Upcycle: Bohemian Cat Scratcher

Smithers Claire
Student Work
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Overview

The goal of the Upcycle Project was to pick an aesthetic and use upcycled materials such as trash or scrap into a product that matched the aesthetic of choice. Throughout this project, we documented our progress through unrulr (Link).

Aesthetic:

Bohemian design originated in the bohemian region or Czech Republic and represents freedom and self-expression. “The Bohemian style found a significant influence in several prominent artistic movements, including the Arts and Crafts movement, Art Nouveau, and the hippie culture of the 1960s and 1970s. The Arts and Crafts movement emphasized handcrafted items and natural materials, which appealed to Bohemian sensibilities.” [1] Vogue captures that “Perhaps the most influential “bohemian” women of the 19th century were English embroiderer Jane Morris, who was known for wearing loose dresses and forgoing a corset” [2]. This style embraces creative, carefree, and unconventional decor. “While boho-style decorating doesn’t have rules, combining and layering warm earthy colors, metallics, and jewel tones makes this style unique. Think deep browns, greens, and grays for base colors, and then accessorize with deep purple, fiery orange, and electric blue” [3]. This aesthetic also embraces combining different textures often with a natural, basic materials like burlap.

Project:

I decided to build a cat scratcher with the Bohemian aesthetic. I first started by buying the materials.

Materials: 

Cardboard from Cardboard: Free
Colorful glass beads from Goodwill: $4
Boho plant holder from Goodwill: $3
Hot glue gun and glue from Amazon: $25
Hobby Knife: $5

I started cutting large circles that was larger than my cat so she could sit inside of the cat scratcher. I also started cutting large rectangular cut outs because I knew I wanted the base of the cat scratcher to be similar to the traditional flat cat scratchers.

When I settled on a Bohemian style cat scratcher, I originally planned on having the “cave” part significantly shorter to accommodate a cat bed area on top, however, my cat, Athena, kept sitting in the “cave” part so much so that I decided to extend the cave part up to allow her sit all the way up.

 

As for the aesthetics, I originally planned on using cardboard, goodwill bought boho plant holders, glass eclectic beads, and warm colored paint around the cardboard. However, I decided not to incorporate paint into this as my cat was scratching all over this project so instead I incorporated the beads on the tassels and there are pops of color on the interior floor as well (from the various colors of cardboard used). The design of the object incorporates a flowy feel utilizing curves and care free style of the cardboard slabs. Similarly I utilized the texture of the doorway and the ground and the walls to incorporate various textures. I incorporated natural materials such as wood onto the tassels that loosely flow around the top of the scratcher.
Comments:
All in all, I am happy with how it turned out. I did end up cutting my hand with the hobby knife. This took far longer than I had thought it would but the base of it was pretty easy to do. I will probably never buy another cat scratcher again. All materials were upcycled and cardboard was sourced from Costco and girl scout cookies cases.
Sources:

 

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Smithers Claire
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