Tatami vs. Flooring

We only have one room with tatami in our apartment. I covered it with flooring (“wood carpet”) since I wanted to use the room as a home office/atelier/etc and I feared to destroy the tatami with all the related messiness. I wish we could afford a dedicated tatami room/space with no specific use but as for now I need the space in that room for daily use.

I wonder how are tatami floors with a fur pet friend? I guess the cleaning (hair) has to be done on daily basis but I would love feedback from someone with the experience.

I love both types. I currently live in a place that has both. My office is in a flooring room. This makes using a chair with wheels much easier. I like wheeled chairs because it makes it easier to move around to grab documents and materials. I like sleeping on futon, so a tatami room is best. However, it is also easier to have guests stay in a tatami room, since the futon can be put in a closet most of the time and free up space that a bed would take up permanently. So I have a guest tatami room and use a tatami bed. The tatami bed has drawers underneath, too, where I keep my pajamas! :-)

The tatami is a bit more difficult to clean than the flooring rooms, so I tend to use it much less than my other rooms. On the other hand, since it is where I have my only air conditioner/heater, I tend to use the adjacent living/dining room the most. When I open the sliding shoji, it heats and cools the living area enough to make it livable.

The tatami room is where I put flower arrangements when I have the inclination. It's kind of my "mental health" space. The rest of my place is rather functional. I do have a lot of art in the genkan area, though. Most of it is art exhibitions that I did the English translations for. I feel good about this space when I have people come to the door.