How to Create a Stylish Dog-Friendly Home Without the Tacky Pet Décor
Did you know you can be completely dog obsessed and still want your home to look stylish? I am and my home is... most days.
I’m Becs, founder of Rieko’s World and dog mum to Rieko. I created the brand because I wanted dog home décor that felt like home décor first, personal, funny and stylish, without covering the house in paw prints and cartoon bones. I decorate my home with intention, every piece either serves a purpose or has a memory linked.
These are the little things I do in my own home to keep it dog-friendly without losing the style I love.
1. Choose dog décor that works with your home
Start with the colours and style you already have and add to those instead of reinventing your much loved vibe. I love colour, so on my grey (boring) sofa, I place colourful cushions.
Neutral cushions or pops of colour on a neutral sofa, simple breed illustrations and black-framed prints are easy to mix into an existing room without making it feel overly “dog themed”. I love a gallery wall.
The best dog décor should look like something you would have chosen for your home anyway, not just because you've got a dog.
2. Make it about your dog
This is where I think breed-specific décor wins. A generic dog cushion says yeah dogs are ok, I like dogs.
A Labrador, Dachshund or Border Collie cushion says that's my dog.
That little recognition is what I love, and it's why I created the Rieko’s World breed cushions to look like something you'd genuinely have on your sofa, just with a very personal nod to the furry family member who probably owns the sofa anyway.
3. Pick one or two pieces that make you say, “Yup, that's so me”
You don't need dog quotes everywhere, one good one is much better than filling the room with them.
I Like My Dog More Than Most People is still one of my favourites because it looks like a stylish cushion first, then you read it.
And if you're my kind of dog person, you think yup, accurate. And if you don't laugh or smile - get out of my house you are not welcome
4. Accept that the fur is coming
This is real life with dogs, Rieko in theory is a miniature labradoodle - a non shedder, yeah right he's the complete opposite.
There will be fur. There will be muddy paws. And in my house, there will be balls where balls definitely aren't meant to be.
So I'm a big fan of things I can actually live with, washable cushion covers, throws that can go in the wash and baskets where I can attempt to contain Rieko's collection of stuff.
Attempt being the important word there.
A dog-friendly home has to work for the dog as well as look good for us.
5. Let your dog be part of your home
Rieko isn't something I want to hide away when I'm styling my home. He's part of my family, so of course there are little bits of him throughout it.
But I prefer those little “that's so us” moments over turning the entire house into a dog theme.
A few funny cushions on the sofa. A framed Dog Mum print mixed with other artwork. I love a gallery wall. Something personalised with their name. Or in my case names, Reserved for Rieko and Reserved for Kora (we can't ever forget my gorgeous rescue cat Kora).
Enough to make it feel like your home and their home.
Can a dog-friendly home still look stylish?
Yup. Absolutely.
For me, the trick is not buying dog décor for the sake of buying dog décor.
Choose things you genuinely like, make them personal to your dog and work them into the home you've already created.
A few “that is SO me” pieces are usually all you need.
And that's really what Rieko’s World is about, home décor for people who are completely obsessed with their dogs, but still care how their home looks.