Los Angeles based designer Erika Brunson has three cats: Boots, Edie, and Girlie. While she loves pets, Brunson has not designed her own home nor has she designed other homes with pets in mind. “They will incorporate themselves in a design whether you want them to or not,” she says.
Lisa Dunlap, the head of Brunson’s custom line does have some suggestions for a pet friendly design. “Animals like things that are nice and soft,” she says. She offers cotton or faux suedes as possibilities. She also suggests that a pet owner may want to get a bed for their pet in the same color as the rest of the room. But, Dunlap warns, not all fabrics are good for pets. For example, a cat owner, aware of their pet’s claws, may not want to use silk or velvet in their home.
Brunson’s custom line consists mainly of reproductions or reinterpretations of classic pieces. The origins of the line come out of classic French furniture, but there are also some Asian inspired pieces as well as reinterpretations of art deco classics.
The line includes timeless classics and exquisite period pieces that work equally well in traditional or contemporary interiors. Reproductions of Louis XV Chairs from the Charles Wrightsman collection, a console which belonged to the late Michael Taylor, chairs associated with Billy Baldwin and Kalef Alaton, dramatic pieces in the style of Thomas Johnson such as the Twig Chair and Twig Console, a coffee table from the estate of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and a rock crystal lamp as seen in Coco Chanel’s famous apartment are some of the highlights of the line.
Pet lovers don’t need to worry about Brunson’s line. Although they are classy and elegant, “almost all the pieces are pet friendly,” Erika promises.
Profits from sale of the furniture and accessories in her custom line are donated to environmental and animal rights organizations, including World Wildlife Fund, Environmental Defense Fund, The Wilderness Society, Sierra Club, The Nature Conservancy, The Jane Goodall Institute, Greenpeace, PETA, The Humane Society and ASPCA. No matter the material on the pieces, there is no question that Erika Brunson is a pet friendly designer.
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