Saturday, January 22, 2011

Living With Dogs


It's no secret that Bunny Williams is one of my favorite designers. Not only do I love her style, but I also love how her homes are dog friendly.
Like me, she allows her dogs on the furniture, but also provides stylish throws for them to sit on and their own beds in every room.

Her adopted dog Charlie sitting on a kitchen chair.
There is so much I love about this room! The majolica, the fireplace, the painted floor, but mostly Charlie!
She suggests keeping interesting water bowls in the kitchen, like the bottom to a soup tureen.
Great idea!

Charles Faudree is another favorite designer and dog lover. I'm wondering if he actually designed this sofa and pillows around the dog!

Same with this little dog. He looks like the ottoman was designed especially for him!

Designer Michael DePerno let's his dogs Niki, a terrier mix and Sticks, a whippet lounge on the chaise.

Designer Michael S. Smith's dog Jasper, a labradoodle has his own matching bed.
Bunny Williams suggests: "Save some extra fabric from a piece of furniture in your room and have a cover made for a dog bed."

Dexter's friend Miss Molly, a yorkshire terrier loves "her" new Pottery Barn comforter on Mom's bed!

Do you let your dog sleep with you? They should still have their own bed. Dog beds have come a long way. They can now have their very own sofa too!

A dog this big definitely needs its own sofa!

Hazel, a Bernese Mountain dog and Dexter's cousin is being a good girl and staying off the furniture!

Not Dexter, the Tibetan Terrier though! He thinks he is a person and my furniture is his furniture!

Bad Dog! This is a joke, right? Has this ever happened to you?
I guess it is one of the risks we take living with dogs!

28 comments:

  1. Your dog is so cute and does look like a person! I allow my dogs where I am but at night they sleep in a nice kennel together. Early in the morning my husband lets them out to go and then as he lets them back in they race for our bed to snuggle for a couple more hours...fun! ;D

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  2. Your furbaby is a sweetie pie ~ I also let my furbaby up on the furniture. I do have little blankies that she sits on as well. Like Julie our little West goes into her kennel at night ~ but that's because she won't sleep with us ! We've tried..she won't do it :-)

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  3. I miss our dog. We have a toy poodle for almost 18 years. It was so hard to let her go I didn't get another dog. My daughter has 2 and my son has 2 so we do ahve 4 "grand dogs":):) The shedding hair does get to me when they visit. I always did allow our dog on the furniture cause she didn't shed!!!!! If I ever get another dog I will choose one that doesn't shed too, as I ma getting too old to keep up with it!!!!! YOur baby is so sweet and does look like a person, I think it is his eyes. XO, Pinky

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  4. I think your dog is adorable. We have been talking about getting a Wheaten Terrier or a Polish Lowland Sheepdog but I think the reason we are hesitating has to do with your last picture! No, actually, we are more concerned about the fur all over so that's why we are looking into the low shedding breeds! Your post does make me think how we can incorporate the dog and bed into the design!

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  5. P.S. Our neighbors once had a dog that actually ate their sofa.....really! Ate all the cushions.

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  6. We let our Shih Tzu, Malone, sleep with us, but sometimes he prefers to sleep in his own bed. Either way, we're happy to have him around, even when he confuses bedtime with playtime, and noisily squeaks his toys at the foot of the bed -- music to our ears! Annie

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  7. Delores, these are great images! Our longtime faithful companion is no longer with us, but he lives on in our hearts. He had his own bed, but always slept with us, usually nudging in between us by morning. As a puppy he liked to curl up above my head on the pillow.
    Thanks for sharing this happy post! I know your dogs have a good life with you. ~ sarah

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  8. I used to be soo protective of allowing my boys (2 Weimaraner brothers) on my white sofa. I lightened up and sure enough, they put two holes (the size of a half dollar) in the top from using the crown of the sofa as a perch. I plan on recovering this sofa, again, in white. I purchased a heavty duty commercial grade fabric from Pollack and Associates. I will design around my 4 year old son and two weimaraners so no one ever feels like they are left out. I want my home to reflect comfort and coziness...no matter how many legs you have!!!

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  9. Love this! Glad to see I'm not the only one who let's dogs on the furniture.

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  10. This is such a wonderful post, and as a dog lover, I feel a special kinship with any designer who loves dogs as much as I do! Dexter is so cute, who could say no to that face!

    Kat :)

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  11. Hi Delores,
    you ask: Is a dog a person?
    Who knows? Buddism says, you will rebirth in a different form, even as a dog or something else. And look at the faces of all those dogs. They have strong personaltity - they are persons, aren't they?
    I love them all: little Charlie as well as the very gracious dog on Charles Faudree's sofa to the sweet little Miss Molly which looks like my cat Sissy. MG, they are all so cute. Lovely post. Have a blessed weekend.
    Greetings, Johanna

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  12. Like I always say - this is our dogs house and they just let us live here LOL And if anyone complains about dog hair just tell them that's why it's named 'fur-niture'. Our dogs sleep in our beds and the ottoman and our couch. As for completely tearing up a piece of furniture - not quite. But if you want to read an entertaining story - go to my blog and read about Buddy the Wonder Dog! http://untieribbons.blogspot.com/2009/12/buddy-wonder-dog.html

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  13. Dexter looks like a person...it's in his eyes! I love to cuddle with my dogs, whether on the sofa or my bed...so of course they know they can get up on them. They have dog beds as well, but they love to sleep with us. I love it in this cold weather!

