Dog Room Ideas: Designing the Perfect Space for Your Pup

Client (And Dog) Survey

At the beginning of every project, Bohl Architects asks that our clients fill out an in-depth survey that helps us understand their current lifestyle and what they hope for in their future home.

If there are multiple humans to be living in the house, we require that everyone fills out the survey. This way, we can identify where people are on the same page and where opinions about programming priorities are different.

If we establish that the clients are “dog people,” we have a dedicated section of the survey for these domesticated companions. Since it’s nearly impossible for the paws to type, (although dogs have proven to be quite impressive) we make sure to ask our client intentional questions that help us create a space that caters to both the pet and the owner’s needs.

Understanding the Client’s and Dog’s Lifestyle

To design the house in a way that fits you and your needs, we want to know about you and your dog’s lifestyle. Does your pup(s) do everything and go everywhere with you? Does your pup(s) have specific areas where they thrive? Asking these big picture questions help guide the design decisions.

We would advise a client differently on the materials used if they are happy to embrace a comfortable level of patina and wear versus if they prefer a house in pristine condition and unchanged over time. Either way, we work with you (and your pup) to make sure that it lives up to your expectations.

Reducing Damage in the House with Quality Materials

Heavy traffic areas are often beat up over the years and even more so when there are animals in the house. Materials are a central consideration regardless of having a furry friend, but they are especially important when living with dogs.

Carpet runners over wood floors in high traffic areas.
Carpet is easier on our pups and helps keep them from slipping and sliding on our floors indoors.
Oriental carpets

Oriental carpets work so well with our pups! Easy to clean and hide the fur and occasional mishap that may occur.
Sunbrella fabrics

Commercial grade indoor/outdoor fabrics make living with dogs so much easier. Angela Healy has a drooly black German Shepard who has established residency on her living room sofa. The sofa is now covered in navy blue Sunbrella fabric, which is easy to remove and makes periodic cleaning easy. Boy do our domesticated companions have it good!

Dog Room Ideas

We occasionally have clients that want to create a dedicated space for their pet, and we collaborate with them to execute their dog room ideas.

Dog bath in the mudroom

Having a space to clean your pup before they enter the main parts of the house is a game changer. Additionally, an outside shower can also do double duty for this purpose.
Built-in dog doors and doggie crates

This gives your pup some autonomy over their decisions to go outside or take time out from the humans in the house.
Built-in doggie station for chow time

Having a pull-out bin for dog food and a designated place for dog bowls helps makes dinner time more efficient and less likely to be messy in a high traffic area like the kitchen.
Dog room in the pantry

We’re currently completing a kitchen renovation for one of our long-time clients. Over the years, they have had a precious dog by their side. We segregated the pantry from the main kitchen, so that this dog would have her own space. Plus, there is a glass door that she will be able to look out to the water views. There are pocket dog gates with stone plinths on either side, and a pull-out cabinet for her food. Wood floor is shown in the rendering, but we have since decided to put stone floor in the pantry so that it doesn’t get scratched up overtime.

Bohl Architects is a nationally recognized architecture and interior design firm specializing in custom residential design and historic preservation projects. We strive to create spaces of pure delight and that’s for our clients and their pups.

We love what we do, but the final product is only successful if you love what we do.

Call us at 410.263.2200 or click here to get started with us today– we’re excited to hear about your unique project.