Happy Monday Morning!
Did you all have a nice weekend and get some chocolates or roses for Valentine's Day? Or perhaps dinner out or a quiet dinner at home by the fire. Whatever you received or did on this special weekend, I hope you enjoyed it and were pampered just a little!
Today's moodboard is all about dogs! Also known as "man's best friend", I prefer to refer to them as a "girl's best friend". No matter who the master or mistress is, a dog really can be the best friend one has ever had. Not only do they offer unconditional love, loyalty, pure joy and enthusiasm, they can also offer a calming influence and lower a person's blood pressure just by being there. I could go on endlessly about the joys of ownership and companionship, but the point of this post is to see how dogs have been loved, adored and memorialized through art, sculpture, design, poetry and books with some of the most decadent homes, beds and jewelry one could imagine!
And even though man and dog have been living side by side for over 15,000 years, never before in history has there been such an infatuation, or plain old love affair, with dogs! While some may serve as service dogs for individuals, military, police, etc., most are just plain old pets who are there to offer us comfort and amusement. Whatever the breed or need, once they sneak into your heart, they are there forever!
Pampering dogs has become a multi billion dollar a year business. The smitten dog owners just can't spend enough money on their best friends. Let's take a peak at what's out there for those very lucky dogs and see how besotted owners decorate their homes with dog paraphernalia.
Let's start with dog art. Dog art has been around for thousands of years and owners today like nothing more than to have portraits done of their pets.
Veranda
John Emms
Landseer
William Trood
Click for William Secord Gallery
Tade Syker
Mary Sparrow Smith
Carolyne Roehm's home
Decorator Robert Kime's home
Brooke Astor's Foyer
Interior Designer Mario Buatta's living room
Brooke Astor's glass dachshund
Jeff Koon's puppy at the Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain
Ai Weiwei's dog sculpture
(I saw this installation in front of the Plaza Hotel, NYC, in 2011)
Dog sculptures Anna Huntington
Museum of Fine Art, Boston
Garden statuary
Source Unknown
Jeff Koons' puppy vase
Wallpaper
Wallpaper
Textile dog screen in home of Furlow Gatewood
Toile dogs
Toile hunting scene
Hooked rug by Claire Murray
Peter Bowron & Carolyn Rose Rebbert
Tamsin Pickeral
Tim Flach
William Secord
Paul Nathan
Judith Watt
Celia Haddon
Joanna Sandsmark
(The last 3 books above are mine)
Saks
Boston Terrier - Raymond Yard
Grace Kelly's Cartier Poodle
Betsey Johnson
All of the above is an example of how we honor and memorialize our beloved pets with personal favorites like jewelry and in our homes with decor. Now, we'll see how besotted dog owners adorn their dogs and dog quarters.
Tumblr
Modenus
Dog bed
Taillardat.fr
Jean Baptiste Sene
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Mahogany dog bed Pawsh Magazine
Faux fur dog beds Frontgate
Frontgate
Domaine Home
The Cottage Market
Traditional Home
Google
Paris Hiltons $300,000 dog house for her nine dogs.
Dog food station
Domaine Home
Google
Bejewelled collar Sassypup
Sassypup Diamond Tulip $150,000
Sassypup
Sassypup
So you can see what's happening in the world of dogs.....there's no end to what you can find for your pampered pet or how much money you can spend. According to Wikipedia, "the list of goods, services and places available for dogs is enormous - from dog perfumes, groomers, therapists, trainers and caretakers, dog cafes, spas, parks and beaches, dog hotels, airlines and cemeteries." And don't forget dog jewelry, couture and gourmet food!
But in the end, all your beloved pet needs or wants is to feel loved. And money can't buy that!
“A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.”
—Josh Billings (a.k.a. Henry Wheeler Shaw; humorist and lecturer)
