Design a Pet-Friendly Kitchen

(guest post by Louise Fraser for Wren Kitchens)

With many people working from home over the past year, we’ve been spending more time with our pets than ever before. But with pets in the kitchen and around you, there comes challenges – Wren Kitchens can reveal that there has been a large increase in search terms around pet-friendly kitchens from 2019 to 2020.

The Year of the Pet

“Dog Friendly Kitchen” saw a 118% increase in Google searches from 2019 to 2020, with “dog proof kitchen bin” seeing a 33% increase.

It seems like the kitchen is the place to be for all the new puppies, as “Dog Bed Ideas for Kitchen” saw a massive 2700% increase in Google searches, and “dog bed under kitchen worktop” saw a 490% increase.

See all search term comparisons below:

How to Design a Pet-Friendly Kitchen

When it comes to designing your perfect kitchen, you want it to be perfect for all members of the family, including your pets. So, the experts at Wren Kitchens have offered their top-tips on designing a pet-friendly kitchen to keep everyone happy (and everything tidy!).

1. Incorporate a boot room

Muddy paws (and muddy boots!) are everyone’s nightmare, especially in the winter months. A bespoke boot room is a designated area to keep the mud at bay and helps to prevent the dreaded dirt splattered around your kitchen and home. Create this practical yet pretty area near your door with space to store coats and boots as well as hang collars and leads off hooks.

The main elements of a boot room are seating to perch, boot storage at the base, hanging racks and hooks overhead as well as integrated floor to ceiling tower units to hide away all those extra items. If you have space it will be worth considering a sink in your boot room area, such as a deep ceramic style to help clean any dirty paws (or even children!) as they come indoors.

2. Add a nook for your pet

It’s important that your pet feels safe in its environment, so we’d recommend tucking your pooch or feline away in a quiet spot in your kitchen. These quiet nooks for your pets not only create a nice feature in your space, but they’re extremely practical too and can create sleek storage for bowls, leads and food. Don’t forget to tuck them away from danger and cooking areas as smoke and fumes can make your furry friends ill.

3. Choose easy-clean materials

The durability of your kitchen is important to endure the drool, dirt splatters and scratches that your pet will throw at it. Prevention is always best, so we’d advise opting for finish you can easily wipe clean with a damp cloth and soapy water. High gloss units tend to show up nose smudges and waggy tail swooshes so it’s recommended to stay clear of these.

Always pick an easy-clean floor, such as laminate or tiles, which are both durable and can be quickly swept or mopped to remove fur and paw marks. If tiles are your thing, then choose a dark grout such as charcoal or black to avoid nasty stains over the years. If you’re looking to add a rug for a bit of warmth, choose one that’s washable so it can be easily cleaned.

4. Stick to dark tones

Even with messy animals around, you can still achieve a designer looking kitchen. Darker shades such as charcoal, navy, raven black and forest green are the perfect hues to disguise those scuffs and blemishes.

5. Add hidden storage

Inevitably, owning a pet means you have a lot more stuff to store such as food, toys, leads and towels to clean them down with. Choosing a dedicated area in your kitchen is the best way to keep your furry friend’s essentials in one easy-to-reach space.

If you’re lucky enough to have a utility or boot room then naturally a space should be devoted to your fluffy friends there so it’s separated from human foods and toxic items such as cleaning products.