‘A house, in my opinion, isn’t truly a home without a dog stretched contentedly across a sofa or curled up at the end of a bed,’ says interior designer Charlotte Boundy. It's a feeling shared by most of the interior designers on our pages, whose whippets and lurchers recline on the most exquisite sofas and among seas of beautiful cushions.
How do they do it and still make everything look so good? Above all things, the key is to embrace signs of life, as Charlotte explains. ‘The very essence of country house style interiors is that they feel layered, relaxed and properly lived in. While some prefer their rooms to look immaculate at all times, I’ve always felt that a wine glass ring on an antique table simply adds to the story of a house, and the same goes for the occasional dog hair, a nibbled cushion, or the tell tale impression on a sofa where a dog has been fast asleep.’ But even as you accept the inevitability of mess, there are some preventative measures you can take to ensure everything looks charming (rather than chaotic).
Fabrics and materials
The relaxed country house ethos means ‘we can’t be too precious about what dogs are lying on,’ says Charlotte. ‘Designing with dogs in mind doesn’t mean compromising on beauty. Choosing upholstery fabrics with a good rub count and plenty of pattern will wear far more gracefully.’ a rub count of 25k or above tends to qualify a fabric as being suitable for heavy duty use, and definitely don't go below 15k.
‘In living areas,’ notes interior designer Anna Haines, ‘it’s worth investing in slip covers, tightly woven darker toned fabrics or a perennial that is wipeable and more bullet proof.’ Tom Cox of HÁM Interiors agrees: ‘When it comes to furnishings, distressed pieces, busy patterns, darker linens, and loose covers you can dry-clean are your friends.’
We've had specific recommendations for woven ticking fabrics (these can be great for making inexpensive, washable covers), corduroy, kilims and vintage Anatolian fabrics (a great tip by Henriette von Stockhausen of VSP Interiors), and Lewis & Wood's brilliant ‘Nantes’ matelasse fabric, which has the twin advantages of being very thick and densely patterned. ‘We’ve also become fond of outdoor performance fabrics in high-traffic areas,’ adds Tom. ‘They’re brilliantly scrubbable. And for the occasional mishap, we swear by a steam carpet cleaner. It works a treat on upholstery too.’ For further protection, adds Tom, you can always ‘add throws that can be washed easily and whisked away when guests arrive.’
When it comes to flooring, ‘hardwearing floors like porcelain, stone or even a colourful lino will cope far better with muddy paws and soggy dogs than timber or carpet,’ says Anna. If you embrace Charlotte's philosophy and stick to things that already feel lived-in, ‘original floorboards and antique rugs tend to be far more forgiving than wall to wall carpet,’ she adds. If carpet is a must, Tom recommends ‘hard-wearing finishes – Unnatural Flooring is a great option.’
As Henriette suggested in another piece on hardwearing decoration, anything that has colour and pattern in it will work well, especially when there are plenty such pieces layered together. ‘Layering will cover a multitude of sins,” she says. ‘Rugs can be moved around over fitted carpets, and cushions and throws turned over.’ You can, of course, buy washable rugs for particularly high-traffic areas, such as around doorways where muddy paws first make their entrance. Several of the House & Garden team make use of Ruggable's versatile, washable designs, for example.
If you're feeling particularly flamboyant, our Art Editor Fiona McKenzie Johnston notes (in a piece on the renaissance of fitted carpet) that Madeleine Castaing used leopard print carpet in the drawing room of her house outside Paris, where her dog Bobby could come in and out of the french windows at will without any bother about paw prints.
Dedicated dog spaces
More and more houses on our pages are featuring cubbies and built-in dog beds, particularly in kitchens and boot rooms, and we can see why. Building your dog a cubby has a suggestion of tidiness about it that feels appealing. But can you really tidy a dog up?
‘I’m absolutely in favour of designing homes that work for real life, and that includes with dogs in mind,’ says Anna. ‘But I’m less convinced we need to start allocating them their own architecturally designed wings. Built-in cubbies in kitchens and boot rooms can look really charming, but the reality is that dogs tend to want to be wherever their humans are. I speak as a dog lover and owner! A beautifully crafted and designated dog nook risks becoming an empty and expensive storage area. A dog basket that can move with the sunshine is, I think, much more realistic.’ Buying a dog bed you can bear is probably a safer option. We're rather fond of beds that look just like giant cushions (this stripey guy from Damson Madder is sweet, or consider this version from Dunelm for a more understated look).
The other dedicated dog spaces we're seeing a lot of are dog showers, which are undoubtedly having a moment. Emma Sims-Hilditch built a heavenly Delft-tiled shower into her WOW!house room in 2025, and has had several requests to incorporate them into current projects. If you’re fortunate enough to have the space for a boot room,’ says Charlotte, ’a low level tiled shower area is the ultimate luxury, saving muddy paws from making their way any further into the house than absolutely necessary.’ It's not a cheap addition, however, and as Anna says ‘in most homes, a large Belfast sink or an outdoor tap is far more practical!’
Dog paraphernalia
Dogs, like children, come with a surprising amount of stuff, so part of good, dog-friendly design is figuring out how to make it look good (or store it efficiently). Tom Cox advises thinking outside of the box when it comes to such things – you might be able to repurpose something beautiful rather than buying something brand-new and unlovely. ‘For one client, we brought a traditional estate fencing gate indoors and reworked it as a dog gate. It kept the dogs contained, but still let them see out and stay part of the action.’ Dog bowls are another opportunity: ‘They’re always on show,' says Tom, ‘so why not make them decorative? My parents use a large antique faience bowl. If it’s out all the time, it’s worth having a bit of fun with it.’
‘Ultimately I think good dog-friendly design is less about carving out dog zones,’ concludes Anna, ‘and more about choosing robust materials, thinking about storage for leads and towels and that a happy dog usually wants to be where you are and not tucked into bespoke cabinetry.’ ‘In the best homes,’ adds Charlotte, ‘dogs are simply part of the fabric of daily life, and the interiors should reflect that.’
