Pet furniture: It’s a thing. IKEA has released a new line for the furry dependents in your life, adorably named Lurvig, which is Swedish for “shaggy.” Now, when you go shopping at IKEA for your Billy bookcase, Stockholm rug or Ektorp sofa, you can throw in a piece or two for Fido or Felix, whether it’s a cat scratch mat that wraps around a table leg, or a doggy/cat bed that looks like a mini love seat.
According to the press release, head designer Inma Bermudéz wanted to create the products from “a pet’s perspective,” so she consulted with veterinarian Dr. Barbara Schäfer, who has also worked with IKEA on product risk assessment.
“Our pets have their own personalities, but they have five things in common: they love sleeping, eating, playing and exercising, and being close to us. So these behaviors have been the first thing on our minds when designing these products,” Bermudez explained. Schafer and Bermudez prioritized safety, making sure that the pieces were made of durable materials that would hold up when subjected to typical pet behaviors, such as chewing and scratching.
At the same time, they also sought to make the pet line compatible with the human wares. For example, the Lurvig pet cushion has a removable cover, so owners can fill it with old clothes and the “pets get a comfortable cushion with comfortable, familiar smells, too,” according to Bermudez.
Here are the niftiest finds for our furry friends from the new collection (according to our human eyes, that is). You could always ditch the line and repurpose old IKEA furniture to make it pet-friendly, like the IKEA hackers have done.
Relieve your feline’s cat scratch fever and let her get some stretching in, via this mat that wraps around a table leg, turning into a “scratching tree.”
This black bed for canines or felines looks like a one-cushioned, mini love seat. It unfolds into a reclining bed in case they want to stretch out their limbs.
It’s a nice idea that your pet might want a body pillow to lounge on. This cushion comes in six different color combinations and has a removable cover, so you can easily wash it once your animal inevitably dirties it up.
If your dog is the type that inhales his food, this bowl has a raised area in the center, designed to slow him down and prevent an upset stomach.
You can prop up this cat house on legs, mount it on the wall, or slide it into an IKEA Kallax shelving unit, if you’ve got one. Maybe switch it up to keep your cat entertained.
