Apartment Living

with Stephanie Sterjovski Jolly

Stephanie Sterjovski Jolly is a lifestyle blogger, shop owner (For Such A Time Shop), and self-proclaimed crazy dog lady! Her heart’s purpose is to encourage women to live an intentional, grace-filled lifestyle through content that breathes life, hope, and inspiration. Stephanie currently lives in Toronto, Canada, with her husband Neal Jolly and their Parson Jack Russell Terrier, Lucy Jolly.

 

How does your dog make your house a home?

Lucy is the energy in our home! She’s so playful and silly—a typical Jack Russell Terrier. She definitely sets the temperature, and it is so hard not to laugh when she is around. She has the most ridiculous personality!

Coming through the door to her jumping up for a lick on our face, hanging out on the couch with her snuggled right against you in the blankets, cooking in the kitchen while she patiently plants herself by your feet—she’s in this place in every way!

What are your top styling and practical tips for living in an apartment or small space with a dog?

When we went for training Lucy, a defiant, dominant, highly energetic Jack Russell Terrier, our instructor said something that really stuck with us.

Your home is a place for your dog to rest.

We stimulate her in different ways and activities outside of our condo, but when she is here, we want her to feel like she can just relax and rest. We’ve created little pockets for her to take an afternoon nap: a cave-like bed, blankets on our couch for her to snuggle in (it also protects our couch) and keeping things pretty minimal to leave some margin for Lucy and us to live without it feeling cluttered. We’ve kept our condo very open concept with the choices we’ve made in terms of our couch, round coffee table (leaving space to walk around), and neutral color palette.

Does your dog influence your choice of color scheme and interior decor?

We had a gray love seat and some accent chairs before Lucy and it was a lot more cold, she definitely influenced our decision to get an L-shaped couch so we could all fit on there to snuggle! We subconsciously went with beige because it fit with our neutral style and disguised any of her dog fur!

You have an enviably stylish home. What are five things dog owners can do to make their apartment beautiful AND dog-friendly like yours?

That is so kind!

Our goal is for our home to feel welcoming and cozy.

1. We love a neutral, light color palette. (Could you imagine dark floors or a couch and seeing all that dog fur? This is a better way to disguise it all.)

2. Keep plants and any other fragile details up higher and out of your dog’s reach.

3. Use blankets to make your place feel cozy and layered in texture, but also to protect your couch and allow your dog to relax up on there.

4. A cute basket (with a lid) adds a nice touch of decor to your living area, while also storing away your dog’s toys in a neat and tidy way.

5. Lastly, just enjoy your life and let your dog feel comfortable. Treating our place like a museum isn’t a fun way to live, we don’t really look at anything as “too precious,” and we usually purchase home decor that’s in an affordable range, so we’re not too worried if accidents happen. Life is meant to be lived, and enjoyed, with dogs!

How can other dog mamas make their apartment balconies more pet-friendly?

Lucy loves to sunbathe on the balcony with us, but we never leave her unattended. Especially being a JRT, she can really hop like a kangaroo. She is generally quite nervous as she gets closer to the glass looking out, so thankfully she doesn’t test those waters, but we always keep her on a leash and we are close by keeping an eye. We added a little hook so we could attach a long leash and she can still roam around, but she can’t get too far! It always makes me sad seeing dogs left out on balconies unattended.

What one item could you, as a dog mama, not live without?

Probably our Dyson vacuum! Jack Russells shed a lot, so this has definitely been our saving grace. I’d say our blankets that I’ve mentioned a few times too. She’s never allowed up on our couch unless we have the protective, cozy blanket, and she actually prefers it that way as well!