Hot beds for posh pets

PRODUCTION: Annemarie Meintjies and Klara van Wyngaarden | PHOTOS: Dook

Follow these easy steps to make the perfect bed for your dog or cat. Designed by VISI’s Annemarie Meintjes, these quirky creations won her the Top Dog Award at Decorex Johannesburg 2009.

You need:

For the cat bed:

 • Two multipurpose plastic crates

• Four medium-length cable ties

• Velvet for a deep-buttoned cushion

• Crystals

• Duraturf

• Your cat’s favourite toys

For the dog bed:

• Two multipurpose plastic crates

• 12 extra-long cable ties

• Camouflage fabric for a cushion

• A second-hand weekend case measured to fit underneath the bed (providing storage for a biscuit box, water bottle and bowl, leash, whistle and reflective vest)

This is how:

For the cat bed:

Go for glam! Place the velvet cushion in the bottom crate and fix the two crates together, open end to open end, with medium-length cable ties.Attach the crystals to the grid-like base of the top crate (Annemarie used the metal rings that attached her crystals to the original chandelier), cut the Duraturf to fit the “roof” (its rubber base keeps it in place), and voilà, Marie has her dream boudoir.

For the dog bed:

Keep it simple and comfy. Fix two crates together, base to base, with the extra-long cable ties. Measure the dimensions and have a cushion made from your chosen fabric. Slide the weekend case underneath and let Snoopy make himself at home.

Find…

• discarded plastic crates at any retailer that stocks perishables (these crates are the property of the retailer until discarded).

• cable ties at hardware stores (Annemarie found hers in a variety of colours at Mica in The Wedge).

• fabric at sales or reuse material you already have. (We bought our camo material for the dog cushion at a bin sale at an anti-waste outlet). Tessa Sonik’s Iridescent Velvet fabric, which became water stained at a photo shoot, was used for the cat cushion. Both cushions were made by Astrid van der Heim Interiors.

• crystals on any unused light or jewellery piece (Annemarie found hers on a damaged chandelier at Radiant Lighting).

• Duraturf at Belgotex.

* All funds raised through silent auction of all the beds entered went to the South African Guide Dogs Association for the Blind.