sim-plex creates 'pets playground' apartment for couple with cats

sim-plex design studio has created ‘the pets playground’ for a young couple in yuen long, hong kong. living with their mother and pets, the client required a new apartment with partly private and partly communal areas, allowing the two generations to live together harmoniously. the resulting scheme creates a flexible space incorporating activity areas for the animals, while also fulfilling the varying requirements of the entire family.

all images courtesy of sim-plex design studio

the layout of the interior is designed by sim-plex to connect the master bedroom with the living area, while the mother’s bedroom is connected to the dining room. the design also had to consider where to place the client’s parrot’s cage, and after some consultations, they decided to position it on the low cabinet in front of the large window of the living room, which is closer to the master bedroom. a glass sliding door has also been implemented to prevent direct contact between the parrot and the client’s mother’s cat, while also separating the zone of master bedroom and living room, giving the couple privacy.

the client’s mother required space within the apartment for her cat to be able to move around freely. sim-plex therefore designed the dining table to be integrated into the dining room cabinet. most of the time, it is hidden to create more space for the cats; there is a cat toilet next to the entrance, and it is also a seat for changing shoes before going out; the central part of dining room cabinets is a void with cat round holes and walkways; the mother’s bedroom wardrobe is integrated with a cat house.

in the material selection, the master room and the living room area are decorated with light maple wood and grey colors, while the mother’s room and the dining area are mainly white oak color. the apartment is also designed to maximize storage space. sim-plex proposed a wood platform layout, but after considering the elderly, the landing of the platform is inconvenient for her, and so finally only sets the platform in the living room, and the mother could easily come from her room to the dining room, bathroom and kitchen. this design takes care of the safety of elderly and also makes it more difficult for the cats to enter the parrot area.