How to live elegantly with a pet

If you have a question for Luke about design and stylish living, email him at lukeedward.hall@ft.com. Follow him on Instagram @lukeedwardhall

We have recently started looking after a cat, in addition to our two dogs. Can you suggest elegant ways to disguise litter trays and dog beds? Is it possible to have both a stylish home and pets?

I have never lived with a cat, but I gather they scratch surfaces because they need to maintain their claws. Scratching also exercises a cat’s muscles from their front legs to their spine. Some prefer carpets and curtains, others hard surfaces such as wooden furniture.

I’m afraid the only real way to stop this is to restrict access or to make targets less alluring. (I’ve read that some cats prefer wallpapers with a raised texture, so avoid this, for example.) Naturally, you mustn’t blame the cat: he or she is probably just curious or wanting to feel secure.

Provide your cat with alternative scratching opportunities. The nicest scratching posts I can find are made by the Dutch brand Designed by Lotte. Its posts are made from sisal and rope, and would fade into the background of most interiors.

It also makes one shaped like a cactus, which is a fun idea, but perhaps too much of a novelty. I’m not sure I’d want a cactus-shaped scratching post as a talking point.

When we brought our whippet puppy Merlin home last April, I was apprehensive about him nibbling our furniture. I’d find myself giving worried side glances to that ottoman I’d just had made, with its enticing emerald-green bullion fringe, or the bobbin legs of a favourite armchair that look suspiciously similar in shape to one of Merlin’s rubber toys — one from an arsenal of treats we’d hoped would lure him away from the furniture.

Luckily, he hasn’t caused much damage, apart from the odd, lightly chewed kitchen cabinet knob or scrap of seagrass rug. Besides, Merlin seems mostly interested in a yellow-tasselled key that hangs from a lock in a bedroom chest of drawers. If I can’t find him, I know he’s upstairs, pouncing on that tassel like there’s no tomorrow. Clearly he enjoys a fancy trimming, just like his dads.

We were particularly attracted to whippets because they don’t shed very much. If you’re set on a breed that sheds a lot, naturally you will need to get to grips with a good vacuum cleaner. Also consider your dog’s grooming routine, because regular brushing can help minimise shedding.

Personally, I wouldn’t worry too much about choosing fabrics for your home that won’t show up pet hair. Although the idea of matching fur colour to carpets and fabrics seems rather absurd to me, it might be worth avoiding delicate fabrics or ones that particularly attract fur, such as mohair.

As for furniture, materials such as wicker or rattan are best avoided or put away, as these can be destroyed fairly easily by an excitable puppy or kitten.

Dog toys I have found quite tricky, because they are usually rather ugly. I have relied on those made from sustainable materials including jute, rubber and naturally shed antler, such as those sold by Green & Wilds. Their toys look endearing (so not too displeasing to find scattered all over the house) and, more importantly, they are environmentally friendly.

Some of my favourites have come from Daylesford farm shop, which does rope toys shaped like animals, which I find hard to resist when I pop in for yet another brick-sized slab of Double Gloucester and a turn on the hazelnut butter machine. For a few months Merlin’s favourite was a lobster, which he carried everywhere until it resembled a mass of bright red spaghetti.

As for cat litter trays, I’ve noticed online some clever ways to disguise these: people have cleared out the bottom of wardrobes and cupboards and cut holes into the side panels, allowing easy access. Or they’ve hidden trays in large baskets, again with an entrance cut into one side.

Dog beds have been interesting to get my head around: whippets like to stretch their long, elegant legs, which means baskets are not ideal. (I do like how these look, though, and they do suit smaller dogs — see Sister by Studio Ashby’s woven elephant grass version.)

Sadly, most cushion-type dog beds I found online soon after becoming a dog owner were also quite ugly — lots of twee printed fabrics, with large leather labels embellished with excruciating “classy pooch” brand names.

In the end, I sourced a large square piece of foam via Etsy, which came with a smart, plain red ticking cover. Before Christmas I ordered another large floor cushion from Savoir. These are custom made and you can choose from a selection of fabrics. I sourced my own — I found a scrap of Manuel Canovas cotton on eBay, printed with a trellis pattern and Parisian scenes including a fine view of the Panthéon.

Alas, it turns out that Merlin likes to have his slender snout under a blanket about 85 per cent of the time, so I have one more bed coming: a kind of flimsy pitta bread with an interior of faux-fur fleece, made by Charley Chau. This will, we sincerely hope, tempt him away from sleeping between us in our own bed, legs 90 degrees in the air.

Trust me, I know how ridiculous these last paragraphs sound. Our dog has swankier, more comfortable beds than we do, but a cushion stays permanently in front of the oven in the middle of our kitchen — there is no way to disguise it and, if we’re walking over it all day long, it should look as good as possible. Plus, our pets sort of blind us with their majesty, don’t they? Nothing can be too good!

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