Yes, the title is true. We also had some doubts, but then, looking at the project we could only share it here: it is really a case in which architecture and design solve problems of space, creating a beautiful and surprising pet house. An inspiration for anyone who lives in a small space without renouncing to animals... And for anyone who feels "catty"!
Yes, the title is true. We also had some doubts, but then, looking at the project we could only share it here: it is really a case in which architecture and design solve problems of space, making a beautiful and surprising house for animals. An inspiration for anyone who lives in a small space without renouncing to animals... And for anyone who feels "catty"!
THE PROJECT
Obviously the location is Shanghai: the most daring architectures are always in Asia, such as the modern villa suitable for cats and the house Neko No Ie that we showed you some time ago. It is a basement apartment in a building of the 90s, about 48 square meters. Clearly 48 square meters for 40 cats, two dogs and one person are very few, especially in terms of sanitary conditions that, if not well organized, risk becoming a big problem.
THE PROJECT FOR CATS
The focus of the project was on making the environment healthy for all. So the organization of the space provided a "services" area for cats that was a central divider between the environments. Cats can reach the litters from the living area or the two bedrooms. Polycarbonate boards and matt acrylic finishes have been used to hide this service/distribution space from the human eye and also allow cats to be seen through the transparencies of polycarbonate. In addition, the main source of light comes from this central area, where there are hidden LED strips.
There is a translucent sliding door hidden in the part of the services dedicated to cats, which is the point of connection between the two "worlds": when the door is closed the human area is expanded, the area for cats is reduced. An ultraviolet light tube is installed above the central volume to sterilize and disinfect the environment. At the end of the corridor, there is also a service area used exclusively for preparing food for cats.
The main architectural inspiration comes from Le Corbusier and the European rationalist architecture, where the organization of small spaces is strongly sectionalized and the service areas are divided from those of everyday life. This space for cats (and also for dogs, a little without exaggeration) can be completely dismantled and possibly separated from the rest of the house.
THE PROJECT FOR HUMANS
The living room combined with the design of the open-plan kitchen, expands the atmosphere of the living area, although the living room and kitchen can be flexibly divided by a sliding door. The colour palette changes to red, yellow and blue throughout the entire apartment and perfectly matches the colour scheme of the service area for cats. The entrance is red, while the main colour scheme in the living room is yellow and blue, taken from the yellow arch on the ceiling. The blue space walls extend from the bathroom to the living room.
The sleeping area, which starts from the (human) bathrooms, is divided into two bedrooms. The master bedroom mainly uses blue and yellow. The second bedroom has been designed with a folding bed and a storage floor to provide enough space to store and at the same time increase the use of space.
Shelves installed as a staircase are important to allow cats to explore the territory in height and also allow to increase the space for them and reduce any competition between "brothers and sisters".
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT CAT SHELVES AT HOME!
In the rest of the house, corners and niches have been created where cats can hide and hide themselves, like the space under the staircase.