If you have a furry friend at home, it’s safe to say they are your best friend – and just as much a part of the family as anyone else. Indeed, according to home renovation and design platform, Houzz, more than three-in-five pet owners actively consider their pets when making decisions about home renovations, with designers on the platform noting a rise in pet-specific requests during home remodels. “Whether it’s considering the best materials or layouts for our furry friends, or even integrating bed nooks, built-in dog showers or clever feeding stations, pets are an important consideration when designing a home that works for all the family,” says Katie Greenhalf, director at KG Lifestyle & Interiors. “And as a result, people are keen to integrate items for them within their interior design scheme,” she enthuses. Bespoke storage is all the rage “For many people, storage is a key part of designing where they live – and considering your pet within this, is integral to a design that works for everyone in the home. Greenhalf continues: “We’ve had clients request bespoke cupboards in the kitchen for a pet’s food; easily accessible for pets but also hidden away to keep things clean and tidy, and tucked away from toddlers too; integrated dog showers into the utility room and creating dog beds in the under-stairs area.” Stylish sleep spaces are trending For proud pet owners, dedicated spaces for pets are no longer hidden away, but are now at the centre of the design. According to Houzz’s survey, a quarter of pet owners have created a built-in nook for their pet’s bed. “It isn’t as crazy as it might sound, as a dedicated nook can be positioned out of the way, rather than in the middle of the floor like standard pet beds and cushions,” explains Amanda Pollard, senior editor, Houzz. “It also allows owners to locate their pet’s bed in a kitchen or living space, rather than having them sleep in a separate space away from family life.” If you’re thinking about commissioning a bespoke piece of furniture for your living room, she suggests including an integrated sleep space for your dog – so it ties into the design of your room. “For furry friends of the smaller variety, such as cats or petite pooches, you can carve out an area in a sideboard for a little built-in bed,” suggests Pollard. A-list access is also top of the agenda And it’s not just sleep spaces being incorporated into design plans either – how pets can get in and out of your home is another important factor to consider. Especially with big swathes of glazing becoming increasingly popular, deciding where the humble old cat flap should go can be a slight hurdle. Dominic McKenzie, director at Dominic McKenzie Architects came up with an innovative idea to overcome this. “We recently designed a house with wall-to-wall glazing across the rear elevation, but the owners’ cat needed a way to get in and out. “We devised this special entrance through one of the cupboard doors in the kitchen, which leads onto a cat flap to the outside,” he explains. “We made the cat’s doorway house-shaped to give it a special character – the cat is very happy.” Homeowners are always very keen to make their pets’ lives better as part of a renovation – as well as everyone else in the family, says McKenzie. “There’s usually a dedicated area devoted to the pet – and often their ways in and out of the property are high on the list of priorities when planning the project!” But what if there isn’t any space on the ground floor for a cat flap? Leah Chisnall, interior design project manager for Absolute Project Management, shares a creative approach for cat access in these instances… “We’ve had two projects that included rear extensions with beautiful full-length glazing, and no space for a cat flap,” says Chisnall. “As a solution, we created cat flaps on the first floor (in a study and a bathroom) and included bespoke cat staircases from the first floor to the garden, for the family cats to use.” Feeding stations are increasingly fashionable And for those muddy paws and messy food bowls, innovative spaces for feeding and bathing are also high on the renovation wish list. According to Houzz’s survey, one in five homeowners have added a built-in pet area for bathing or feeding into their homes – and for Absolute Project Management, it’s a top request from recent clients. “The dog featured here is the very lovely Biscuit, belonging to one of our previous clients,” discloses Chisnall. “As part of their terrace house renovation, we converted a fairly snug ground-floor WC into a dog shower room. “We built a short tiled shower wall to enclose the space, fitted a stone (splash-proof) shelf for shampoo bottles and fur brushes, hooks for towels and dog leashes, and made sure the shower waste was large enough (with an adequate catcher) for the excess dog fur!” explains Chisnall. Cats aren’t missing out on dedicated spaces either, as Leah shares another project where her team created a beautiful cat litter room for a client. “We carved out a small space in an under-stairs cupboard with a hole in the hallway door for the cat to get in – and beautiful stone flooring for the litter box to go on,” says Chisnall. “It was a very luxe and practical solution to keep it out of sight!” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Sex Education season 4: How vintage finds help characters get their unique style Groundbreaking migraine treatment offers ‘new hope’ for patients ‘Millions of women and girls suffer severe pain’ during periods – research finds

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LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 1, 2023--

