Luxury Housing Trends & Home Improvement Ideas

People like to put fish in some interesting places. Fortunately, we’re here to tell you about them. If the aquarium toilet, aquarium sink, and aquarium kitchen backsplash weren’t enough for you, check out this aquarium table, a perfect interest piece that can double as the living room coffee table. Sold by the Be Creative company, the tables start at $1,400 (fish, rocks and gravel, and shipping not included) with custom tables available if you’d like one made to your specifications.

http://aquarium-tables.com

So, you want to know how to stop a dog from barking. I’m not sure using an electronic gadget is the best way, but if it’s your neighbor’s dog that is out yapping in the yard all night long, you may not have many choices. Smarthome sells a device called the Bark Smart Deluxe for about $50. You mount it on a tree or fence, and it uses an ultrasonic tone (triggered by the dog’s barking) that dogs find unpleasant; the noise is supposed to correct the dog instantly and humanely. With a range of 50 feet, the device can stop your neighbor’s dog from barking too. The device is waterproof and UV resistant and runs on four D batteries.

Bark Smart Deluxe

If you enjoy watching the birds who stick it out through the winter, a feeder is an easy way to bring them to your window. Now, if you live in a log home or a rustic-style house, a modernist birdhouse just won’t do. Gardeners Supply is willing to help you out with this quaint Birdseed Log Cabin. Hand-crafted from pearl millet stalks, it’s big enough to support finches, nuthatches, and chickadees. The birdfeeder costs $40 and is available on their web site under the birding, etc section.

http://www.gardenerssupply.com

Many people enjoy watching birds visit seed bags or birdhouses in their yard. If you’ve got a nice house, you might not want some dumpy old birdhouse from Fred Meyer hanging from the eaves. To address this, Modern Birdhouses has come up with classy architecture for birds. Inspired by famous 20th century architects, the “modernist” birdhouses are hand-made from teak. An oil finish protects them from the elements, and stainless steel hardware prevents rust and corrosion. The birdhouses have a 1 3/8″ opening, big enough to accomodate visitors such as wrens, bluebirds, and chickadees. The prices for these designer birdhouses range from $150 to $175, depending on the model.

http://www.modernbirdhouses.com/

Remember the good ol’ days of dogs sleds and sheep herding? You know when pets actually worked for their dinner? Mark Schuette, a designer in Bend, Oregon, has come up with a way for your dog to get a work out while you get a free ride. His “dog powered scooter” combines a scooter with a padded pulling harness that fits around your hound’s shoulders and is connected to the scooter’s foot plate. The dog runs slightly behind and to the side of you, providing you with good steering and braking control (aka no veering off the path and into a tree when Fido sees a squirrel). Schuette recommends only using the scooter with dogs larger than 40 pounds. The basic single dog scooter costs $290.

http://www.dogpoweredscooter.com/

Let’s face it. It’s hard to show off your posh, elegantly decorated house when there are dog and cat hairs all over everything. Scat Mat is a battery-operated mat designed to teach pets to stay off the furniture. Your pet will receive a harmless tingling sensation akin to a static electricity shock. It won’t hurt pets, but it will convince them to stay off the area they come to associate with the mat. Eventually you can remove the mat, and they’ll continue to keep off the furniture. According to the manufacturer, Scat Mat works for both cats and dogs and can be used anywhere from beds to couches to kitchen counters. Different sizes are available depending on how much surface area you need to cover. Amazon has a number of sizes available: Scat Mat

It can be a pain finding someone to house sit your cats and dogs and hardly seems worth the effort if you’re only going to be gone for a couple days. The answer may be an automatic pet feeder. Online retailer, A Trendy Home, offers the Auto Pet Dish, a food dispenser with a 96-hour timer that can store up to five meals. Two ice packs keep the food fresh. You can store 11 ounces of wet food or 1 3/4 cups of dry food in each of the five compartments. One AA battery operates the pet feeder. Expect to pay about $80 for this handy food dish.

http://www.atrendyhome.com/

If your dog is suffering in the hot summer heat, and the dog house air conditioner isn’t a practical buy, a Canine Cooler is a cheaper and more versatile alternative for keeping your buddy cool. Put out by Maverick Marketing Ventures, the Canine Cooler uses SoothSoft® Comfort Technology to “give your dog comfort that is second to none.” The mat is supposed to be easy to clean and doesn’t require any refrigeration. It contains no toxic gel or other harmful materials. Amazon sells them for under $50: Canine Cooler Mat

The summer isn’t just hot for humans. If your dog lives outside, and you want to make sure she stays comfortable while you’re gone all day, you can check out Pet Cool’s dog house air conditioner (and there’s a heater for the colder months). The Pet Cool unit attachs to the dog house and runs about $500. “PET Cool adjusts automatically to maintain a constant comfortable range of temperatures in winter and summer while providing additional functionality as a de-humidifier. PETCool means peace of mind for all pet owners.”

Dog House Air Conditioner & Heater by Pet Cool