Fishbone House. Photo: Pote Pet Furniture Cat condos and dog beds can be awkward, cumbersome eyesores. Covered in matted beige carpet or crocheted gingham blankets, they tend to disrupt a room, no matter how stylish the rest of your furnishings are. What options are there for the more discerning decor and animal lovers? These designers cast a stylish eye over that oft-overlooked genre – pet furniture. Their handsome, practical, minimalist pieces uphold the principles of modern furniture design – fashion and function – catering to those who want to keep their furry friends stylishly warm, sheltered and entertained.
1. Meyou Cat Crib
Aude Sanchez and Guillaume Gadenne are the Parisian designers behind Meyou. Their designs, including their three signature cat cribs (“Ball”, “Cube” and “Bed”), will stylishly fuse into any minimalist living space. As the company says: “Research has shown that cats – predators by nature – need a place to hide, play, relax and observe their surroundings without being spotted or disturbed. They need their own kingdom. But their kingdom is in our kingdom. So let’s please everyone!”
Photo: Meyou Paris
2. Pote Fishbone House
Sympathy for stray cats led Korean design studio Pote to come up with the “Fishbone House”. The simple aesthetic was inspired by the skeletal form of a fish, with a spine that fortifies the structure and lap joints that remove the need for screws. The lightweight, minimalist structure is easy to assemble, with strategic vents that allow for a cool breeze to pass through in summer and sunlight to filter down in winter.
Photo: Pote Pet Furniture
3. Vurv Lounger
This Vurv Design dog lounger, with its sexy curves, custom wood veneers and luxurious faux fur padding, may just make you envious of your own pet. Handmade in the mid-century modern tradition, it’s like an Eames chair for your best friend. If only they made them big enough for humans.
Photo: Etsy
4. Ohhio by Anna Mo Bed
This cush and cosy bed is ready set for your pet to nap in luxury. They’re hand-knit to order, available in 15 shades and made from high-quality merino wool. They go nicely with a modern, minimal interior, adding a pop of accent colour to the corner of a room.
Photo: Etsy
5. Nendo Dog Pod
Japanese studio Nendo creates cubic pet accessories designed to complement minimal interiors. If you want your dog furniture to resemble people furniture, look no further than these pods, with their clean linear pattern and subdued colour palette. “The majority of pet products for dogs are roundish and cute,” the studio said. “However, they aren’t often suited to interior spaces with walls, floors, ceilings, windows and furniture designed mostly in a linear manner.”
Photo: Dezeen
6. Goldtatze Trees
How’s this for a design challenge: Try to make scratching poles as stylish as possible. German design studio Goldtatze (“Gold Paw”) stepped up to the task with its range of wooden towers, trees, condos and walkways for your favourite feline. If your cat likes sitting on your bookshelf, just imagine how it’d take to a wall-mounted kitty heaven like this. All pieces are custom-built in Europe – which will cost you a pretty penny – but just imagine the #catsofinstagram fodder.
Photo: Goldtatze
7. Catissa Cat House
Give your pet some privacy with this geometric kitty temple. Constructed from triangular plywood pieces and available in black, white or natural, it’s easy to assemble and looks supremely stylish on polish floorboards.
Photo: Catissa
8. Erik Stehmann Scratchpost
This stylish scratching post for cats is irony at its best. Have your pet kitty release their frustrations on their natural enemy and divert their attention away from your couch, chairs and table legs. Available in two sizes, “Pup” and “Dog”.
Photo: Studio Erik Stehmann
9. Cocici Cat Bed
These charming, ultra-mod cat beds by Czech firm Cocici come in pastel-pretty shades to fuse seamlessly into any retro interior. They’re cushioned on the inside with scratching surfaces on the outside, making them the perfect kitty hideaways.
Photo: Cocici Design Studio
10. Rosi & Rufus Furniture
This Munich-based design studio specialises in sophisticated living spaces for the urban canine. All their designs are handcrafted from sustainable timber, including pieces that take inspiration from human furniture and recreate them in distinctly dog-like proportions. A miniature chaise longue, anyone?
Photo: Design Doghouse