#DesignMonth: Creating doggy heaven atFrits

Bianca Geater, art director, atFrits Dog Hotel & Daycare Centre

Tell us about your creative process. Where do you start?

I always write down ideas that I get, either on a notepad next to my bed or online on my phone on planning apps like Trello. I try to capture a creative idea or an inspiring thought as quickly as it pops into my mind, whether I’m working on a specific project or just in general, I try to ‘catch’ inspiration before it gets away and inspires someone else. Usually, when I get into a new project, I gather as much visual information as possible. I find power in routine. I put on my headphones, listen to my favourite tunes, I make a nice cup of tea, when I work at night I might even light a candle as crazy as that may sound, and then I browse online until I’m blue, reading, researching and building a database of inspiration.

In that database, I browse again and again trying to figure out specifically what attracted me to an image or an article or video and how it relates to the project at hand. I write that down or draw it out. I am a very ‘structured’ designer and will often make lists of words rather than drawing out something. From there I take my words or doodles and try to represent that in a visual way. If fonts are going to be involved, I always start with that first. After that, it’s the constant process of adding and taking away until the balance seems just right. Then, of course, I present and prepare myself for whatever feedback I might get; I always take it very seriously and try and understand why others see something that I don’t. I question, I ponder, and then I tweak again, and then one day it's just right.

What was your favourite part about working on the atFrits design and décor?

Most design projects have very strict guidelines, especially when working with a specific brand, there are always a few things you can and cannot do. With atFrits there were no limits – anything that my imagination came up with was a possible avenue to explore. Also, the atFrits brand is very ‘light-hearted’, it does not take itself too seriously. In a world filled with drama and heavy stuff, working on something that was aimed to make people laugh was an absolute treat and made my job so much easier.

AtFrits is a very unique concept. What were your sources of inspiration in creating a "doggy heaven"?

We wanted to create a space where dogs could feel as happy as they feel at home, maybe even happier. Almost like when you were a kid, and you went to play at your friend's house, and you could do more fun things at your friend's house than at your own house. This doesn’t mean you don’t like your own house, but playing at your friend's house was just sometimes way cooler.

I was inspired by dogs and the ‘fun’ rules that they could break, like running into the house soaking wet, or jumping on the couch or barking as loud as they want to. This doesn’t mean there are no rules for guests at atFrits, but everything is made and designed with the dog in mind first and secondly the humans. Up until recently we had ONLY dog couches and nowhere for humans to sit.

We also want atFrits to be a place of happiness, like Walt Disney wanted to create for children and their parents, we wanted to create for dogs and their owners. We want people to walk in here and forget about their problems of the real world, they can walk in here, have a good laugh and feel totally relaxed about leaving their dog here.

We knew that we wanted different themes for the rooms because each dog is different, and really, why should the most fun place in Cape Town have all the same rooms? I really had creative freedom. Once I had the first name – Hollywoof – then I was on a roll.

The hotel has been open for more than two months now, is there anything you had to change in that time to make the guests more comfortable?

Well, apart from getting a couch or two for the humans to sit on, there was only a few minor tweaks we had to do. We had to make our indoor playpen’s picket fence higher as we have had quite a few Olympic dog jumpers visiting us. Also, moving our feeding station to a more secure spot in the hotel so that we don’t have any guests sneaking around and getting some extra food. The funniest thing is that even though we have the most amazing handmade wooden beds with super comfortable mattresses and granny goose duvets for our guests, there are quite a few of our visitors who really just prefer sleeping on the floor and who are not interested in this fancy bed business.

Dogs, we imagine, are keener on function than on form - how did you balance the two?

The comfort and freedom of the dogs was our first priority. No animal was created to stay locked up in a cage; animals are meant to be free. So the trick was making them feel free and comfortable in a limited space, and, of course, to keep them safe during their stay.

Together with this, I had kept the notion of a human hotel in my mind constantly. So even though it had to be functional and practical for the dogs, it also had to be aesthetically pleasing – like a five-star hotel – we wanted to create a certain ambience and energy. We can assume that dogs probably don’t know the difference between good or bad design, or complementary colours and texture, but they do know the difference between feeling comfortable or uncomfortable and being locked up or feeling a sense of freedom.

What's your favourite suite in the hotel?

Without a doubt, it’s the Jurassic Bark room: the name, the wallpaper, the pink flamingos – just everything about it!

atFrits Dog Hotel & Daycare Centre offers daycare and night care facilities, as well overnight and prolonged stays in the hotel. The hotel has a dog dormitory, as well as five deluxe suites and two platinum suites.