who loves their pet like family, portraits can also make great gifts! If you aren’t sure what type of mother nature element to include, consider a gift certificate with a design magazine.
Grow and indoor catnip garden.
Catnip is instant feline booster. And what can be more special the growing your favorite feline her own little garden? A DIY garden can be fun to put together and a bond building activity for kids too!
Kits are available for easy garden starters. These make great gifts for cat lovers too!
Design with mother nature colors.
Browns, greens and yellows bring an earthy feel to your furniture with pet slipcovers. Not only can you protect your favorite couch from regular spills, you can avoid having to clean your sofa regularly to remove cat hairs. These earthy tones are machine washable and look great.
Consider having cat and dog friendly plants in a corner, using a sunny window as a natural backdrop and blending greys with brows. Your home will have an outdoor vibe with all the comforts of the great indoors!
Concluding Wags and Purrs
Every pet has his own unique personality and choosing cat or dog furniture that meets his needs and improves her overall lifestyle is key! With that pet in mind, comes technique and design! Your pet’s furniture should reflect your overall vibe (and connection with Mother Nature if you look to implement natural elements). Pets are family and as with family members, compromise is important for all to live in harmony.
Until next time, purrs and wags!
Why Is Kritter Kommunity Your Trusted Pet Partner?
Lisa Illman is the Founder of Kritter Kommunity, LLC. Growing up, Lisa had a poodle and parakeet as family pets. She currently has a tuxedo male cat and she has had him since he was a baby kitten; so Lisa knows well the kitten lifecycle, the teenage cat lifecycle and the adult cat lifecycle (he is currently 11 years old). Prior to her cat Finnegan, Lisa had two FIV positive cats for a decade. They inspired Lisa to invent a cat enclosure so they could safely sit outside and enjoy fresh air and sunshine. She brought the product to market and eventually designed a line of portable catios; they sold on Amazon, Skymall Catalogue, Wayfair and countless other websites. Lisa understands the passion for Barkitecture! Her experience being a pet parent coupled with her business development and product management experience make her a trusted pet enthusiast partner.
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