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beachem

Week 146 - How did your pet influence your kitchen design?

7 years ago

Pictures please. I've seen some wonderful photos of GWers kitchen with their pet. There's one whose cat beautifully matched her cabinet and counter. The cat disappears when she's on the counter.

I know Anglophilia made changes for her pet.

Did your pet influence your design? Did you make changes just for them? Or color coordinated?

As I wrote this topic, I realized that unconsciously, I did mirror my pets, although they are no longer with me. My uppers are the exact color of my beloved Samoyed and all the light perimeter counter choices that I gravitate to matches the coloring of my cat, Miss Cindy.

She was named after Cindy Crawford for her beauty mark. As a rescued abandoned cat, she was suspicious and shy but she loved posing in front of mirrors and on surfaces.

Here's a cute setup for dogs.

Can you identify this dish?

Comments (29)

  • PRO
    7 years ago

    Great design for dog crates! And of course, I adore any picture with Cavaliers in it!!

    When there are pets in the house and in the kitchen, their hair will always be an issue. Even cooking frozen peas on the stove emits something slightly greasy that will attach itself to every surface in the kitchen over time. And it's like a magnet for pet hair! That's why I prefer a plainer cabinet style. When we bought this house, the doors were also slabs - they just had a slight bevel around the outside edges. Very easy to keep clean. This time I went with Shaker but the edge is slightly beveled so the frame is easier to keep clean. Any cabinet with raised panels and lots of grooves with be nothing but trouble. I also prefer a painted cabinet as I find them easier to keep clean.

    With pets, one needs a place for them to be in the room. Most dogs will follow their owner into the kitchen when cooking, cats will come in just to annoy. A dog bed in the middle of the kitchen floor is a tripping hazard. I also confine mine in the kitchen when I'm not here, so a bed is important. There also needs to be a place for a water dish that won't be tripped over and spilt constantly. I don't free-feed so a food bowl can be put down anywhere - I feed in the cubby where Shimmer sleeps. If one free feeds, a place that is not a nuisance is necessary.

    When one has beloved pets, one makes many accommodations for them!

    beachem thanked Anglophilia
  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    It has not influenced the kitchen design yet, but in the bathroom the cat has a tiled tunnel that goes from the bathroom into the walk in closet in one bedroom.

    beachem thanked palimpsest
  • 7 years ago

    Ummm no. Last pet was a cat, many years ago. I had HER declawed in order to save my new COUCH. :-/

    beachem thanked Chessie
  • 7 years ago

    Having cats has definitely influenced my upholstery choices. And I drove a U-Haul 700 miles to pick up a designer cat tree. Does that count? My brother made it out of a large tree branch and it had been my mom's until she had to move into a retirement community and give up the cat. We also used the U-Haul for runs to Goodwill and the transfer station when we cleaned out her house, so it ended up being worth it for more than just the cat tree.

    beachem thanked cawaps
  • 7 years ago

    Since our kitchen will be open concept and will tie into the great room, and because I adopted my dog to match the great room upholstery…. No! Of course I would never adopt any pet to match a room! I adopted her because she stole my heart : - )


    But after I adopted her, I realized she was often impossible to find on the sofas and chair! So I’m guessing she may inadvertently match the color choices of our kitchen as copper/coral is my ‘pop of color’ in the kitchen. BTW, she no longer sports that foo-foo look!


    On the other hand, my DH is also a red-head… does this mean he’s influencing my kitchen color choices too?!


    Can you identify this dish? Why yes, that appears to be an enameled bowl chock-full of adorable.





  • 7 years ago

    We are planning for a new dog at the same time as we plan our new kitchen. The crate will most definitely be in the kitchen. Plus there is the bird cage, so the kitchen will look like a menagerie soon.

    beachem thanked Rita / Bring Back Sophie 4 Real
  • 7 years ago

    My cats come first. There is nothing in my house that outranks them. I've been on the receiving end of claws too many times to count, and not due to fear or anger. My cats will always keep their claws.

    My living room furniture has needed to be replaced for years. I just need to figure out a fabric that will have the best chance of surviving the spontaneous launches from the fabric.

    beachem thanked Bunny
  • 7 years ago


    We picked cat friendly microsuede for our banquette and built this house/perch so they can easily watch the bird feeders. It is always occupied - we remove it when company arrives. Of course I can't find one pic with them looking out the window! And not planned but our Sybil matches the floor too well, fortunately she is fast.

    beachem thanked brdrl
  • 7 years ago

    No open shelves!

    GW told me, prep between the range and sink. Sometimes that space is taken though...

    beachem thanked caligirl5
  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    With big galumphing golden retrievers, I knew dark floors would never find a place in my kitchen, and following caligirl5, NO open shelves.

    beachem thanked cluelessincolorado
  • 7 years ago

    Yay goldens! Mine is mostly golden retriever...though he's black.

    beachem thanked caligirl5
  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    I also installed sheers in the back bedroom because I look at the lumpy stucco windowless backs of four row houses in Purple, Mint Green, Off White and Sky Blue. I dunno, they can't see these walls of their own houses, why did they need to pick colors...

    Anyway that window sill is prime bird and squirrel watching for the cat, and while she carefully noses her way between the heavy curtains if they are closed in the morning she has accidentally gotten her claws caught in the sheers. So I have to keep them open most of the time and look at the lumpy stucco 8 feet away.

    But the fabricator told me a story of a cat that ran vertically up a ten foot full room width set of sheers when they were just put up and they spent several hours picking out snags.

