Advanced Pet-Friendly Design: How to Create Homes That Care for People and Pets

In 2025, interior design focused on animal well-being is reshaping our homes to improve the lives of both pets and people alike. Far from just placing a water bowl in the kitchen, the current approach is multidimensional: it involves architecture, material selection, technology, and ecological awareness. Pet-friendly spaces also reflect global trends, responsible housing demands, and a new sensitivity towards universal design.

Why is pet-friendly design trending in 2025?

According to research by AS Chile, innovation, sustainability, and animal welfare are deeply interconnected within the modern housing landscape. The increase in pet-owning households (over 57% in Europe and America according to Statista data) drives architects, real estate agents, and furniture brands to rethink how to integrate pets into everyday life without sacrificing style or functionality.

• Pet adoption involves changes in layout, furniture selection, and circulation flows.
• Technology — such as cameras, GPS, or smart sensors — enhances animal safety and comfort.
• Furniture brands prioritize eco-friendly, antibacterial, and pet-resistant materials.

Keys to contemporary pet-friendly design

The key is not only to allow pets but to design inclusively for them, anticipating their needs and family dynamics.

• Zoning: Designated areas for play, rest, and feeding strengthen healthy routines and reduce animal stress.
• Washable surfaces and durable materials: Non-toxic paints, stain-resistant textiles, scratch-resistant vinyl flooring, and furniture without sharp corners.
• Integration of toys and aesthetic furniture: Beds, scratchers, and shelves designed to blend with the home's style without sacrificing design or comfort.

As noted by PetStory, multifunctional products — such as integrated scratchers, beds that blend with furniture, and eco-friendly textiles — elevate the experience for everyone.

Technological integration and new habits

Pet-friendly spaces are also advancing towards digitalization. Expo Mascotas & Animales 2025 showcased solutions such as responsible adoption platforms and the use of smart gadgets for real-time pet monitoring (El Mostrador). This approach allows anticipating behaviors, creating more stable routines, and detecting moments of stress or veterinary needs, promoting responsible pet ownership.

Safety, health, and sustainability: challenges of the near future

Equipping is not enough. Comprehensive solutions involve ensuring ventilation, odor control, injury prevention from furniture, and waste management with ecological logic. According to CV Amivet, environments must offer adequate spaces, controlled environmental conditions, and accessibility to veterinary services to guarantee animal health and well-being.

The next frontier in pet-friendly design is creating spaces that foster multisensory well-being, both for humans and domestic animals.

Emerging trends and innovation opportunities

Some disruptive proposals gaining presence in residential and commercial projects:

• Interactive play stations integrated into common areas.
• Automatic doors, rechargeable water bowls, and dispensers connected to monitoring apps.
• "Safe" vertical gardens and green areas adapted to specific species.

How to leverage digital tools in pet-friendly projects

Today there are visual solutions and AI, such as virtual staging, which allow for quickly designing spaces by integrating pet elements harmoniously and testing different options in minutes. This is key for real estate portals, developers, and designers who want to showcase the true potential of a multi-species home.

The pet-friendly design of the future will be collaborative, ecological, and responsive, adapting to new species and lifestyles. The opportunity is clear: those who bet on innovation in this field will find a growing demand and differentiation in residential and commercial projects.

Want to see more possibilities to integrate pets, technology, and well-being in your designs? Explore other trends on our blog or try Deptho's digital creativity to take your proposals one step further.