Customer Reviews

Animal House Style: Designing a Home to Share With Your Pets

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Here's my take on some of the negitive comments made about this book - it may seem idealistic, but to me it's about raising the rep of "pet owner" to a new level, a higher standard. Working in an animal shelter as I do, I have seen what the author describes about abandoned animals and how easily they are discarded for frivolous reasons. I think a book like this is very needed not only to prove to people that owning a pet doen't mean being a dirty slob but it also reminds pet owners that they need to work out problems and try to think of creative solutions to issues they may encounter with their pets before they give up on a very special member of the family or resort to mutilating their animal (cat declawing).
Not all of us can afford designer furniture, that's true, but I have enjoyed seeing the photos of these animals and their loving owners who are showing the world that Fluffy or Spot have just as much right to sit on that million dollar couch as they do. I have seen sloppy pet owners and I think we all need to be reminded that we have a responibility to keep things on a higher level for the health of the animal as well as the impression we give to others.
Any book like this that promotes adoptiong animals from shelters and giving them good, loving, healthy and above all PERMANENT homes is truly invaluble.

I adore this book and plan to give it to all the pet lovers on my christmas list. It is so respectful and not condescending to animals and their owners, who sometimes go to great lengths to make their pets happy and comfortable. Owning pets should be a way of life, and IS a way of life for anyone that does it seriously and well. This book shows how people have opened their homes and their hearts to their animals through beautiful, unforgettable pictures and profiles.

I should imagine this book is a great hit with the NYC apartment upper income bracket, who have pets as fashion accessories and treat them like animated teddy bears. (Most of the resource references are also in NY). Not that it's not a pleasant read, it's a stylish and entertaining book. It made me feel better about having slip covers on my furniture. The author got of the point at times and did the usual mini-lectures on pets put in shelters and toxic cleaners like the rest of us don't get it, but being politically correct is not the same undertanding the needs of real animals or the people living with them on a daily basis. The author may do work in "rescue" as she claims, but so can anyone. I don't think she understand the needs of real pets living real lives and probably none of the people who love this book do either. The author didn't offer anything I didn't know or hadn't tried (and didn't work). And some of the materials she raves about as coverings, were trashed by my two dogs in one afternoon. White slip covers ("you can wash them") Yeah, about 3 times a day to keep them white if you have a pet who gets on the sofa. Nice glossy coffee table book though.

I found the title of this book to be misleading, as prior to purchase I believed it to be a guide to designing a home to better accommodate some of the unique challenges of living with animals. This is certainly not a guide; the writing is conversational and contains an abundance of pictures of well-known people, their pets and expensive, famous furniture. There is a resource section in the back of the book, but it is organized by chapter and page, not subject or solution. Specific information (product lines, etc.) is given, which is good (if you want to buy exactly that) and bad (information will become outdated). The most practical use I found were suggestions on fabric choices; I ended up buying an ultrasuede sofa in part because this book suggested it could withstand animals in good shape (it does).

I believe that the book is meant to show that living with animals in an accommodating way can be fashionable, and that the author had good intentions when writing the book. However, it seems dangerous to link animals to fashion, for what is fashionable can always become unfashionable. There are several instances in the book which discuss how well an animal is coordinated with a piece of furniture - that seems wrong to me.

The photography is very good and the layout attractive; if you like pets and fashion, the book may be a good match. If you are looking for a guide to pet proofing your home, you will be disappointed.

I think it would be accurate to say that my two Persians and my energetic Cocker Spaniel, Ben, "design" my living space. Ben definitely decides where to keep the half-chewed bones, squeeky toys and all the other little goodies he stashes away without my knowledge. He also determines how much of the bed space I am permitted to have and where the socks he retrieves from the clothes basket are best hidden. As for the cats, they too have claimed their space. Clothes dryers are for napping on, venetian blind cords are for swinging on and the coffee table makes an excellent place to stretch and bask in the sun.

Needless to say, this book holds a lot of "purr-fect" solutions for those of us who live not with "pets" but with feline, canine and other assorted companions. The book offers a variety of ways to help keep your home looking its best and contains some wonderful photographs. Alright, so the throw pillows are a little "dog-earred" and my favourite chair is already occupied, but considering the joy and love these friends bring to our family, who cares! My home may not meet the standards of Martha Stewart, but this book leans more to my style of living and it is worth every penny. "Animal House Style" makes a terrific coffee table book...except in my home, you may have to move twenty pounds of Persian fluff to find it!

This is a fabulous book to give as a birthday or holiday prezzie. I actually ordered five copies to keep in my present drawer. It's also a great wedding present or housewarmer for anyone who likes animals. Not only for pet lovers but for people with visual, creative, alert minds who are into the beauty of living well and designing well. It's offbeat enough to impress the recipient because it's a somewhat original concept. Too many coffee table gift books are formulaic. This one is not. The pictures of good-looking people in their great-looking pads are inspiring and FUN.

MEOW! The only decorating book I've ever read that treats animals as companions worthy of consideration when making design decisions. If you live with a couple of cool cats and want to recover your sofa, Szabo let's you in on some trade secrets. (Ultrasuede, for instance, is a sure way to discourage scratching.) Beautifully illustrated and intelligently written and reported, the book is filled with tons of useful tips and entertaining anecdotes. Thankfully, the writer always puts pets before possessions but teaches us how to create beautiful living spaces without sacrificing style. Truly enlightened perspective makes this a must read for any animal owner who cares about design and decoration.

I really enjoyed this one--I am the worst sucker for decorating books and this is the first I have seen that addresses how to live with pets and maintain a chic interior. It is inspiring--pets are excellent for our general well-being--and does offer some practical advice gleaned from stylish pet owners; for instance I would now consider white denim slipcovers and seagrass flooring or wood floors. I particularly enjoyed the "Elle Decor" calibre loft with 2 dogs & 3 cats & 3 parrots that call it home...tres chic in all white.

I question whether some of the reviewers actually read the book or just looked at the pictures. And others seemed more interested in questioning the background of the author (which if they had read the book would have known that she writes the pets column in the NY post).

Regardless of whether you would incorporate some of the designs into your own home or whether you feel they are out of your price range, there were plenty of good ideas and tips. The ones that I found most useful:
1. Discussion of fabrics for sofas that are easy to clean (because I, like the author, welcome my pets on my sofa)
2. Discussion of the different makers of scented sprays (specifically the tomato based spray) to help mask that pet odor that I've become oblivious to in my own home.
3. Hello, washable pillow covers. Cool ones are hard to come by so I was really excited to see the listings.

This is a thoughtful, beautiful and generous book. Animal House Style sets out to prove that you can have beautiful animals AND a beautiful house, and succeeds at this mission--illustrating in articulate words and gorgeous photographs a myriad of ways to make your pets, your guests and yourself comfortable without sacrificing style.

It is a joy to meet the animals who people this book, and their housemates. The author's love of animals, immense grasp of pet care information, and appreciation of stylish living shine through on every page. This is a book that every pet lover should own!