Monday's pets on furniture
Mon, 27 Sep 2010If you'd like to send us photos to include in next week's "pets on furniture" post, please ensure your photos follow our basic rules: First, the pet must be on a piece of furniture. And said piece of furniture must be clearly visible in the photo, so it takes center stage rather than your pet. (Think of it more of a photo of a great piece of furniture that you want to show off...and your pet happens to be sitting on it). And second, the photo must be of decent quality. If it's dark or fuzzy (from a camera phone) then it may not make the cut. Thanks! (Photos, your name, location and a brief description can be sent to desiretoinspirekim@hotmail.com and PLEASE don't send me closeups of your pet!)
"Austin, our blond rescue Lab mix, really likes to nap on our soft furniture. I find tell-tale "Austin hair" on the leather couch, sitting on which is a big no-no, and rumpled blankets on the guest bed, pictured.
Amos is the baby, a 9-month old chocolate Lab mix. He finds all sorts or places to sit so he can watch the birdies outside, like my reading nook chair."
- Joanna (Kansas City, Missouri)
"I have two photos to share with you. The first is my cat, June, on my vintage pink velvet sofa, and the second is my dog, Delilah, who prefers to lounge on the more modern sectional."
- Melanie (St. Petersburg, Florida)
"This is Bronte. Life is pretty exhausting for her... she alternates between the couch and the bed. I like this shot because it still reminds me of that moment. A Sunday afternoon, raining outside and I was sitting at my table, working while Bronte slept."
- Alice
"Later on in the afternoon, I stepped into my bedroom in need of a catnap as I'm fighting off a bad cold right now. I found our cat, Ziggy, laying there like the Queen of Sheba. Despite her haughty expression, she doesn't have a problem sharing."
- Vivian (Cambridge, Ontario)
"This is our Oriental cat, Polly, snoozing in the sun on the sideboard."
- Bec
"Here is a picture of our youngest cat, Muffin. She is sitting in the middle of my bed, in front of my favourite leafy cushions. :)"
- Sarah (Australia)
"Meet Atlas the Bullmastiff, 125 pounds of pure laziness and love. Getting him off this couch is harder than getting my two sons to clean their bathroom!"
- Marisa (Placitas, New Mexico)
"Dexter, my regal Great Dane, considers the couch his throne!"
- Sabra (San Diego)
"This is my foster cat, Trixie, a truly lovely pet, whom I hope found a loving family when she got back to the DSPCA (Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). The plaid is from Ikea and the Indian cushion cover comes from the Camden Market in London, bought 14 years ago but still showing vibrant colours."
- Hélianthe (Dublin, Ireland)
"This is my Maine Coon mix Fritz who apparently loves my vintage 1950's refinished dresser as much as I do. I can't keep him out of it long enough to load it up! The before picture is in the bottom right corner."
- Jenn (Sarasota, Florida)
BONUS: A big thanks to Tammy of Tel Aviv, Israel for sending this YouTube video that made her think of my Monday pets on furniture posts. It's a hoot. :)
Reader Comments (29)
That video made my week (along with the pix, of course, I am a regular Monday reader, actually, I read every day). Thanks for making me smile.
I don't blame Austin for loving that bedroom, it looks as comforting as freshly baked cookies!
the pets on furniture post is boring and too long, not to mention every monday?!? it's getting over the top. at a BARE minimum, cut the post shorter and let people click the actual post to see more "after the jump"
i come to a nice site to see design, furniture, interiors, materials, not pets.. no offence...
none - you come here and diss my pet posts and don't even leave your name and email? And if I get alot of photos I do cut the posts short. Sorry you had to do a bit of scrolling to pass it by.
I'm so proud to see my niece Bronte here! Looking as wonderful as ever. I never realised there were so many overworked, exhausted pets in this world. It's a hard-knock life.
These are all so lovely! Thank you for including Delilah and June.
Love this site. Fabulous. Week after week!
I look forward to every Monday! Im trying to capture my pets on furniture. Is a bean-bag considered a chair???
Muffin is very lady-like! warms my heart...
oh i love this video! i just put it up on my blog the other day! its so good!
doodledee, I'm not fussy about the furniture, as long as some is showing and it's not a close-up of your pet's head.
