Everyday we meet lovely customers and chat to them about their homes, and their design problems and dilemmas. And although every customer and every home is unique, there are also themes to the questions that we get asked. Below we have answered 10 questions that have cropped up recently in our chats to customers.

1. Is there such a thing as pet friendly fabrics?

Yes and no! It really depends on your pet. Nothing is indestructible after all and a dog or cat can cause real damage to upholstery in a few short minutes. That said, there are definitely fabrics that will hold up better than others to claws, muddy paws and hair. I have two cats and a puppy so I’m quite well placed to have tested out the durability of the different fabrics in my home, and some have fared better than others. My sofa has a fairly open weave (bought before animals or children entered my life!) and the cats have damaged the arms scratching at it. The more loose the weave the easier it is for claws to get caught and snag the fabric, intentionally or otherwise. Conversely I have a cotton weave fabric on an armchair and it shows no signs of wear at all. The weave is so tight and smooth that nothing has successfully scratched it in 15 years.

People often ask us if leather is a good option, and although it is hard wearing it also scratches and marks easily. This is fine if you are happy with the more weathered look, but best avoided if you want it to be mark free.

The other consideration is having the fabric treated with some sort of stain repellant. Aquaclean is a good option as it does stop the stain from penetrating the fabric giving you a chance to remove the muddy paws.

Otto the pup testing out the durability of the fabric!

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2. How do I keep my home tidy over the summer holidays??

Ha! I wish I knew!! I think maybe it’s best to embrace the laid back lived in look and promise to do better come September. But if it’s all getting too much, I would recommend large baskets to sweep the clutter into every evening and deposit it in each child's bedroom. And then resort to bribery to get them to put it away!!

3. What size bedside tables should I get if my bed is a superking?

Coming in at 6 foot wide (180cm) the superking size bed is large! A standard bedside table is around 60cm wide which can look a little lost against such a giant. If space allows we prefer to look for a wider bedside table or chest of drawers to balance it out. Something more around 90 - 100cm would be ideal. And don’t forget to scale up your lamps too - a larger, taller bedside lamp would also look better.

4. I have patterned wallpaper and a plain sofa. Should my rug be patterned or plain?

You might feel that having patterned wallpaper and a patterned rug would be too much, but really it comes down to the type and scale of the patterns you are mixing. If your wallpaper has a large bold pattern, try to pick a rug that has similar colours to the wallpaper but the pattern is smaller in scale. If the wallpaper has a smaller pattern, go for a bold geometric on the rug. If you’re hesitant about adding more pattern or colour, try a rug with texture instead. A natural jute or seagrass rug will go with pretty much everything as the natural colours act like a neutral but with texture for interest.

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5. Is it better to have a sink or a hob in my kitchen island? Or neither?

The humble breakfast bar seems to have evolved in recent years to become the much larger and more dramatic kitchen island. We have customers with islands of very large proportions - over 3 metres in length. Which then leads to the question - what to do with them? Should they be for eating, replacing the kitchen table, cooking, washing up, storage or all the above? The problem with planning a kitchen island though often comes from an unexpected place and that’s the ceiling. The ideal island has dramatic and eye-catching lighting, often 3 pendant lights suspended from the ceiling for maximum impact. But if you have decided to have a hob on the island, then this is often compromised by an extractor fan. It can become awkward and potentially cluttered to have an extractor fan and pendant lights all vying for attention in the same spot. So we would recommend keeping your hob against a wall with the extractor fan above and leave your kitchen island for storage and eating - and maybe a sink!

6. Do you know of any stylish dog beds?

As it happens I do have my eye on a few! Once my puppy leaves the chewing phase (when is that exactly?!) I would love to get a stylish bed for him! The mini sofa options would look great in your living room, but I also love the rattan bed on legs from Made. This would fit in well in any room, and the legs stop it looking too bulky. And the rope bed looks so stylish it could be a basket! And at only £17.50 maybe it doesn’t matter too much if he does chew it!!

7. I have an ugly view from my living room window. Any ideas on what to do?

We are fans of decorative window film. It comes in many patterns from traditional to contemporary and is easy to apply and remove. It still lets the light through but obscures the view. Brume has literally thousands of options.

If you don’t want something so permanent and want to see out the window sometimes, then a sheer roller blind would be perfect. Blinds 2 Go have a huge range of colours and would be a good place to look.

Alternatively you could look to screen the view from outside. Bamboo is really fast growing and evergreen. If you planted it in large pots, you could move it around to create a barrier to hide the view from any angle.

8. What are the key things to consider when I’m planning the layout of my house?

You really need to start by considering the needs of your family - how are you going to use the space and think about your lifestyle. Do you have young children? Pets? Elderly visitors? It’s also really important to recognise how your family may grow into the space - don’t design it too much for the present as children grow and change fast! When you are at the planning stage do try to include as much storage as you can in every nook and cranny (your future self will thank you!). A floor plan is always a good idea to see where you can position the big pieces of furniture. This can also help guide your electrical plan as you can see where you’ll need lights and sockets - and in particular floor sockets. This is a big consideration for large open plan spaces where your furniture is away from the walls. You’ll most likely want a lamp near the sofa and you won’t want a trailing wire across the room.

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9. I have large patio doors in my living room and another smaller window. How can I balance the two and should I put curtains on them both?

Generally no, we wouldn’t recommend having the same window treatment on both windows. It’s more important to look at what suits each window rather than trying to match window treatments in the same room when the windows are very different. Curtains on the small window could swamp it, and you don’t want to go for short curtains when the bifold door curtains are to the floor. A Roman blind would be a good choice instead and if there is room above the window you could hang the blind higher to give the illusion that the window is bigger. You could match the fabrics or go for a complementary pattern. A stripe always looks smart on a Roman blind.

If the window feels a little lost in comparison to the large patio doors, try placing a piece of furniture like a sideboard below. This will help to anchor it, and make it more of a focal point in its own right.

10. I want to browse some shops rather than buying everything online. What are your top 3 high street interior shops?

We all love H&M and Zara for well priced accessories like cushions, baskets, candles, and artwork. Marks and Spencer has a good range of sofas and lighting and Habitat at larger Sainsburys stores has some amazing bargains and some great contemporary rugs - whoops that’s 4!!

If you are feeling inspired, take a look at how The Living House can help you with all your design dilemmas, offering easy, friendly, and personal interior design help. We can shop from anywhere and to any budget to come up with a look that is unique to you. And you might be surprised at just how affordable our design packages are - starting at only £295! Check out our website www.thelivinghouse.co.uk for more information, and instagram @the_living_house for more inspiration and tips. We’d love to chat to you soon!

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