Every Puppy’s Dream: Modern Dog House Features a Functional Green Roof
Dogs are just so adorable and hilarious. Is it any wonder we can’t stop treating them like furry children? They can knock over the trash can, steal slices of pizza right off our plates, roll in disgusting mystery substances, and slobber all over the furniture, but they’ll still melt their owners’ hearts just a few seconds later. We throw them birthday parties, bake them special cupcakes, take them on adventures, treat them to spa days, and even craft them doggy mansions that might be even nicer than our own homes. After all, most of us don’t live in modernist cabins with walk-up green roofs, do we?
Designed by California architecture firm Studio Schicketanz, which usually works on projects at a more human scale, “Dog’s Dream House” is exactly what its name suggests, but there’s nothing overly complex, luxurious, or excessive about it at first glance. It’s a simple, handsome cabin in a shape that wouldn’t be out of place in the average contemporary neighborhood, with a large opening in the front and windows on either side. But come in for a closer look.
The front facade swings open to allow for easy cleaning, and the rubberized floor even has a drain built right into it. A drawer on the side makes it easy to store treats, toys, leashes, and other items you might need while hanging out with your dog in the yard. A solar-powered fan keeps the house cool inside, even on those especially sweltering days. When the dog has worn himself out running in circles around the yard, he can plop down inside to watch doggie TV on an iPad mounted to a special stand on the wall (pricey Apple gadget not included, of course).
But the home’s coolest feature is definitely that grassy roof, which zig-zags down the side of the structure like a ramp. Now dogs of all sizes can feel like the royalty they imagine themselves to be, gazing down at the world from a lofty perch. There’s also a motion-activated faucet up there that offers your pup fresh water and doubles as an auto-waterer for the grass.
The designers at Studio Schicketanz created the “Dog’s Dream House” for the Carmel Canine Cottages competition hosted by Alain Pine Realtors in Carmel, California (a town famous for its own unusual fairytale cottage architecture). It was auctioned off to benefit the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) of Monterey County.
Some people will inevitably ask whether dog lovers are taking things too far with all this painstaking attention to detail, but others would argue that dogs are so pure of heart that they deserve all the over-the-top accommodations we can imagine.
In any case, Dog Dream House sure isn’t the first pet shelter to place a high priority on a furry family member’s comfort, nor even the first one to boast a green roof. Check out this patio lounge seating with hidden built-in pet nooks, these adorable retro dog campers, this Tolkein-themed cat furniture worthy of a discerning hobbit, and the origami furniture set that doubles as a dog bed.
