Pet advice: why the ideal dog-friendly home is a ‘leap of faith’

Buying off-the-plan can come with plenty of uncertainties but there is a way to deal with that head on.

It can be nerve-racking buying a property off the plan, but for one couple, not being able to physically walk through their prospective apartment was the least of their worries.

Nic and Matt Toohey and their pugs, Simba and Bosley, had made the transition from Western Australia to Melbourne when a great business opportunity was presented.

Settling into a new job and city pre-Covid was exciting for Matt, but for Nic, buying into a newly designed complex near the heart of the city was even more thrilling.

Of course, Covid would then throw a spanner in the works, with the construction delayed several times before completion.

Nic and Matt Toohey and their pugs, Simba and Bosley.

As the move-in date edged closer and with lockdown still ongoing, Nic started researching for ideas through Houzz and reached out to My Beautiful Abode interior designer, Sophie Kost, for help.

“I guess I know my own weakness, and creativity and spatial awareness is not my forte. We had already waited so long to be able to move into the apartment with so many delays, and when we finally could move it, we wanted it to be perfect,” says Nic.

With a rolling lockdown in Melbourne, the opportunity to sit down with Sophie to discuss a design brief was also lost. So now, having not seen the apartment in real life, Nic was also handing over creative control to a designer she could not meet up with.

Buying off the plan worked out well for the Nic and Matt Toohey.

“For the first conversation over Zoom, Sophie wanted to know about how we live and what kind of style we were drawn to … that was a very short conversation from our end. We would leave all the styling up to Sophie. The only condition from us really was that it had to be pug friendly.”

The three-bedroom apartment would ultimately be transformed into a two-bedder with a study, as Nic works from home, but not before many more Zoom calls were had.

Even with Sophie choosing furniture, the lockdown meant that no stores were open to allow the couple to see the items in actuality.

“Everything we did was a leap of faith. It wasn’t possible to give us a shopping list and have us go get it. Things like cushions that we didn’t get straight away were out of stock online, so Sophie had to start again.”

"Take me with you" Pug Puppy Throw Pillow. Cushion $55.55. Picture: zazzle.com.au

PET-FRIENDLY HOME PERFECTION

After much ado, Nic and Matt finally made it into their new home, just in time for lockdown number six – not that they were complaining.

“Coming home now feels like I am walking into a nice hotel,” says Nic.

The pugs, in particular, have settled in nicely she says, with a comfy “pug-toned” sofa hiding any hair they may shed.

Sunny days.

“We didn’t want anything to stand out. We wanted a clean and minimalist home,” says Nic.

Sophie says aside from working with basic marketing literature supplied by the builder to understand the layout, the beloved pugs were also key to fulfilling the design challenge.

“The apartment had to be pug-friendly so when it came time to choose colours and materials I looked for ones that would help disguise the hair. We went for a chenille fabric in a pug colour, and the rug in the living space is a silvery grey that works back with that.”

mattblatt.com.au Pug Dog Quilt Cover Set.

Geometric shapes feature on the facade of the 108sqm apartment, which are then echoed on the kitchen cabinets, and with a large breakfast bar, the couple did away with a dining room. A large outdoor balcony will soon be furnished for when they entertain.

“Matt plays the guitar and has a growing record collection he needed to put somewhere and they felt they didn’t need a dining table,” says Sophie.

“The breakfast bar is big enough for the two of them, so we turned that area into a music room with a stunning bespoke cabinet.”

A large scale image by famed Australian photographer Kara Rosenlund, showcasing Western Australia’s stunning Ningaloo Reef also hangs in this space, linking the couple to their former state.

ilovemy.pet welcome mat

Nic says being one of the first to buy off the plan had its perks, including being able to snag one of the biggest apartments in the complex with lots of natural light, an oversized master suite and a big 78sqm balcony.

“We will have a patio put in, so it will be another room where we can entertain. It made no sense for us to have a dining table just for us.

Worth the trouble.

“We didn’t want to clutter the apartment with furniture, we wanted an open and spacious place. Plus, really, the only thing that would’ve ended up on the dining table would be my washing, or my keys,” says Nic.

More: My Beautiful Abode

Originally published as Pet advice: why the ideal dog-friendly home is a ‘leap of faith’