This couple indulges their two cats with plenty of features designed solely for their use.
For the Teos, while it was imperative that their first marital home was designed for their personal comfort, they also made it a point to consider the needs of their two pet cats equally. Therefore, besides requests for a dry and wet kitchen, a kitchen island, and a walk-in wardrobe, the couple tasked interior designer Evelyn Lim from Blend by ImC to conceive custom features for their feline family too.
In fulfilling this request by the owners, Evelyn designed a playground for Romeow, their British Long Hair, and Flatty, a Persian Fold, dedicating an entire wall in the living room to them. Composed of ramps, perches of varying heights, cosy hiding places and a scratching post, this play space lets the cats amuse themselves all day long. Evelyn made sure that the contraption had something for each cat since they have distinctly different personalities.
For agile and playful Romeow, the tall perches challenge his climbing chops, and his favourite napping spot is the box with the paw print cut-out. Lazy Flatty, on the other hand, prefers laying around to moving, so the ramp was built to encourage her to reach the scratching post in the centre, which she enjoys tearing at.
To introduce more light into the dining and living space, the wall that enclosed the kitchen was torn down, resulting in an open kitchen and dining space. For a neater presentation, the owners decided to bisect the kitchen into a dry and wet area, so that the dry kitchen can double as a dining space where guests can hang out comfortably. A glass sliding door was installed between the two kitchen areas so that cooking fumes are contained in the wet area whilst allowing light to still penetrate the rest of the communal spaces.
Since the couple desired a kitchen island, Evelyn designed one in the dry kitchen such that a shorter, more formal dining table is adjoined to a taller countertop ideal for meal preparation and casual drinks on the bar stools.
As a result of the work-from-home orders due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this kitchen island has proven to be a versatile workhorse—it is a perfect work desk as well. Abutting the dry kitchen on the far end is a low bench designed to hold the cats’ supplies; the cut-outs in its face are for Romeow and Flatty’s easy access if they wish to occupy the space underneath.
A wall of the common bedroom adjacent to the master bedroom was hacked so that the space could be converted into a walk-in wardrobe. As there was sufficient room, Evelyn also designed an island dresser in the centre, where small items can be stored in the drawers below and accessories can be displayed at the top.
A multifunctional platform bedframe was customised as a space-saving feature. Storage compartments are built into the base and head, which even holds a projector that the couple uses to project shows onto the wall facing their bed. The rest of the bedroom is kept open and clutter-free for the cats to roam as they please.
The Teos moved in towards the end of January after a speedy 10-week-long renovation, their new home designed with custom creature comforts for both human owners and pet cats alike.
This post was adapted from an article originally published in the August 2021 issue of SquareRooms.
