How interior design studio Mapout Design created the purr-fect home for this couple and their three cats.
How interior design studio Mapout Design created the purr-fect home for this couple and their three cats.
The team at Hong Kong interior design studio Mapout Design is of the staunch belief that “every person is unique, therefore every home deserves to have its own character”, spending plenty of time figuring out the client’s needs down to the last detail… even when these requirements involve creatures of a furrier persuasion, as with this project.
“Cats are their main concern,” said Mapout Design’s co-founder Jun Leung of the couple who commissioned him to do up their 674-square-foot home in Mount Pavilia in Clear Water Bay. Throughout the month of discussions regarding their new home’s design, the clients’ three cats—cha Cha, Nam Nam and Tung Tung—were always at the forefront of their thoughts. In response to this, Leung and his team suggested more and more elements to accommodate the couple’s feline friends, from a cat “loft” accessible via a series of ledges to custom litter boxes. The result is a home that's truly a cat's paradise.
Of course, the apartment’s two human residents had their own needs to fulfil too. The couple was drawn to “the 5-Star”— the studio’s title for the property—due to the neighbourhood’s beautiful scenery and relatively clean air and sparse population. “We wanted to create a lively and peaceful home for our clients to escape from their stressful daily lives,” explained Leung. The first step was to knock down the walls between the living room and guest bedroom, providing more space for the cats to roam and for the clients to enjoy their free time.
Upon entering the home, you’re immediately greeted by a cosy sitting area with custommade litter boxes inside a discreet white and wood unit off to one side. Further into the home is a dining area facing a window, with one of the table benches doubling as a seat for the stand-up piano just behind it. Opposite the dining area is a cupboard— featuring plenty of storage space—and a desk. Although the flat’s smaller size presented some limitations, Leung is an old hat when it comes to more compact homes—he even has a favourite book on the subject to reference, “Refuse, Dispose and Leave”, which he even sent to the couple for them to peruse.
Although the flat’s smaller size presented some limitations, Leung is an old hat when it comes to more compact homes
In addition to opening the flat's layout, Leung also granted the apartment an airier feel with a light colour palette of white, teal and oak wood. “I decided to use a Scandinavian style because of its calm atmosphere,” said Leung. “And we chose white and soft colours as the main colour tones to go perfectly with the oak furniture. Decorative elements were added in order to give a lively rhythm to the design.” Sculptural and pendant lighting add interest, while there are also plenty of ledges, shelves, and other areas where the couple can display accessories and smaller artworks. Most of the furniture pieces were brand new, tailor-made at the studio's factory in Mainland China.
Cat-friendly features were incorporated seamlessly throughout the home. Glass-walled cat lofts sit above the cupboards in both the living area and the master bedroom, with the wooden staircase in the living area doubling as a bookshelf unit. Two ledges on one wall next to the couch serve as raised cat beds. “The clients' bosses—the cats—love the glass tank,” said Leung, referring to the loft in the living area.
The construction of the home was completed in four months in 2018. When asked about his final impressions of the feline-centric project, Leung concluded, “It was challenging, but I personally enjoyed it very much.”