Heartbeat of the home

[link to ikea bin]

If you're anything like us, your pet is the heartbeat of your home.  This is our puppy Cooper, and here are some ways that we have given him a place in our home.

Eating Area.  Don't be afraid to make this as unique as the rest of your home. One of the best things I did in our new house was buy Cooper a rug ($10, Target). This provides an opportunity to tie the eating area in with the rest of your home while protecting the beautiful hardwood floors from all the splashing that can take place at the water bowl.

I keep Cooper's dog food in a bin I found at IKEA..  This makes it so easy to refill his bowl when his food gets low.  I got it in white, but I was very tempted to get the teal, so pretty!

Toy Box.  Cooper has more toys that you might expect.  I wanted to find a spot that was accessible to him while being out of the way.  The bottom shelf of a book shelf is perfect!  Stick the toys in a low profile basket and you're good to go!

Dog Bed.  We made this bed for Cooper using a vintage suitcase we found at a yard sale; he loves it!  It fits standard sized pillows, creating a perfect opportunity to reuse worn out pillows, AND you can easily wash the pillow case, as needed.

Dog Bed directions (via Hgtv)