Your four-legged friends are just as much a part of your family as everyone else ? which is why it’s important to make your home comfortable and efficient for you both. As integral members of the family, your dog deserve a space that caters to their needs, and the kitchen is no exception. But how do you design a kitchen that meets your needs and your dogs needs? Luckily, it doesn’t have to be complicated. Designing a pet-friendly kitchen is all about blending functionality and aesthetics to create a harmonious space for both you and your furry companions. Kitchen Cabinet Kings is here to help you explore the different pet-friendly options you should consider when designing your kitchen cabinetry.
A popular design choice for many families with a four-legged family member is to incorporate a built-in feeding station into your kitchen island or cabinets. In doing so, you no longer need to find a place to store your freestanding food and water bowl ? helping limit the amount of times you and your children trip over the bowls when moving about the kitchen. By integrating it within your existing cabinetry, it will be tucked away and off the floor. Plus, it will elevate it off of the ground which is much better for your dog’s neck (and digestion!) because it prevent them from needing to bend over so much in order to eat. Because it will be fully customized to your dog’s needs, you can choose the ideal height based on their size. You may even opt to include a built-in tap for water supply that easily retracts! This added convenience means you won’t have to pick up the water bowl each day and bring it to the sink to fill it ? you can simply leave it in place and turn on the tap above it!
Although your dog doesn’t need an entire kitchen pantry to store their food, you still need to find a way to comfortably store it all. And if you have more than one dog, you likely have a few extra bags of dog food on the ready. Instead of using a plastic storage bin or the original bag and tucking it away in the bottom of your kitchen pantry, you can incorporate a pull-out drawer for the storage bin. Picture a built-in drawer for a trashcan but instead of the trash bin, you have their airtight food container tucked away making it easily accessible when you need it. Consider installing the pull-out drawer directly next to your built-in feeding station so you can streamline your morning routine and scoop it and drop it in the food bowl without having to walk around the kitchen island.
Do you spend a lot of time in your kitchen? Are practicing for your shot on on Chopped? Or maybe you and your children love spending quality time baking treats? Whatever activity brings you to the kitchen, you likely have a four-legged friend laying at your feet (and sometimes getting in the way, causing you to trip over them!). Instead of having them sleep directly on the floor next to you, you can customize a napping cubby within your cabinetry that allows them to be with their pack in the kitchen while goodies are being made, but tucked out of the way in the comfort of their own space. This can be an open cabinet with a soft cushioned bed for them to retreat to so they can curl up and nap (but still be close enough to catch any scraps that may fall on the floor throughout the process). You can customize the size and location of the napping cubby based on your kitchen’s specific layout, ensuring they’re still included in the hustle and bustle but out of the way enough that they can unwind.
At times, you may find that you need to keep your dog in or out of the kitchen. Because of this, it’s important to be able to maintain separation when needed. Instead of opting for a portable baby gate that can be clunky and difficult to open and close, consider installing a pull-out gate that is built directly into your kitchen cabinetry. This convenient and discreet barrier will make it easy for you to separate your dog from the kitchen or the rest of the house quickly and efficiently. No rummaging through your closets to find the baby gates. Simply pull it out, lock it in place, and you are good to go. You will be able to decide between a variety of materials and configurations, allowing you to match it to your kitchen’s aesthetic without compromising safety or functionality.
The amount of dog-related items we often end up with can be overwhelming. From their treats, toys, medication, food, grooming tools, leashes, collars, and everything else, there’s a lot for the average pet owner to store. Instead of having it stashed away in various places in your home, you may consider installing built-in drawer organizers to your kitchen’s drawers. This will allow you to have various compartments for the different pet essentials you need to store. Before designing the comparents, take inventory of what you plan to store in the drawer. By doing this, you can ensure you have the right amount and size of compartments so you aren’t left with an organized drawer that doesn’t fit your needs.
We’d argue that pet-friendly cabinetry may even be more important in a small kitchen than in a large one! It allows you to keep your pet’s everyday items off of the floor and out of the way which will immediately make your space feel less cramped. When designing your space, be considerate about which pet-friendly features are the most important so you can incorporate them without sacrificing important storage space for yourself.
If your dog spends a lot of time in the kitchen with you and your family, you need to make sure they aren’t able to get into anything that they shouldn’t. Depending on their size (and how curious they are), you may want to install childproof locks on lower cabinets that hold toxic chemicals or food items that could get your dog sick if they come in contact with.
Just because you have the food bin in the drawer doesn’t mean you should store the food any different. You still need to keep the food in an airtight storage container with a lid so the food doesn’t get stale by being exposed to air. Plus, keeping it in an airtight container will ensure no unpleasant smells leak into your kitchen from the cabinet.
Similar to a freestanding feeding station, you should be cleaning and sanitizing your dog’s food and water bowls regularly. Make sure your built-in feeding station has bowls that can be easily removed and handwashed (or thrown in the dishwasher) on a weekly basis to prevent the buildup of harmful bacteria. You will always want to sanitize the built in nook around the bowls as well.
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