A room that’s often considered as the heart of your home – your kitchen is normally linked to family get togethers and other celebrations.
Whilst we put a lot of thought into how we could ensure our kitchen has a welcoming atmosphere for our children and guests, we often tend to forget another important “family member” – our beloved furry friend!
In the UK, nearly 50% of homeowners have a pet – while 26% of them have a dog, the remaining 24% own (or are perhaps owned by) a cat. This is why it’s equally important to create a safe yet separate space in your kitchen that improves your pet’s wellbeing.
At Saturn Interiors, our fitted kitchen designers have put together our top 9 tips to help you create a pet-friendly kitchen.
Let’s take a look at how you can create harmony between kitchens and pets.
1. Stash Your Cleaning Supplies Away to Protect Those Prying Paws
When it comes to a pet-friendly kitchen, it’s important to ensure that you’ve created a safe environment.
Since kitchens are usually filled with harmful products like knives and cleaning supplies and our pets love to pry, you need to store them in a secured place to prevent any injuries.
This is when you could consider going for an integrated handleless design for your space, as it makes it difficult for your pet to open kitchen cabinets and other drawers.
To find out more about how you can add the right cabinets, click here!
2. Incorporate Easy to Clean Surfaces
We’re sure that the very idea of having kitchens and pets coexist stresses you out; mainly because you fear your pet could be involved in an accident.
However, there are still ways to minimise these incidents.
As per our kitchen designers, the best way to go about it is to add easy to clean surfaces to your space. For instance, you could use slab-style doors for your cupboards; get them customised with a smooth exterior as that’s easier to clean, making the process of wiping down your cabinetry simple and trouble-free.
3. Create a Dedicated Cosy Corner
Your pets also love socialising (dogs – very much; cats – not so much!), which is why it’s important to make them feel a part of your family; it also helps improve their wellbeing.
That said, why not create a dedicated cosy corner for them in your kitchen?
Not only is it a great tip when it comes to creating a pet-friendly kitchen, but also provides your furry friend with a specific spot where they can rest and observe the actions happening around them in a safe and comfortable environment.
4. Keep Your Worktop Free of Food
Not everything you have in your kitchen, plum pits for example, is good for your four-legged furry friend. While some foods can cause minor issues, others could have a major impact on their health.
This is primarily why you need to be extremely careful; if you can’t always keep an eye on your pet, consider cleaning your kitchen worktop and stashing away the food in someplace that’s unreachable. While you’re at it, make sure you aren’t leaving any cooking utensils in the sink either – your pet may try to lick things off of it.
5. Invest in Softer Edges
When it comes to creating harmony between kitchens and pets, this point is something that you must consider especially when you own a dog.
Almost every dog owner would vouch that jumping at the side of counters is a habit the majority of them have tried to train out of their pets. Whilst some of them have successfully conquered this part, there are a lot of them who haven’t.
If you belong to the latter, then it’s worth investing in softer edges for your countertops and cabinets to avoid injuries to your pet. The best material to go for would be laminate, but you could also seek assistance from a kitchen designer for alternatives.
6. Be Smart With Bins
It doesn’t matter whether you’re a dog or cat owner, your bin will always be a haven of interesting smells and food for them. However, it’s also filled with plastic and other non-biodegradable materials, which aren’t good for your pet and may cause severe health issues.
To prevent this, you could either go for integrated bins that are beyond your pet’s reach or use that space to store other pet supplies.
7. Add Integrated Devices
If your kitchen is filled with freestanding devices, then we’d suggest you get rid of them. This is because they can offer several nooks and crannies for toys or critters to get lost.
Instead, why not switch to integrated devices like in-built ovens and other appliances?
Not only do these give your kitchen a streamlined and elegant look but also close off gaps, making it safe for your furry friend to play with their toys without losing them in a crevice.
8. Go for Pet-Friendly Floors
To make your kitchen a safe place for your pets, it’s important to choose the right flooring that prevents them from doing the Scooby-Doo run, skidding off and hurting themselves.
The best option is vinyl flooring, as it not only comes with a textured surface providing additional grip to your pets but also makes the cleaning process far easier.
Contact Saturn Interiors to Design a Pet-Friendly Kitchen
Kitchens and pets – this doesn’t sound too comfortable, does it?
Well, there are many debates going on about whether you should allow your pets to enter the kitchen; however, many households have already created a dedicated spot for their furry friend.
If you want to welcome your pets in the kitchen and make it as safe as possible for both of you, get in touch with our kitchen installers today!
The professional installers at Saturn Interiors will discuss your requirements and help you accordingly to design a pet-friendly kitchen.
For a free, virtual design appointment, click here!