Lewis Hamilton has told Max Verstappen to stop complaining after his rival criticised Formula One’s maiden race on the Las Vegas strip as “99 per cent show, and one per cent sport”. Verstappen’s controversial remarks – which will irk F1’s American owners’ Liberty Media following their estimated £400million gamble to bring the sport back to Sin City for the first time in 41 years – arrived just moments after a glittering Superbowl-style opening ceremony on Wednesday night. John Legend and Kylie Minogue were among a number of high-profile artists to perform in a dazzling 30-minute show designed to kick-start the penultimate round of the season, billed as the greatest show on earth. The grid’s 20 drivers were also presented to the crowd ahead of Saturday night’s 50-lap race which F1 executives are using to build on the sport’s growing popularity in the United States. The race in Nevada joins Austin and Miami as the third in America. But moments after a fireworks display brought the curtain down on the glittering welcome party, Verstappen, crowned triple world champion in Qatar last month, was quick to pour scorn on the event. “It is 99 per cent show and one per cent sporting event,” said the 26-year-old. “I was just standing up there, looking like a clown. “I guess they (F1) still make money whether I like it or not. So it’s not up to me. But I’m not going to fake it. “I voice my opinion on positive things and negative things. That’s just how I am. And you know, some people like the show a bit more. I don’t like it at all. “I grew up just looking at the performance side of things. And that’s how I see it as well. I like to be in Vegas, but not so much for racing.” However, responding to criticism, Hamilton, 38, said: “I hear there are a lot of people complaining about the direction that (F1 CEO) Stefano (Domenicali) and Liberty has gone. But they are doing an amazing job. “The sport continues to grow. It is a business and you will still see good racing here. It is a country to tap into and really captivate the audience. “We needed to have at least two races in the US, one wasn’t enough, and this is one of the most iconic and unique cities that they have here. “It is a big show for sure, and it is never going to be like Silverstone, but maybe over time, the people in this community will grow to love the sport. “Maybe the track will be good, and maybe it will be bad. It was so-so on the simulator. But don’t knock it until you try it.” The debut race on the strip, which starts at 10pm local time, comes after three consecutive rounds in Austin, Mexico and Brazil and ahead of next weekend’s concluding race in Abu Dhabi – a weary time swing of 12 hours. The circuit itself features 17 corners over 3.8 miles along the famous Las Vegas Boulevard, and against the backdrop of Caesars Palace, the Venetian and the Bellagio. It is expected that the drivers will hit speeds in excess of 210mph, but Verstappen said: “The track is not very interesting with not many corners. “It will depend a little bit on how grippy it is. It doesn’t look like there’s much grip.” Verstappen has won 17 of the 20 rounds so far, while it is approaching two years since Hamilton, in his Mercedes, has tasted victory. Hamilton, who will get his first taste of the street track in opening practice at 8:30pm local time on Thursday (4:30am GMT on Friday) continued: “From a racer’s perspective, you want to have the best show here. “If the track provides a race like Baku – which is one of the best races with lots of overtaking – than that would be amazing, rather than just one car disappearing into the distance. “Everybody I know in Hollywood is coming and there will be a lot of business going on this weekend. “It will be a good spectacle to watch, even for those back home who have never been to Vegas. They will get to learn what it is all about.” Read More Toto Wolff fuelled by ‘personal anger’ to help Lewis Hamilton win eighth title On this day in 2010: Sebastian Vettel becomes youngest ever F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton ‘counting down days’ to end of season after another poor race Max Verstappen thwarts Lando Norris’ bid for first F1 win with sprint victory On this day in 2015: Susie Wolff ends her bid to get on an F1 starting grid Lando Norris ‘gutted’ to miss out on Brazilian GP pole after McLaren blunder

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GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley says she’s concerned about the new allegations levied at Donald Trump by the Justice Department, a sign that the Republican field may be growing more comfortable with openly criticising the former commander-in-chief. Ms Haley was speaking in an interview that aired on Sunday on CBS’s Face The Nation when she was asked about new charges filed by the Department of Justice in a superceding indictment this past week accusing Mr Trump of showing classified information to guests at his Bedminster, New Jersey golf club — as well as a new charge of obstructing justice. The former UN ambassador, appointed under Mr Trump, responded that she was very concerned “if these accusations are true”. The most recent accusations, notably, are supported by an audio recording of the Bedminster meeting in question in which Mr Trump can be heard exclaiming that documents he was holding (or gesturing to) were classified. “I think we need to see it,” Ms Haley said, presumably referring to the extent of the DoJ’s evidence. “You know, I think we've heard about it. I think that we know that there's something out there. But look, everybody's innocent until they're proven guilty. And like I said, if this is true, it's incredibly dangerous to our national security. And I think that will play out, but I think that we have to go and see what all the facts are.” She added: “[I]f these accusations are true, it's incredibly dangerous to our national security. But again, this is coming down from a Department of Justice that, frankly, the American people don't trust. “ Mr Trump’s latest criminal indictment — his second — brings the total number of charges he now faces up to 74, split among state and federal jurisdictions. A third is expected to drop within days, charging him with crimes related to the months-long effort by his team to change the 2020 election results including his actions leading up to and during the January 6 attack. Altogether, the charges depict an unprecedented pattern of criminality stemming back from before Mr Trump was ever elected to the stunning end of his administration in January 2021. He now battles for the 2024 Republican nomination, eager to use the powers of the presidency to thwart as much of the legal pressure he now faces as possible, while facing a crowded GOP field seemingly undaunted by his continued polling dominance and utter rout of his party rivals in 2016. Mr Trump has denied guilt in any of the dozens of criminal counts of which he is accused, and maintains that the Justice Department is conspiring with the Biden White House to block him from the presidency. Read More Chris Christie slams Trumps as ‘Corleones with no experience’ Right-wing TV host at Trump rally denies he wants to kill liberals, globalists, and RINOs Trump returns to first impeachment roots by saying Ukraine aid should be linked to Biden probes Only four out of dozens of former Trump cabinet members say he should be re-elected Nikki Haley urges McConnell and Feinstein to ‘walk away’ after recent health concerns Donald Trump's defamation lawsuit against CNN over 'the Big Lie' dismissed in Florida