Habitat TV

Which cat doesn’t enjoy a good sunbath? If your sills aren’t wide enough for Fluffy to curl up for a nap, make her a fold-down window seat where she can sun herself. The bottom of our cat perch features stripes in Resene Liberty and Resene Ecru White to match the paint colours used on the wall and architraves when not in use, but you could decorate yours with any colours or patterns you like. Avoid the potential for a cat-astrophe by making sure you use strong enough chain to support the weight of your furry friend – and that it’s properly secured to your wall or window frame.

You will need:

• Plywood or MDF cut to window size – ours is 450mm2
• Resene testpots in your choice of colours – we used Resene Rebel, Resene Liberty and Resene Ecru White
• Resene testpot brush
• Measuring tape or ruler
• Pencil
• High-quality painter’s masking tape
• Electric drill
• 4 small eye hooks
• 2 lengths of strong chain
• 2 small hinges with screws
• Cushion (optional)

Step 1 Measure the inside of the windowsill and work out how big you’d like the perch to sit within the windowsill. Our perch is 450mm2, with the inside of the windowsill being 660mm.

Step 2 Cut plywood or MDF to size.

Step 3 Paint one side of the perch in two coats of a solid colour of your choice – ours is in Resene Rebel.

Step 4 Paint the other side in a pattern of your choice. This is what you’ll be able to see when the perch is pushed up. We painted ours in stripes in two coats each of Resene Ecru White and Resene Liberty by masking them off using high quality painter’s tape.

Step 5 Add small hooks to the side of the perch approximately 20mm from the front end. 

Step 6 Use a small hinge to attach the bottom of cat perch onto the sill. Make sure the perch sits at least 20mm from the window, so that it can lean back onto the window to keep it out of the way when not in use. We painted the hinges in Resene Ecru White and Resene Liberty to blend in with the stripes.

Step 7 Add matching small hooks to the top of the windowsill, in line with the hooks already attached to the cat perch.

Step 8 Run chain from the hooks on the perch to the top of the windowsill. The chain will need to hold at least 1kg or more (depending on the weight of your cat).

Step 9 Fold up the perch when your cat isn’t using it to reveal the stripes or artwork below.

Minky is enjoying her brand-new window seat, which is painted Resene Rebel on top and features stripes of Resene Liberty and Resene Ecru White on the bottom. The wall is in Resene Liberty and the architraves in Resene Ecru White. Cushion from Kmart, chain from Mitre 10, vase is stylist’s own.

project and styling Leigh Stockton
images Bryce Carleton and Ben Whorwood?
video Ben Whorwood