Whispers of Cats

As opposed to thinking from a functional point of view, the design team placed emphasis on the needs of daily living and emotional interactions. Therefore, when encompassing human-pet relations as primary design consideration, it defines the living requirements of both the client and the cats. In terms of material and color, the design is of warm grey tones that complement the white color of the cats while the design also features various design measures to maximize floor usage.

As this project is the common living space for a young couple and their cats, the client would like to have a free and comfortable living environment to further consolidate their bonds. From pet behaviors, the daily routines of, and the interactions between, the client couple and their cats, the design was developed to offer sufficient living space for the cats and their owners while amalgamating proportions of material and color into a space of refreshing tones and aesthetics.

Materials such as timber veneer, metalwork, laminate board, glass, and paint, were adopted, with consideration of pet colors, to feature elegant dark grey base complemented by warm oak-texture and void design. In terms of design for public domain, the TV wall adopted dark grey stone-patterned laminate board with hidden cat doors while the sofa wall adopted the finished-concrete laminate board with rustic-pattern for a touch of culture.

With an internal area of 57 square meters, in order to satisfy storage and cat-keeping needs of the client, the transition area especially features a timber storage cabinet for storing collection, as well as serving as a jumping board and hide-and-seek area for the cats. Also, the design team utilizes the side area of sofa back wall to connect kitty house, jumping board and cat paths for their free-roaming routine.

On this project, cats are not merely pets but important family members, based on that reason, the design team read widely on cat behaviors and ergonomics in order to understand cat behaviors and body structure, to design all cat facilities with precision down to the centimeters.