Petra Jungebluth is an innovator in dog design.
She’s inspired to create modern and beautiful interiors for pets, and her work exemplifies a line of dog accessories suited for the urban, modern dog owner. We’re talking about the kind of stuff that looks natural in your home, things that could be mistaken for people stuff rather than doggy stuff.
Take the Cloud7 dog beds, which look cozy enough for people to nap on.
It all started when Jungebluth helped a local designer she knew, and then later studied fashion in Germany to pursue her newfound love of design. From there sprouted a career of working with some of the most upscale international brands in cities such as New York and Amsterdam, Jungebluth made a name for herself and has become a favorite over here at Dogster.
We spoke to Jungebluth about leaving fashion for doggy beds, the importance of ecology in Cloud7 products, and the pup who gave her the inspiration to do it all.
What made you move from fashion to dog interiors?
I didn’t really like the products I was finding in the pet shops and began to produce a small series of dog beds just for ourselves and for some friends. I was quite happy with the results and felt that this could be something that is not really available on the market.
Are there any dogs that you would say have made an impact in your life and who influenced you to make that transition?
Actually, since being a little girl I was totally in love with dogs. My constant begging for my own dog just drove my parents nuts. To bring an end to the story they finally offered me a deal, that if I walked a neighbor’s dog for a year I would get permission for my own dog.
A year later I had a beautiful German Shepherd. You see, I always had a heart for dogs. Their friendliness, loyalty, and their irrepressible zest for life moves me deeply.
Years later, life allowed me to own a dog again, and that’s how we got our loving Johan. Having him around me all day is what inspired me to design all these essential products I believed he would need in his daily life. Poor boy, Johan, though, got more and more into the position to be our “crash test dummy,” having to pretest all the prototypes I designed until we finally got his “paws up” sign.
Has your experience with specific fashion brands influenced the creative look of the Cloud7 products?
I have always adored fashion brands and designers who stand for a simple, straightforward, but twisted look. For example Dutch designer Veronique Branquinho, Dries van Noten from Belgium, or German Jil Sander.
Also, brands that are coming from a long and old craftsmanship tradition that have the ability to transform these roots into modern designs, such as the likes of Bottega Veneta and Hermès; these have always carried an influence.
How would you creatively describe the look of a Cloud7 product?
For me it is very important that all our products — the dog beds, travel beds, bowls, collars/leashes, all the way down to the dog toys — speak the same design language: simple, contemporary, and chic in design, with acute attention to the detail.
Dog products can take up a lot of space in a home and shouldn’t appear as an alien matter in a sophisticated home interior.
Cloud7 carries core principles in eco-friendliness. Can you share your thoughts on the importance of eco-friendly products in canine accessories?
Nearly all fabrics come from organic farming or have been recycled, which simply means they have not been treated with pesticides or other chemicals. For us it just feels wrong to support the common mass production ways that not only harm the dog’s health, but on top of that, disrespects the people who are producing the products.
We want everyone involved in the whole stage, from design to production, to be part of our family.
What are future plans for Cloud7? Are there any exciting new ventures fans can look forward to?
We are just finishing a whole range of new products and categories that we are hoping to premier at the next Interior Fair Maison & Objet in Paris in September. From there we hope to meet new U.S. retailers and distributors to bring Cloud7 further to the U.S. market.
Being still a young brand, we have only just begun to talk to the American market, but a good selection of Cloud7 products can be obtained at our first brave and exclusive U.S. partner and beautiful online store Petswag.com (big hello to Doug and Amanda, if you should read this).
Learn more about Cloud7 and Petra at the brand’s website.