    XO,
    Jane

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  14. Ahhh...I think we all love dogs. Certainly cant see life without Mr. Benjamin.


    Mr. Goodwill Hunting

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  15. that bad dog one took me back 37 years to a smart-ass Irish Setter we had who would tear open the pad for the chaise lounge on one end and spill the pieces of rubber filling all over the yard if we didn't open the door when he barked. Looked like popcorn everywhere.

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  16. Why have a dog if you're not going to spoil and indulge it we say! Thanks for sharing these designer's homes and dogs -- I love Bunny's kitchen, it is so incredibly me, and the dog on the chair -- adorable. Your dogs are so sweet. I can't imagine life without our Kipper. He's a white, huge labradoodle who sleeps on and off the bed, and anywhere else he chooses! Great post for this dog lover :)

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  17. No dogs in my house , but I agree if you have a dog he needs to be a member of the family. Seeing all the wonderful designers dogs, made me wonder if the dog knew how lucky they were to live in such beautiful surroundings!!?? Hehe
    Kathysue

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  18. I LOVE THIS! Tar looks ridiculously cute.

    -Rachel

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  19. Love Bunny! Met her at Mecox in Houston a couple of summers ago. She is SO gracious without an air about her. Anyone who loves dogs has to be kind right? Yes, that last picture happened! Our two Standards Poodles (the BIG ones) spent the day in our study. I returned to an entire room FILLED with feathers. They destroyed and ate a few of our (favorite) sofa cushions and pillows....

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  20. * Hi, Delores! A home withOUT a DOG is like a home withOUT a SOUL... at least for Jim and I!!!

    And YES, we've "had" the last pic "happen"... three (3!) times, no less, w/ 3 separate pups... I lived through it (just barely!), & I had to just realize that WITH pups, "STUFF HAPPENS" (darn it!)~~~ buuut, each dog we've ever had has been WORTH IT~~~ they've ALL been t*h*e MOST WONDERFUL, LOVING, FUN, DARLING and PRECIOUS members of the family!!!

    I wouldn't have it any other way, even if I DO have to "beg" Belle to "move over for Mommy, please" when climbing into bed!!! (She just "automatically" moves over for Jim, tho! I'm like the RODNEY DANGERFIELD of dogs~~~ "I don't get no respect!!!" Grins!)...

    HAPPY DAY to all!
    Hugs,
    Linda in AZ *
    bellesmom1234@comcast.net

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  21. *** P.S. Had to re-write this, as my original comments got "eaten up" by the computer... in the FIRST one, tho, I mentioned how DARLING n' PRECIOUS all the pups were, including YOUR BABY!!! THANKS for a DARRRRLING post!!! XO, Linda *

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  22. * Hi, Delores! A home withOUT a DOG is like a home withOUT a SOUL... at least for Jim and I!!!

    And YES, we've "had" the last pic "happen"... three (3!) times, no less, w/ 3 separate pups... I lived through it (just barely!), & I had to just realize that WITH pups, "STUFF HAPPENS" (darn it!)~~~ buuut, each dog we've ever had has been WORTH IT~~~ they've ALL been t*h*e MOST WONDERFUL, LOVING, FUN, DARLING and PRECIOUS members of the family!!!

    I wouldn't have it any other way, even if I DO have to "beg" Belle to "move over for Mommy, please" when climbing into bed!!! (She just "automatically" moves over for Jim, tho! I'm like the RODNEY DANGERFIELD of dogs~~~ "I don't get no respect!!!" Grins!)...

    HAPPY DAY to all!
    Hugs,
    Linda in AZ *
    bellesmom1234@comcast.net

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  23. Love this post, Delores.

    Molly is our "footwarmer". She knows what the word scoot means. She scoots this way or that, to make room when we say scoot.:-) Yes, she is allowed on the furniture. The hearth room chairs are hers, she just allows us to sit in them.

    Our cocker spaniel Buffi left us after 13 years. She also slept with us. I have the cutest photo of her, all comfy cozy in the decorative pillows of the bed.

    Bunny Williams and Charles Faudree are two of my favorites.

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  24. LOVE this! I'm afraid my house has gone to the dogs...our two let us sleep in their bed :-)

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  25. your previous furbaby is adorable! Our Sam, while he was alive, had his own down bed and red plaid flannel sheets. Since he was a rot-shepherd mix, weighed well over 100 lbs. he really never got on our bed. However, he used to sneak up on the couch during cold spells and the moment he heard my husband move, he'd skedaddle down from there.. He was certainly our baby!

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  26. love this post! I think dogs make a house a "home"!

    joan

    p.s. so funny to think that I've sat on that very sofa in photo 1 and stood in that kitchen in photo 2!!:)

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  27. I know a lot of people that don't let their dogs on the furniture but I do. I love when the cuddle with you on the couch. I have dog beds all over the house but they still choose to sleep on the couch.
    Very cute dogs!!

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