DECORATING WITH DOGS

Decorating when you have pets can provide unique opportunities to express your own personal style and taste. Here are some tips I'd like to share:

1. Bare floors, without carpet or throw rugs, can give a nice open feeling to a room. It can provide a soothing balance when you have many art objects that reflect your love of animals.

2. Paw prints and nose smudges on glass doors and windows break up glare and soften the light in a room.

3. Dog crates, when stacked three high, can add height to a room and pull the eye up. If fastened securely to the wall, the top can provide a safe and dramatic place for exotic plants or statuary that otherwise might be molested by your pets. An up light can make it a real focal point. Cats love to inhabit the upper crates, leaving the lower ones for the dogs.

4. Old towels and blankets thrown casually on upholstered furniture can add a wonderful homey, country-quilt look to an otherwise bland room.

5. Common smooth upholstery fabrics can look almost velvety when lightly textured with pet hair.

6. Vari-kennels, placed end to end and topped with plate glass can create an unusual coffee table, one your friends will really remember.

7. Doggie beds, randomly placed around a room, can add color and texture, much as throw pillows do.

8. Shredded or chewed books and magazines send a message to guests that they are free to relax and feel at home.

9. Dog crates can make versatile end tables, and can be slip covered to match any room decor.

10. There is absolutely nothing that makes a guest feel as welcome as three friendly dogs hopping in his lap as soon as he sits down.

So throw away those videos by Martha and others, and express your own unique tastes. Your home should reflect what YOU like!