    Luckily my cat shows no rea interest in scratching furniture or drapery.

    beachem thanked palimpsest
  • 7 years ago

    Mine just wants to make sure I'm cooking her dinner. She doesn't care what it looks like

    beachem thanked 1929Spanish-GW
  • 7 years ago

    Like Linelle, we put our cats first in all that we plan. When we reno'd, we gave up refinishing the hardwoods because we didn't want to expose them to the dust and chemicals. So we have a lovely kitchen with ugly hardwoods -- but we did install a custom made back door with a dog-flap onto the porch. (Our cats are big.) And our island was designed to hold all the cat bowls, medicines, with a shallow cupboard just to fit cat food cans. And we added a tiny prep sink with an insta-hot tap in order to warm their raw cat food, and sanitize afterwards. (We then went on to reno our laundry room and master bath with custom pullout litterbox cubbies. Before that, we built them a 12x24 screened porch with spindled cat walks along the rafters. Yes, crazy cat people indeed . . . )

    beachem thanked MizLizzie
  • 7 years ago

    In the middle of remodel right now, so no pics yet. No open shelves. Built in window seat that has drawers that will be dog food and cat food bins. Can't wait!

    beachem thanked Laura
  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Our dogs did influence our Kitchen (and Foyer) choices:

    Kitchen Design...Instead of the corner susan I wanted for my small appliances, we turned the corner cabinet 90 degrees so it would face outside the Kitchen as a "Pet Center". The bottom ROTS holds a 6-gallon tin for dog food (fits 16 pounds) and a 3-gallon (I think) tin for treats. The second ROTS holds leashes, spare collars, pet meds, etc. The top drawer is where we have batteries, flashlights, etc.

    Materials...We opted for tile floors in the Kitchen and Foyer (and Powder Room) b/c the dogs scratched up our original vinyl flooring so quickly. We did put in engineered wood in the Dining Room and it definitely shows scratches, but the tile doesn't!

    Pet Center:

    The Pet Center is the cabinet on the far left. (That's Ruby, one of our standard poodles at the time. She and her brother, Shea, have since passed away, but we now have two sister poodles -- Cassie & Kahlan.)

    .

    Open:

    beachem thanked Buehl
  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    The cats haven't moved in yet, but basically, no open shelves. Also, there will be a plethora of cat trees and scratching posts, as I don't even want to tempt them with Log. The rag doll and the brown tabby will probably blend in to the warm browns of the home and kitchen, but the extremely shy gray tabby will not.

    Cat food will be stored in one of the cabinets, and food and water dispensed nearby on the floor. If and when I get a dog, the feline feeding station will have to change, and will likely be in the pantry.

    I love the pet pics!

    The dish? Fur casserole? Of a huggable nature.

    beachem thanked artemis_ma
  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    For me, the only pre-planned pet adjustment was just no open shelves. For a feeding area, the way my kitchen is laid out, there is a space at the end of one of the counter runs where I have the water and food bowls, but I can't take credit for thinking of it in advance. It just worked out that way. The canned pet food is stored in my pantry on the floor (I buy by the case). The dried food bag goes in the fridge, cause I feel that once the bag is opened, there is an opportunity for it to go rancid unless in the fridge.

    My sofa is the same color green as my cat's eyes because it's a beautiful color.

    On each floor of my house, I have one tall cat scratching post (called "the Ultimate Scratching Post", it's the best). Two cats, and previous to that 3 cats. I have nubby furniture fabric and needlepoint pillows, and the cats have never touched furniture/pillows because the cat posts are preferable because they're good ones.

    beachem thanked Miranda33
  • 7 years ago

    We just ordered our white inset cabinets today for our 1930's inspired kitchen. Our Cavalier is never more than 2 feet from us so the sink cabinet is fully open to the floor with little scrolled swing panels. Place for a dog bed was a must, so now he'll be tucked out of the way under the sink but won't miss any of the action!

  • 7 years ago

    Miranda, tell me more about the Ultimate Scratching Post. Is it weighted so that it won't topple? How well does the sisal wear? I buy $30 posts at Petco that have a round post and I can re-sisal it at least once. My cats can destroy scratching posts.

  • 7 years ago

    My kitchen is dark gray and white. My cats are black and white. Close.

    My male cat, the one with the black dot on his nose, is named Zephyr. He wants you to know that he preceded the range hood.

  • 7 years ago

    While we didn't plan for it, we did end up using part of the kitchen for our dog, Daisy. Our G-shaped kitchen feature three of the dreaded inside corners! One is behind the dishwasher, so it is dead space. BUT- I made access from the back side, under the peninsula on the DR side. I built a rolling bin with matching beadboard, and we use the bin for pet food.

    beachem thanked mushcreek
  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    MizLizzie, I'm very intrigued by your cat walks. I'd like to build something like that for my kitties.

    We pretty much picked out our current house because we thought it would make our cats happy. They are probably getting a catio sometime soon.

    beachem thanked veggiegardnr
  • 7 years ago

    We're remodeling our next home now and since the Laundry Room is right off the kitchen we planned storage there for dog stuff. My lab loves her crate and that's where we'll put it. I find it handy to be able to out her in the laundry room and close the door if I'm mopping the floor or we have contractors in the house.

    We just ordered a nice dog bed that will go somewhere in the family room for her daytime naps.

    beachem thanked maire_cate
  • 6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    Chessie.. if one is going to declaw their cat - which is mutilation - They need their claws in order to get a full stretch among other reasons including their psychological being and survival should they get loose... one should NOT get a cat as pet.

  • 6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    LOL. You may do and think as you please. But I assure you that it matters not to me what that is. :-)

  • 6 years ago

    This is from an old design magazine. Remodeler giving us a bid. For our aging kitty so he can watch the birds and squirrels and our two young graddaughter.



  • 6 years ago

    If you look carefully, you can see our white labradoodle, Kooper and Zoe, our German Shorthair behind the doggie gate. We live in the woods and the mud gets bad - they are stuck in the family room with their muddy paws!!!