Pet owners can decorate stylishly, strategically

It's a question that comes up frequently for interior designers: How do you create a stylish living space when a dog who sheds or a cat who scratches is part of the mix?

"Many people are incorporating their pets into daily life," designer Mallory Mathison says, yet they don't want to sacrifice style. Designers are often called on to camouflage litter boxes, keep pet gear organized and create stylish sleeping arrangements for dogs and cats. Today, Mathison says, pet-focused design is "much more that just the old standard 'doggie door.'"

We've quizzed Mathison and designers Janine Carendi and Brian Patrick Flynn about their favorite strategies for designing when pets are in the picture:

Sofa scratching, chair chewing and seat staining: All three designers mentioned using indoor/outdoor rugs and fabrics in homes with pets. Flynn especially likes the velvet-like durable fabrics made by Sunbrella, which he says feel wonderful and can be washed with soap and water.

"You can even clean a milkshake off it," he says.

Carendi points out that regular indoor fabrics can be treated to make them similarly durable and stain-resistant.

In homes with a new puppy or kitten, Flynn suggests putting the most fragile or treasured pieces of furniture in storage during the early months to protect them from damage and accidents. Retailers like Crate and Barrel's "CB2" have attractive coffee tables for as little as $200 to $300, he says. Use an inexpensive piece until the pet is trained, then sell it on eBay and go back to your original furniture.

Wood is most at risk from scratching and chewing, so remove temptation by using furniture with metal legs or bases in the rooms where the pet spends most of its time.

Are snags or stains on upholstery a potential problem? Choose a sofa with seat cushions that are upholstered on both sides, so they can be flipped over to hide damage. Also, pick a sofa with several large pillows across the back, rather than one long cushion. Individual pillows can be recovered much less expensively than an entire sofa.

Carendi mentions one other secret weapon: safety gear designed for babies. She has used the protective corners made to protect unsteady toddlers from sharp edges to keep pets from chewing on the corners of furniture. And "baby gates," she says, may be the best way to keep a pet — and any damage it can do — contained in one area of your home.