ROBOT founder Lara August and Kim Marks from the Marks Design Group participated in the annual Barks-n-Bling charity fundraiser where this year’s theme was to create custom "pet pads". Both Lara and Kim are dog lovers. They combined forces to design and manufacture two custom dog beds, which they donated to the silent auction.
The origins of their project can be traced to Lara’s love of pattern design and quirky sense of humor as well as Kim’s background as an Interior Designer. All of the fabrics used on these beds were designed by Lara, and Kim contributed the design and fabrication of the bed structures. Because the end users are of the canine persuasion, all the patterns feature imagery that the pups might see in their dreams, like fetching-sticks and glowing fire hydrants.
The mattress for the first bed, deemed "The Scandinavian Bed", sports a fabulous bone pattern and is accented with a bolster pillow that puts a new spin on the classic houndstooth design and features every dog’s favorite – sticks for playing fetch! The foundation of the bed is constructed from material Kim salvaged from a construction site. By adding stainless steel legs at a convenient height for dogs of all sizes, Kim and Lara finished a modern pet bed suitable for canines with the most discriminating of tastes.
The second bed, known as "The Manny Bed", was created as a tribute to Kim’s dog Manny who passed away recently. The mattress is accented on the sides with a take on the classic clamshell pattern featuring a fire hydrant design, which is reinforced by an accent pillow with a large, enticingly illuminated fire hydrant. The frame is constructed from salvaged moulding from Nova Scotia with an elaborate antique design, and the headboard features a Warhol-inspired 6-panel portrait of Manny.
Both beds were snapped up in the silent auction benefiting the IIDA's Frederick Gratton Memorial Endowment Fund. The Scandinavian bed sold for $475 and the Manny Bed for $625. The beds combined raised more than any other participant!
Aside from raising money for a good cause, Lara always enjoys flexing her creative muscles and creating new business ventures. Look for more custom pet patterns and other pattern design from Lara in the near future.
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