MAD Studio Limited fuses gorgeous Muji-inspired home decoration with thoughtful feline-friendly spaces for a couple and their three cats.
This 800-sq.ft. apartment in Sham Tseng is home to a couple and their cats. Both the owner and his wife adore the minimalist Japanese Muji style that's refreshing, neat and teeming with textures, and so Alvin Cheng, director at MAD Studio Limited, sets out to craft a Japanese-style home for them, accommodating to their living needs while considering their feline companions in all aspects.
"Although the design is pet-friendly, we also focus on the living experience of the houseowners, integrating cat furniture with the overall style. Even if we take out the furniture and shelving, the interior can shine in its own right," explains Cheng.
To expand the sense of space and allow all the three cats ample floorspace to roll and roam around, Cheng turns the original three-bedroom layout into two bedrooms with an open kitchen to free up more areas. A sliding door is added between the master room and the living room as segmentation, and the open kitchen also has a glass sliding door that can block out the cooking fumes.
The whole space is made up of a range of wooden furniture, such as the foyer decked in light warm colour, the wooden dining table and TV cabinet, the cherry wood-coloured seats, benches, the waist-length bookcases and gray storage cabinets with wooden lines, conjuring an unfussy and cosy atmosphere.
Cheng also adds in smart home features to fit the homeowners' lifestyle and optimise the living environment: state-of-the-art screen projectors makes for an elevated home cinema and electric curtains can be remotely controlled.
Albeit cats stay mostly at home, they need space and time to exercise to stay healthy and well. Cheng thus includes for the furry friends a jumping rack right next to the dining table, an earth-toned silk hammock under the dining table, a beige cat scratch pad tied to the legs, a TV cabinet with many holes and the cat shelves.
Cats are known for the habit of grinding their teeth and scratching into surfaces, it can be extremely dangerous if they bit down or get entangled in exposed wires. For that very reason, Cheng advises cat owners to hide all the wires at home. There's also another thoughtful design: the bookcase in the living room can tuck in the wires, not only ensuring the cats' safety but keeping the space tidy and uncluttered.
"The couple has a total of three cats so how the interiors can adapt to their living habits is a big part of the design process. Not just the obvious arrangements but the very subtle features too, like where the water dispenser and the cat litter tray are positioned, all the while making the space as beautiful and stylish,” says Cheng.
Besides the cats' playground and safety, where they eat and do their bathroom business is also considered. Cheng reserves a relatively hidden area for cat utensils in advance, like the three food containers under the sofa to prevent the food from staining the floor and impacting the look and feel of the apartment.
