Dog and Pet Beds....some creative furniture ideas.

One frequent obstacle I find is how to incorporate a client's dog bed or crate into their new room design without having the large beds in their family room, kitchen or bedroom.  Here are some creative ways to make your room design work with your dog's bed where everyone could be happy in the new space.

Redesign a piece of furniture.  Take a sofa table and add a bed to the bottom shelf and enclose it with coated wire to work with your room's style and design.

Rework a chest of drawers for a hidden den for your pet.  Add screen or fencing to the back for hidden ventilation.

A little dog's hiding place under a desk. Another simple solution for the pet bed.

End table pet beds for the smaller dog work well into a room design.  The beauty of this end table is that it can still be used for lamps and accessories to be displayed.

Take advantage of the built-n wall unit.  Make a space on the bottom for your pet's bed.  Utilizing the wall space keeps the room organized and saves floor space for your dogs special resting place.

Another key space to take advantage of is under a built-in window seat.

Don't forget to plan for your pet when redesigning your living space.  They are part of the family and also need their special place to relax and kick back!

Decorating with Burlap

As fabrics become more expensive these days, one solution for the lover of more casual and natural designs is the use of burlap.  The natural texture creates a laid back, kick your shoes off kind of feel to a space.   Burlap's has been found to be used more in the past in gardens http://chiotsrun.com/2012/08/02/using-burlap-in-the-garden and on farms for packaging of heavy bulk food, seeds, grains, coffee beans and potatoes.  But more recently burlap is popping up on windows, chairs and pillows.  So many home decor items can be easily made. 

Burlap fabric is inexpensive and can be purchased by the bolt at your local garden center.  The fabric also stitches up nicely and is forgiving of snags and pulls from the needle as the texture hides and blends the already rough nap.

A burlap pillow cover can be stitched and stenciled or paint stamped to create a novel theme

Draped and swagged burlap side panels.

Burlap potted plant wedding or shower favors

Event embellished chairs tied off with burlap and baby's breath

Burlap upholstered chair or create your own slipcover

Burlap side panel window treatments

The summer burlap weekend bag

The slouch burlap potted plant

Veranda magazine's burlap covered wing back chair

Fraying of the burlap and the knotted tie off to create fringe

Easy to make round burlap tablecloths

Add texture to a stairway with a burlap floor runner.

I love burlap.  The texture and natural feel all falls into the category of casual for the not so formal living space.  Burlap is also a great use for the destination farm or country wedding and crafty sewing projects.

What projects have you created with burlap?