Repurposing Project: A Luxe Cat Bed

The Backstory

When my daughter was born, she was gifted a beautiful wicker bassinet that had been custom fitted with a baby-safe cushion, bumpers, a thin pillow and matching blanket. My daughter was kept close and safe for many of her earliest months in it, so the sentimentality of the bassinet was enormous to me.

Brought out of storage for a quick clean-up to keep everything maintained for passing it down, two of the house babies (both the cats) decided that the bassinet was made for them. I was so upset that I couldn't stop muttering and raced to re-wash everything and put it back together.

That was when the cats' love for the bassinet was caught by me and I had a huge internal sigh of resignation. This would be a re-purposing and decorating project and when/if my daughter has children they will receive fresh creative beds of their own. They were just too sweet, and I love the feline divas.

Damien in front and Pandora at the back, showing flagrant disregard for my wish to get the basket clean, unstained, and fur-less. I think this is the moment the internal sigh came.

Day One: Base Layer of Paint and a Slip of Genius

Once I decided to take on the re-purposing project of turning this baby basket into a cat bed, I hit the hardware store for a very specific type of paint: Black Satin Enamel suitable for wood and outdoor pieces so it would shine and hold up to the wear it was (and has) going to receive.

For your own project, to get to Day 1:

• Choose a basket or baby bed made of quality, thickly layered wicker.
• If the basket you've chosen has been used before, make sure to scrub and dry well to make sure no 'ickies' are left behind to make kitties ill or - much more likely - to ruin your paint job.
• Choose the 'bedding' for the kitty bed with re-purposing in mind. In my case, I already had a cut-to-size foam padding for the bottom, and re-used a pillowcase for its covering that matched a mini throw pillow from the same set (which was tearing and heading for the trash otherwise). If you've been hitting pillows that have lost their fluff or have several old towels that need replaced out, these would make perfect 'bedding' for your basket.
• Consider design options. What sort of 'feel' do you want for your final basket? I'm going for a look that reflects the over-the-top luxe of the home I'm remodeling, so used rich thick satins with velvet flocking in deep purple and blacks that coordinate with the colors we're using in the remodel. Some of my initial ideas included using the satin from the bedskirt to create a new inside 'bumper', re-purposing some of the throw-pillows that came with the set, and using bits of the old comforter itself to create bedding. Obviously, don't jump into anything too fast. We're going to start with paint but you do want to have a good idea of whether you're going for a 'shabby chic', a 'country fresh', or whatever type of theme that will both look great in a kitty bed and work into its natural surroundings.
• Get quality paint. Go for a spray can style, but make sure it is intended to withstand even outdoor conditions and is an enamel, which will create a harder surface once dry. Also look to see that the paint is non-toxic. I chose a satin enamel, black, but any color or type of paint that fulfills the above criteria will work. Think about the color well because it's the first step in the overall look you'll achieve.
• Overload the space with the bedding and accessories you're considering. You won't use them all. But having them there once the initial paint job is done will help you decide what sort of things you absolutely want to use.
• Get something to cover your painting space - plastic drop, newspapers, etc.

So, I started Day 1 with the following items as outlined above:

The untouched 'cat bed' including dish that magically appeared once I'd muttered something about "Fine, it will be a gorgeous cat bed then."

Some of the linens to be re-purposed for the project. Beautiful things can stay beautiful - if you just keep using them right. So this is really the designs and fabrics I was looking at for the project - I'd already decided on satin black paint.

With a feeling of purpose I bound outside with the empty, cleaned basket and 3 cans of spray paint in hand. The plastic drop was ready. I felt awesome.

Then I realized just how large my basket was. It is, after all, sized for a year old baby. The three cans of paint I'd purchased also turned out to be thinner than I liked (so, HINT: ask if you can test the paint at the store before you purchase it, or get 1 can and test it at a time). With a bit of patience and working all the angles, I laid the base layer of paint and allowed the basket to dry fully.

Depending on your paint and the angles of your wicker, you may have to turn in several directions to see where it is fully painted and where it still needs sprayed. Work in even lines so that you don't get dribbles drying on the opposite side of the basket.

Even once you think you have it all for the base layer, look closely - wicker is tricky tricky.

Allow your base layer to dry fully - preferably outdoors - before bringing it in to continue the project.

Once your basket is fully dry, try playing around with a few of the repurposed items you are considering and layering them with items that were already in the basket (if applicable) so you can visually see your options. At the end of Day One, my dry kitty basket looked like this:

click for full view and text

Day Two: Finish Up and Blend It In

Obviously, 'Day Two' didn't happen the next day. First, once the inner mat was cleaned and dried, I encased it in a pillowcase matching the accent pillow and continued leaving things as they were to think about design ideas and watch how the cats used the bed most often.

Some things I considered while I let design ideas ferment was using the satin sash from the old bed skirt from the same set I was replacing out to create a new bumper. I also replaced out the yellow pillow with a bolster pillow from the set with the throw pillow. I took the food dish out as soon as possible for hygiene reasons when I noticed just how much the bed was used for sleeping.

As the few days passed, I started really looking at the minimalist approach closely. The kitties obviously loved the bed for sleeping in and now that Damien is larger she doesn't fit inside with Pandora when the bumpers are placed so the entire idea went out the window. The bolster pillow then looked all wrong. And since the cat bed sits on top of one dog crate, it needed to turn into more of a pet station than a simple spot for a bed.

What we settled on was a beautiful combination of my practicality and my daughter's ideas of what looks pretty. When working on your own, consider setting the bed on a food storage bench or a play area. It makes a big difference in space-saving and the look of a total care center for your beloved furry friends.

With a heart food dish and matching watering dish on either side of a sturdy board for safety and the remodeled bed behind it, we were already in love before we noticed that Nikita had already approved the beginnings of what will come to be a matching dog crate. And look at it raining out the window!

With the transformation on top complete for what will now be a luxurious pet center, the cats compete for the bed. Pandora, a complete diva bobcat mix, usually asserts her way with a glare that puts Damien laying and playing on the wood. They love it and it looks great in our slowly growing pieces of remodeled home. Stay tuned for what happens with the rest of the pet station below it!