The New Pet Bed

As a person who longed for a dog when I was a child, as soon as situation and space allowed, I jumped at the chance to bring a pet in to our family. This movement towards integrating pets in to our families is something that is ever increasing. For this reason, I decided to try to redesign the pet bed so that it moved on from the separate piece of furniture, that was usually an afterthought, to a piece of furniture that was as cohesive as the pet is to the family.

In my experience, with my German Shepherd Patti, pets see themselves as one with the pack and for this reason they try to sit where the humans sit, on couches and chairs. With an animal that sheds as much as a German shepherd, this was not a viable option! Thus ensued an attempt to find a bed just for her that would make her feel at home. At this I failed miserably!

When we were given the brief with the theme "Connections" and asked to solve an everyday problem, I thought this was my chance to solve a problem that I knew I was not alone in. I created a piece that was raised off the ground so that it would be at the same level as the other seating, while at the same time disguising the fact that the piece was a pet bed. I kept the frame simple, joined using a half lap, as I knew the weaving would be time consuming. In the end I used sisal to weave the bed, after a failed attempt to find a suitable non-porous material that could be used for weaving.

Overall, I am extremely pleased with the end aesthetic of the piece. It is a piece of furniture that looks like it could be used by any member of the family and indeed it could be repurposed as a footstool or low stool. Most importantly it is a space for the pet to relax, that can be placed in the centre of any room, not tucked away in a corner at floor level, like traditional dog beds. It is the pet bed that can take centre stage, just as our pets take centre stage in our lives.