Transforming Design Limitations into Creative Solutions: A Stunning Apartment Design with a Cat-Friendly Twist

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This article was written by Bansari Gandhi and published on uni.xyz, a platform for design professionals and creative thinkers.

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This article covers topics related to Interior Design, Residential Building. Weaving Space Between Cats and Clients: A Creative Design for a Historic Apartment

Weaving Space Between Cats and Clients: A Creative Design for a Historic Apartment

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Bansari Gandhi published Story under Interior Design, Residential Building on Apr 5, 2023

Apartment design is a challenging task that requires balancing various factors such as the client's needs, the space available, and the existing furniture. A recent project undertaken by a team of architects showcases the successful weaving of space between a client and their two cats, as well as new and existing furniture.

Glance at the project © Houshi Architecture

Located in the dormitory area of Tiantan Biological Products Co., Ltd, the building is a historic structure built with brick-concrete in 1982, making it challenging to adjust the special layout. However, the architects were tasked with respecting the historic building and the existing furniture while turning design limitations into design material.

Existing condition © Houshi Architecture

The core space was designed to weave between the client and cats as well as live and work. The combination of cat's tent and bed splits the bedroom into two rooms, a bedroom and "living room." The cat's tent is placed between the window and living room, connecting the two spaces with a vertical and horizontal opening.

Creating a new boundary for the public area © Posttime Architecture

Integrating new spatial elements © Houshi Architecture

The hallway and dining room were painted gray to emphasize the public area, with a cantilevered stainless steel shelf on the left side and the original wall covered with 10mm thickness polycarbonate hollow sheet on the right side. This treatment on both sides helps avoid the sense of oppression caused by the narrow corridor due to renovation and utilization.

The door of the bedroom © Houshi Architecture

The existing counter, furniture, and new cabinets were organized by a U-shaped countertop, contributing to the strong spatial characteristic and order for the dining room. The architects deliberately kept the pillar of the stainless shelf away from the adjacent cabinets to connect the cabinet in the kitchen and sideboard organically.

Hallway and the stainless steel shelf © Houshi Architecture

Detail of the stainless steel frame at the porch © Houshi Architecture

Part of the restaurant © Houshi Architecture

One of the challenges was storing items that the owner wanted to keep, such as the three sliding doors in the kitchen and the wooden door of the bedroom. The architects used the size difference between the existing sideboard and the countertop to create a 100mm cavity to store the sliding doors.

Stainless steel cabinet details © Houshi Architecture

After removing two sliding windows on the inner wall of the balcony, the architects transformed the windowsill into a bar counter for active and flexible use. The construction of the bar top continued the principle of not destroying the existing house, using flat steel and inverted tapered fulcrums to support it and anchored by the original screw used to anchor the window.

Detail of studio island platform © Houshi Architecture

In constructional design, each component only needed to drill one screw hole on the painted wall, resulting in only 10 holes in the wall to complete the renovation of the entire house.

Overall, this project showcases how design limitations can be turned into design material by weaving space and furniture to create a balanced and functional living and working space for the client and their cats.