Great Design, Along With Belly Rubs And Chin Scratches, Are The Key To Everyone's Happiness

In a home where the feline family members outnumber humans, Lynn Tan discovers how great design, along with belly rubs and chin scratches, are the key to everyone's happiness.

- Lynn Tan

For digital marketer Amanda and civil servant Toby, putting together their matrimonial home was not just about the two of them. When they engaged award-winning design practice Asolidplan, founded by architect Wong Ker How, to design the interior of their home, Merry and Pippin, a pair of British Shorthair brothers, were a key consideration.

“We wanted a home that is bright, airy and cosy. In our discussions with Ker How, we talked about pets a lot. Our cats had to have an open space to roam around in, so we opted for an open-concept design,” says Amanda.

Most of the walls were removed to make way for one large, open space. Even the sleeping area doesn't have walls or doors. It is elevated on a platform and defined spatially by a low, U-shaped partition.

The platform partially continues into the living area, where it wraps around the periphery of the space and runs parallel to the windows along the length of the apartment to form a sort of low ledge before ending as a TV console feature.