Eero Ball Dog Bed/Chair

Furniture is a tricky thing.  There are so many phenomenally designed couches and chairs to adorn your living space, but frankly, how many people have the kind of money to buy the most elegant and modern pieces of  architecture?  

I mean, the Eero Ball Chair is the perfect example: http://www.eero-aarnio.com/8.   I have always wanted one of these chairs.  It is described as a room within a room.  The spherical shape creates a sort of secluded and private abode.  A comforting, modern, chair.  A sure conversation starter.  But at upwards of 700 dollars it is dang expensive.  For poor college students, beginning families, or couples, who can realistically dish out that kind of dough?

So, I came up with a solution.  I was going to make that chair, for my dog.  Because frankly, after being hyped up on doggy treats, he could use a little room within a room to go to, so he can sleep off the sugar, and give me some time to nap as well!  But this chair is the perfect size for youngsters as well.  And I am sure they would love to have their little "castle" or secret room to go to.  This chair can spin after all, and what little kid wouldn't love that. 

This project is really easy to do!  It is mostly newspaper, flour, water, pringles cans, foam and fabric.  The hardest part is being patient!  I think the most time is spent waiting for things to dry during this project, than actually creating it... but it is definitely worth it.

Step 1: Materials

Mold:
- Exercise ball

Paper Mâché:
- Newspaper
- flour
- salt (prevents mold growth)
- water

Base:
- MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard)
- Plastic tube/ PVC pipe/ Pringles container (reduce, reuse, recycle!)
- 5/8" threaded rod
- 5/8" nuts (x2... but get a few extra just in case)
- Screw cap

Smoothing (step 5):
- Plaster/ Joint Compound (upwards of 12 lbs.)
- sandpaper (rough and smooth)
- 6 Cans of matte white spray paint
- 2 Cans of white epoxy spray paint (can be found at Walmart)

Interior:
- Foam 1.5" thick (A 3 feet by 8 feet sheet)
- Red fabric of your choosing (Or any color you desire)
- 1 Can of spray adhesive

Final Product:
-A super excited child or dog to test out their new abode!!

Comments

[AgentMulders]

Amazing. I was looking for a DIY egg chair instrucable ages ago and couldn't find anything. Today I was looking for dog house designs and find this.

For making it out of fiberglass you could always use the paper version as a mould, but you'd have to find a way to make it come apart so you can separate the inner and outer.

[ArtisanEclectic]

If you are worried about it holding a certain sized dog/tween/adult you can always fiberglass the outside

[PugOfChunk]

Can this hold a 135 lb teenager?

[tinker234]

wow amazing i wonder if i could upscale for a adult

[SargentPepper]

Thanks! Yeah, definitly. You really can make any size you want. However, the larger you get the more layers of paper mache you'll want to do, and the more materials you'll have to use.

[Soylent_Green_Muffins]

Will it be sturdy enough with just more paper mache? Why not put a core of some harder material in the middle?

[SargentPepper]

You make a good point. As patron_zero mentioned above, you could wrap it in a wire of some sort or try plaster tape. However, I think more layers of paper mache, joint compound, and a lot of epoxy spray would suffice for a ball slightly larger.

[jbrecken]

Is it strong enough to hold an animal that isn't plush?

[SargentPepper]

If you build it properly it should be strong enough to hold an actual animal. I tried with our dog, but he was way too skittish to get inside... I guess I will have to bribe him with some treats! :)

[patron_zero]

I'm wondering if perhaps adding an epoxy resin as an outer surface finish would further strengthen-stiffen the semi-sphere a bit ?

And for that matter there's always hardware cloth or poultry wire that could be 'layered' in to assist in retaining the shape after the chair is finished. That said, bailing wire is another consideration for making a 'skeleton' for just that purpose.

Awesome project, likely to try my hand at such this summer, thanks for sharing !

[SargentPepper]

Yeah adding wire or something of that sort would certainly add to the strength. I struggled to maintain the shape and as a result had to add a lot of layers of paper mache. Also, I actually did spray the sphere with an epoxy resin spray paint. It helped strengthen the ball as-well-as smooth it out and add a nice shine. Good luck!

[nerd12]

i would like to make this but i don't think there is a big enough ball.:( it reminds me of the hoverchair opal koboi rode in in Artemis fowl: the artic incident.

[Adobi]

If you don't have a ball large enough, you can get an exercise ball from Target for roughly $20, and it'll be plenty large. Also, if you want something bigger, make sure it fits through your doors!

[mstyle183]

Wow Amazing

[Amyscrazycrafts]

Will it really hold the weight of a pet or child? Or will it just hold light items? It looks supper cool either way!

[Robot Lover]

This is amazing! I never thought you could make paper mache furniture! Thanks for the great instructable.