Let sleeping dogs lie: 8 stylish dog beds for cool canines

published 15 August 2017

What do The Fuzzy Duck, The Kingham Plough and The Wild Rabbit Inn have in common? They’re all restaurants and pubs in the Cotswolds that allow you to dine with your dog. This is the sort of invaluable information that delights the canine-loving visitors to www.petspyjamas.com and probably drives the dog-less mad. As will the personalised puppy towels and the choice of more than 100 doggy bandanas.

Canine indulgence is nothing new (in the 1920s, the Nawab of Junagadh is rumoured to have laid on lavish nuptials for his two favourite hounds), but, increasingly, it’s having an impact on the way we live - not just in the obvious ways, such as fully plumbed-in baths for dogs, but also in those features that are arriving by stealth.

One of these is the return of the throw, although these have nothing to do with rendering a room more cosy and everything to do with offering a surreptitious way to protect upholstery from moulting fur, mud and nail damage.

Another is the evolution of the dog basket - a decade ago, it was just that, a wicker basket that jostled for position between the central-heating boiler and assorted pairs of muddy boots. However, now that many dogs have a licence to roam - and sleep - pretty much where they please, the pressure is on to create dog beds and bedding that look at home in the company of furniture designed for humans.

One of the best sources of dog furniture sympathetic to smart interiors was set up by sisters Christine and Jenny Chau (0161–848 8702; www.charleychau.com), owners of four exquisite Italian greyhounds that feature in the company’s imagery. The emphasis is more on aesthetics than the pampering of pooches and the range includes everything from a discreet day bed (choose from a combination of tangerine and claret or teal and fuchsia) to a more stately rattan design that’s presumably for those impoverished canine souls that don’t share their owners’ beds. The design that scores highest for indulgence is the Snuggle bed, which ingeniously combines a fleece-covered cushion with a built-in duvet.

Another retailer that upholds the right of dogs to snooze in style is OKA (01235 433930; www.oka.com), but the company doesn’t just stop at dog beds and fake-fur throws: its Crackle Dash pet bowl is as chic as the rest of its range. The days of the outdoor kennel seem a dim and distant memory.

8 STYLISH BEDS FOR DESIGN-CONSCIOUS DOGGIES

Deeply Dishy Luxury Dog Bed, £120, from Charley Chau

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Handmade BIG SNOOZE dog bed, POA, by DOnG by Sfera

Mowbray Dog Bed Frame & Faux Fur Bed Liner, £763, from OKA

Dog bed in greyfriars wool tartan, £995 with 20% of each UK sale donated to the Grassmarket Community Project and RAFT, from Savoir Beds

Day Bed Mattress in Velour Contrast, £70, from Charley Chau

Barbour tartan dog bed, from £39.95, from Orvis

Cherry red contemporary dog sofa, from £1,244, by Katalin zu Windischgraetz

Handmade wooden dog crate, from £475, by Hunt & Wilson

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Giles Kime is Country Life's Executive and Interiors Editor, an expert in interior design with decades of experience since starting his career at The World of Interiors magazine. Giles joined Country Life in 2016, introducing new weekly interiors features, bridging the gap between our coverage of architecture and gardening. He previously launched a design section in The Telegraph and spent over a decade at Homes & Gardens magazine (launched by Country Life's founder Edward Hudson in 1919). A regular host of events at London Craft Week, Focus, Decorex and the V&A, he has interviewed leading design figures, including Kit Kemp, Tricia Guild, Mary Fox Linton, Chester Jones, Barbara Barry and Lord Snowdon. He has written a number of books on interior design, property and wine, the most recent of which is on the legendary interior designer Nina Campbell who last year celebrated her fiftieth year in business. This Autumn sees the publication of his book on the work of the interior designer, Emma Sims-Hilditch. He has also written widely on wine and at 26, was the youngest ever editor of Decanter Magazine. Having spent ten years restoring an Arts & Crafts house on the banks of the Itchen, he and his wife, Kate, are breathing life into a 16th-century cottage near Alresford that has remained untouched for almost half a century.