I agree with "none" above, the pets on furniture postings are silly. Kim, I will not leave my name or email either - it says optional and it's clear few people use their real names; this should not be a factor in evaluating comments on the site. (Feedback is a gift.) But I love the rest of the postings and the variety of design posts very much - my inspiration folders are full because of you guys!
none2, it's always people who leave negative comments that don't leave a name or email. and you just joined that group of people. every few pet posts we get someone who leaves a comment saying they don't like these posts. and as i always say, if you don't like them, then feel free to not stop by on Monday afternoons. it's as simple as that.
Or you can post the animal photos on a separate page for those who like the posts. Or listen to the apparently-frequent negative feedback and scale back on the pet photos. But you're right, it's just easier for a reader go elsewhere. That's good for business!
I for one love Pets on Furniture! Thank you for showing them.
I look forward to these posts every Monday and, while I am admittedly a pet-lover, I enjoy seeing the animals in their usually well-designed abodes. It's fun to see the submissions you receive from all over the world.
Pets on furniture is something that sets this design blog apart from others and keeps me coming back each and every Monday! Thank you again for featuring my baby Fritz! Love love love your blog and I would never stop reading... even if Monday's didn't include pets ;)
I enjoy the site and very much appreciate all the work that you both put in to it. I feel you have a right to post whatever you want, but having said that, I too find the Pets on Furniture boring and repetitive (and yes, I'm a loving pet-owner). Not "dissing" anything or trying to tell you what you should or should not be be posting...just offering an honest bit of feedback as a reader.
Also, I don't understand why you would expect people to leave their email address. Would you request the same when a reader has a compliment?
I think the Pets of Furniture post adds so much reader interaction to this blog! When I look at a piece of furniture, I wish I could say, "Oh those lines are amazing" but I don't. I say, "That fabric will be coated in dog hair in two days." And I think Mondays draws out those type of people who live in the same tension that I do: wanting to be creative and inspired, but balancing that with be it dogs, kids, or husbands who require functionality and usability matching design. There probably aren't a lot of readers who have immaculately clean, inspiring, designed spaces in their home (yet) that would be featured in a design blog without a professional photo shoot, and extensive staging. I know all of my rooms are a work in progress, rather slow 'real-life' sort of progress, and none of them would stand up to a bit of criticism from a community with a design eye. But the pets of furniture allows for a glimpse into the real progress homes of your readers, while being whimsical and fun, with the photos are centered on adorable pets. It's a win for me.
As I've said in the past when addressing the pet-post-haters, I will stop doing pets on furniture posts when I stop receiving submissions from readers. Until then the haters can scroll past or whatever they like. And Lin, I just find it amusing that 95% of the time when a negative comment is left on the blog the person hides behind a fake name and email.
Bronte, is my favorite one this week. He's precious laying there sleep.
Ha! June's position is hilarious! A great shot!
These Pets on Furniture posts always perk up my week! I love your blog--thank you for sharing with us.
Thanks so much for the Pets on Furniture posts - we have our own business and our spoilt staffy cross Holly is a fixture at work (she's sleeping next to my desk as I type). Love all the beautiful design posts that come through my RSS feed, but have to say that I look forward to Pets On Furniture every week for a guaranteed smile!
Kim - I normally don't comment on blogs at all, but the level of pettiness over the pets posts is too ridiculous to ignore! Sure, you welcome comments, but I'm sure what you seek is constructive criticism, not petty bickering about your work. It's your blog. You're kind enough to do the leg work and compile fabulous home pics for all to view. I truly appreciate the work you folks do here. If you want to include pet pics once a week, that's your prerogative. "None" wrote "I come to a nice site to see design, furniture, interiors, materials, not pets..." Well, 6 out of 7 days a week that's exactly what you get! When you go to the drug store to pick up your prescription, do you complain to the manager about the fact that they sell gum by the register! No! You walk right past it cause that's not what you're looking for right? I simply can't imagine how having to scroll down past a few animal pics could totally ruin someone's experience at this site enough for them to complain! How ungrateful. And how sad that of all things ANIMAL PICTURES could cause such a reaction! Really makes you wonder if people have souls anymore. "Aww, man. I really had my heart set on seeing kitchens this morning and instead this site FORCED ME TO LOOK AT A PUPPY! THE HORROR!!" I certainly hope they don't hesitate to vocalize their discontent on more pressing issues. We certainly live in a spoiled rotten society where people not only want to view materials created by others, but then have the audacity to criticize it when, if they could only get past their own ridiculous personal biases, they would realize that it's hardly a barrier to enjoying what is an truly inspirational site - pets and all. *steps off soap box*