UNCONVENTIONALDOG

LALLABAI, our dog bed idea

Every UNCONVENTIONALDOG product has a long history behind it. Nothing comes by chance. Every product I think comes only and only from the demands and needs of Sissi and from the strong desire to live her at 360°.

How many dog-bed I bought for Sissi. At some point in her life I started looking at her dog-bed with different eyes. When I looked at her in her dog-bed some thoughts started forming in my mind.

Each following year, Sissi was less and less a dog, that is, a being of another species, but she became more and more like me. I don’t mean what often happens and what we call humanization, but something much deeper; when they tell you that your dog at some point in your life becomes an integral part of the family.

Those situations where you look at them strangely and with an “amazed” expression because that feeling has not yet entered your heart. It happens because between you and your dog there is still that line of demarcation that makes you “different”.

Slowly, day by day, month after month, year after year, that well-defined and distinct line disappears and they become a fully part of your life, your family and your heart. At that very moment he is no longer a dog but a member of the family. Sissi really entered our hearts and so she could no longer stay in a traditional dog-bed.

My mind started traveling, imagining a product that could perfectly represent that feeling. I imagined going home and seeing her in a place that did not remind me of  diversity and the distance between me and her, but a pleasant place common to both.

And here I “see” something for her, for us, for our family. Where we can lie down together, she to rest and I next to her to read a book listening to the sweet music of her breath, her snasps in the sleep and her sighs of happiness to live in symbiosis that special moment.

I felt the need to lower myself or better, to rise to her level and enjoy the peace of those moments. So I thought of a special pillow, comfortable, spacious and cozy that could allow me to live and feel so many emotions. I wanted to be at her level to experience emotions similar to when you are lying on a meadow, look at the sky and listen to the sounds of nature. I wanted to feel that sentiment.

For the fabric I turned to the world of furniture to find a design fabric and, at the same time, durable, beautiful and easy to handle. Not only highly technical but also colorful because our four-legged friends bring color into our lives. I imagined a real item of furniture because when it would enter our home it would always be with us, FOREVER. I was thinking of timeless object.

My search leads me to a company that produces designer fabrics for highest quality furniture. I found a fabric that is one of kind and perfect for all types of coats, from light to dark, dogs that constantly lose hair. I immediately tried that fabric with Sissi who has a tawny coat and loses a lot of hair.

Amazed I realize that each of the colors was fine for her, from darker (blue, purple) to bright (green, fuchsia, yellow) to more basic (pearl gray). The hairs did not be seen and this is a peculiar characteristic for those who live with a dog that loses a lot of hair. I decided to couple a waterproof membrane to fabric because I think of Sissi’s outings and when she comes back from our walks with wet paws and hair; the waterproofness of the fabric guarantees me not to wet and dirty the internal padding that I would have to wash often.

The padding I’ve chosen is soft but at the same time structured. I wanted the best because it had to be comfortable and supports the body weight in the correct way. The pillow must always remain with the same shape and structure over time. A soft padding but with an ergonomic and support structure for her and for all those who lie with her on the cushion. I choose a company from Padua that works with the best furniture brands. After several samples I got it; that was really was the padding for us.

The ideal piece of furniture for Sissi and for us who I had imagined it was born. A timeless pillow. A highly technical cushion thanks to the structure of the fabric and padding.

The colors were chosen not only for the taste end in itself but also for the meaning that each color has to live in the right feeling and emotion every relax moment together with them. Here I want to tell you:

Blue: serenity, confidence, security, calm

Violet: spirituality, romance, wisdom

Fuchsia: relaxing, calm and creativity

Yellow: happiness, harmony, good mood, wisdom and decision

Green: harmony, nature, hope, balance, peace, renewal

Pearl gray/Silver: self-confidence, optimism, purity like the color of the moon

The product was there, I had to choose “only” the name. A name that contained the whole story I just told you, the feelings that led me to make this product. For this reason the name I chose is LALLABAI. The name comes from English lullaby we changed a vowel and a consonant for easier reading in Italian.