Puppy Love

I love this picture of Bradley Cooper sitting in front of a huge photo of his dog, Samson.

Image via The Daily Treat

Sure, Bradley Cooper is pretty cute, but the picture of Samson is what really grabs my attention. I wonder what he’s looking at… maybe he spotted a squirrel, or he’s watching another dog walk by, or he sees supper on its way… Bradley rescued Samson from a kill shelter just a few weeks before he was going to be euthanized. After Samson died last year, Bradley had this beautiful portrait hung in his home to honour his four-legged buddy. Lying under the table is Charlotte, a Chow-Retriever mix that Bradley also rescued. Gotta love guy who has a soft sport in his heart for dogs :-)

If you’re a dog lover too, here are some ways you can incorporate some puppy love into your home, starting with dog art. Diane Schuller is one of my favourite photographers, and she has a great collection of dog photos. This is one of my favourites – there’s something about the back of a dog’s head that I find so sweet.

Here’s art that you could do yourself – a dog silhouette. I like how the simple silhouette is dressed up with a bandana.

Design by Georgie Girl Design

Pablo Picasso had a Dachshund named Lump (“lump” means “rascal” in German). I’m guessing he was the inspiration for Picasso’s simple line drawing, Le Chien. I’m certainly no artist, but I’m pretty sure it would be easy enough to create a similar drawing of your own dog.

Image via Stuff I Love

If you’re interested in learning more about Picasso and Lump, check out David Douglas Duncan’s book cleverly titled Picasso & Lump: A Dachshund’s Odyssey ;-)

You can accessorize with dogs, like these white ceramic dogs by Jonathan Adler.

Image via Interior Design Hound

The super-cool silver balloon dog. {Currently out of stock, but available from Anima Causa Boutique}

Image via The Zhush

Of course, accessorizing with the real thing is easy enough!

Image and photograph by William Waldron

ELLE Decor’s web site has a collection of fifteen photos called Dog Decor that feature lots of cute pooches making themselves right at home in their owners’ abodes :-)

Romeo, Yellow Lab
Design by Delphine Krakoff, photograph by Pieter Estersohn

Nigel & Rupert, Whippets
Decorator & owner James Andrew, photograph by Simon Upton

Buda, Hungarian Vizsla
Design by Nicholas Haslam, photograph by William Waldron

Why not add some puppy love to your walls? Wallpaper on lower wall by Emily Bond, framed dog silhouettes cut out from Osborne & Little’s Best in Show.

Image via House to Home

Another take on dog wallpaper from Thibaut, also called Best in Show.

Image via Park Place Mgazine March/April 2011, photograph by Laura Moss

Why limit yourself to dogs on walls – check out this sweet dog fabric by Eric Cohler for Lee Jofa called Unleashed. Love the large-scale houndstooth fabric on the settee as well :-)

 Images via Interior Design Hound and Acanthus & Acorn

I don’t know about you, but I’m definitely feeling the Puppy Love :-)