Black animals with cream furniture, what a mix!!
immarksgirl
My Fiancé and I will be moving in together soon. He is used to having very little furniture a black dog and cat and hand-me-down furniture. He likes light colors, and wants white/cream color furniture "to lighten up the room". We have just purchased a cream color futon and have a matching chair in a cream woven fabric (which I have sprayed with a furniture protective). The room size is about 18x18. We like the earthy natural feel, we live in the country and would like to incorporate natural products that are safe for the animals. I would also like to add some bluish purple shades as accents. Any Ideas? We are limited on what we can spend.
Farina
I have animals in my home too. Unfortunately, the truth is, animals will bring dirt into the house and shed on the furniture. I know you don't want to do this, but one solution is to buy throws to cover your furniture when the animals are there.
otr8gs
I have a black long-haired dog and you've gotta know that it's difficult to keep up. Sorry you already bought the furniture because I'd have suggested a fabric that disguised better and use your light colors elsewhere. First thing--train the animals to stay off the furniture. Yes, it can be done. My dog may sneak when I'm not there but she knows better when I"m in the room. You'll still find hair everywhere. I guess it gets on my clothes??? Brush the animals every day. Cats can be sprayed with water pistols and they catch on quick Leather (or faux leather) is always a good option--cleans easy and has your natural look. Avoid widely woven fabric unless the cat's declawed. I also like using wooden chairs with padded cushions so that I can wash the covers a lot.
rbh68
I have a north facing living room with beige couch and 2 sage green recliners and light oak mission furniture. Room needs painting. Can't figure what color the walls should be. I have 4 casement windows facing Northwest and two doorways coming in from the south facing kitchen. No rugs, and one brown and tan brick faced wall. HELP What color paint??????
catwoman708
Light upholstered furniture and dark haired pets just don't mix. You can try to train them to stay off the furniture and keep a throw or sheet over the furniture, then whisk it off when company is coming. Plants and water features are especially attractive and effective ways to create a natural and peaceful setting. Make sure plants are non-poisonous & avoid cactus. You can group plants in a corner or in front of the windows and place decorative pottery, rocks, small logs (for cat to scratch on) or tree bark in front of them (make sure there are no bugs on them *see below). Plant containers of even faux stone, wicker, or bamboo look more natural than ceramic or plastic. Water features such as fish tanks, tabletop fountains, free standing fountains, or even a small "pond" with a fountain can be a dramatic touch (if you don't mind the pets drinking from or playing in them-they may loose interest after a while). (For creating a small pond or large natural looking planters see the post on "Creating a natural look").Accessories in natural elements (wood, metal, stone) in earthy colors always give a nice "earthy" feel to a room. Some artwork that depicts the "feel" you want to create for the room is a good place to start or even more modern, abstract art in earth tones. Use the colors in the artwork for your accents and rough "nappy" materials for curtains/valances, pillows, wall hangings, table runners... in earthy tones. Sometimes you can find furniture in natural bent wood with the bark still on it.If you have a nice view from your living room windows, play it up by "framing" the windows with the right treatments. If you have drapes leave them open or tied back with just shears, or just use a valance or swag of grapevine wreath with silk greenery woven thru. If you need the windows covered at night you might try bamboo roll-up shades for a natural, casual look. If you don't have a great view, create one with landscaping in line with the window and view. For quick & easy "landscaping" get a free-standing arbor and plant a couple of fast growing vines (or cover it with grapevine wreath and silk vines until the real ones become established), put a statue, birdbath or stone bench under the arbor. Or make a raised bed with ledge stones or natural rocks (about 4' or more in diameter), then put a large birdbath or fountain in the middle (or piece of statuary) surrounded by plants and flowers (plant them in the ground or leave in containers). You can even put a large bushy hanging plant in the top of the birdbath (just remove the hanger). Sweet potato vine grows very fast and will cover a lot of ground without being destructive, if it's not too late to plant it.Good luck! P.S. If you use pieces of natural bark, soak them overnight or a few hours in salt water to kill any bugs, then put in the oven on a low temp for several hours, until dry. The dog might want to chew on them, pee on them, and the cat might want to scratch on them.
#EANF#
#EANF#