PETS
If children aren’t an option, a pet will do. Canines have lived with humans for at least fifteen thousand years, helping our forebears to hunt and stay warm, and protecting them from predators. All that time getting to know one another has paid off: No other animal can recognize human behavioral cues as well as dogs (even better than some humans). By the time the first dog show was held in late-nineteenth-century England, dogs had moved from workers to status symbols. Today, man’s best friend is just as subject to judgment as any other accessory, so we’ve created an easy-to-use chart for finding the right breed for your home.
Cats, on the other hand, present a difficult challenge, in that they play by their own rules and aren’t as easy to parade about town. A scientific study determined that the difference between cat and dog people is exactly what you think: Cat people are neurotic and dog people are social and easygoing, regardless of gender. Since declawing is patently inhumane, only homeowners with concrete and steel interiors should risk cat ownership, lest the feline fiends tear a vintage Knoll sofa to shreds. (Unlike kitties, a dog can be trained to stay off the furniture.)
Whichever animal companion you choose (and we strongly advocate for dogs), they do require special habitats. A variety of beds, kennels, and scratching posts are featured on the following pages, including styles that will accommodate even the most serious minimalist.
Breeding Ground Rules
Dogs come in so many shapes, sizes, colors, and textures, that it can be hard to believe they are actually the same species. Here we help you simplify the process of choosing the right canine for your lifestyle. Adoption should be your first avenue for securing a pet, so that you can smugly tell friends and neighbors that he/she is a “rescue,” but if the shelter doesn’t stock an ideal match (this is especially true for the more exotic varieties) then head to a reputable breeder.
 BOSTON TERRIER |
 CHIHUAHUA |
 MUTT |
 PUG |
 MUTT |
 VIZSLA |
 MUTT |
 SALUKI |
 BASENJI |
 WHIPPET |
PRACTICAL CONSIDERATION
For a list of suitable names refer to page 146. Otherwise, you can simply name the pup “Chien.” Extra points for making his/her middle name “Andalou” after the surrealist Salvador Dalí movie of the same name or “Andalusia” after the Pixies song “Debaser,” which was inspired by the film. Even more points for teaching the dog to come when you yell, “Slicing up eyeballs!”
Modern architecture does not mean the use of immature new materials; the main thing is to refine materials in a more human direction.
ALVAR AALTO (1898–1976)
One of the most prolific and famous modern architects, Aalto had a career that spanned the 1920s to the 1970s. He designed buildings, textiles, furniture, and glassware. Perhaps because most records kept on Aalto are in Finnish, there is little available information about his personal life, aside from his two seemingly happy marriages. Both wives were architects; the second worked in his office as an assistant.
Notable Works: Aalto vase for Ittala. Three-legged stacking stool. Essen Opera House, Germany.
Sleeping Dogs
Dogs and cats require special sleeping areas. To ensure that their bedding is in keeping with the design schema of the house, we combed specialty pet stores and boutiques to find superior, well-designed products. These pet beds promise to serve their animals without providing visual distraction for owners.
FATBOY DOGGIELOUNGE
Finnish designer Jukka Setälä first created the Fatboy as a contemporary beanbag chair. The brand has since branched out into hammocks and dog beds. The Doggielounge is filled with tiny polystyrene balls and is easy to wipe clean. Plus, it is available in classic Marimekko patterns.
KITTYPOD
This corrugated cardboard bowl sits on a four-legged maple X-shaped base. Artist Elizabeth Paige Smith created the bed/scratch post for her cat Simon. Today she’s turned the design into a successful business run out of Venice, California.
HOLDEN DESIGNS
Unhappy with the selection of dog beds and feeders available in pet stores, architect Jon Wesley Rahman started Holden Designs. His creations include a raised dog bowl and this bentwood bed frame reminiscent of the Eames molded plywood chair.
PRACTICAL CONSIDERATION
Cat litter pans are unsanitary and unsightly. No matter what kind of shredded pine or ceramic chip litter you fill it with, the ammonia scent of feline urine is hard to mask. If it’s at all possible, train your pussy to use the toilet. (It may take less time if you’ve plunked down for one of the more high-tech commodes that flush themselves.) If potty training isn’t happening, line the pan (ironically of course) with British tabloids.
