There are many ways to create a cat-friendly home in a discrete and elegant way. Here we present little stairs for the cat, situated in the entrance of a private house. Over a few square meters the architects have created an extra space for the cat which even complements the style of the house.
The single-family house has been designed by the architects OBBA for a young couple. As plots are small in the urban area of Seoul, within a complex interior space where rooms are stacked on top of each other over three floors.
Kitty has its own area and its own loft, to retire to or to chill in quietly. This is a stairway in the staircase of the house. At each end of the cat-stairway is a space for the cat to sit down. The upper stair is quite spacy so the cat can use it as a loft.
The cat-stairway is located in the entrance area, at the wall parallel to the open stairway of the house. At first sight it looks like a library. There are platforms at each end, where the cat sits quietly and observes the activities in the house. The upper platform is quite big and offers a loft for the cat. There is enough space for a cat-bed and toys and from this position the cat has the perfect overview of the door and the house in general. The window offers a street view for more entertainment.
The cat-stairway is a visual prolongation of the entrance stairway, just smaller, more fragile and painted in white, just like a miniature version for the little cat, the platforms are very discrete.
The architect Sojung Lee, one of the founders of OBBA, is very pleased that the cat was delighted and accepted its own space quickly. It spends a lot of time in its loft observing what is happening outside and watching the activities in the house. The cat-stairway accomplishes one of the important natural cat necessities: Observing surroundings from a higher, more secure place.
The stairway for cats with its platforms and the location fulfils the natural needs of the little cat. It can retire or hide safely and at the same time keeps watch of its surrounding from a higher perspective. (please see Catification)
More information:
https://www.dezeen.com/2015/10/03/house-seoul-obba-retractable-staircase-loft-for-cats/
Photos:Kyungsub Shin
