Dezeen Magazine

Dote uses recycled materials to create range of minimal accessories for cats

This range of accessories for style-conscious cat lovers and their pets includes a blanket that can be sculpted into different shapes, and minimal shelves that can be used for scratching or napping.

Dote, a London-based brand, used hard-wearing recycled plastic and industrial felt to create its prototype collection – which was presented at London Design Festival last week.

The company was borne out of a collaboration between furniture designers Nic Wallenberg and Helena Hedenstedt, after they struggled to find stylish essentials for their own cats, Sika and Kira.

"We had really big trouble finding any products that actually can fit in your home, when you have pets and you care about your interiors," Hedenstedt told Dezeen.

"Quite often pet products are poorly made, and often from cheap materials that break and look really bad after a while. And they are usually neon pink," she added.

"We wanted to make something that you could adapt to put in your home, no matter what kind of interior it is."

Included in the collection is a system of shelves called the Modular Wall Climber, which offers pets roaming space in small apartments.

And although they designed the collection with cats in mind, the duo also imagine the pieces being used for small dogs like dachshunds.

Each shelf is built from layers of heat-pressed felt for cats to scratch. The layers are designed to be individually removed and replaced after wear and tear.

"[The cats] can put their claws, scratch and climb on it, and it's soft and insulating so they love to sleep on it as well," said Hedenstedt.

Also featured in the collection is the Dote Tote carrier, which is designed for owners transporting pets on aeroplanes, bicycles and cars.

The bag is flat pack, so it can be easily disassembled.  Large felt sides can bend to fit in tighter travel compartments, while the mesh front and back can be removed to make a bed. Recycled plastic handles can also be adjusted to different lengths.

Also included in the collection is a Mouldable Blanket, which acts as a felt comforter that can also be bent and shaped to form playful tunnels and cocoons.

The collection is completed by a silicone and stainless-steel grooming set, and toys made from scrap materials.

Dote's prototype collection was unveiled as part of this year's London Design Festival, which ran from 16 to 24 September 2017.

It follows a series of design-focused products for our feline counterparts. Others include a series of cat beds, a wooden table with holes and tunnels and a small device allows that users to talk to, play with and watch their pets when apart.

Photography is by Gustav Almestål.