Let’s be real here: we love our furry friends. They’re more than just pets, they’re family. Our love for them has no limits, so much so that it can lead to our fluffy felines dominating our space, turning our homes into a fur and toy covered mess.
Being cooped up at home means they need an outlet to expend their energy, but this doesn’t have to come at the expense of cluttering your home with countless cat toys and scratching posts. Here are 7 insanely aesthetic cat-friendly HDBs that perfectly balance the needs of both feline and human, to act as some inspo if you’re looking to better integrate your cats into your home.
Glass-encased cat playroom
Image credit: Mr Shopper Studio
This Bendemeer home is an ethereal cat paradise – many of the original walls in the home were knocked down, opening up the space and lending the home a bright and airy quality. One of the bedrooms in the flat was even converted into a cat playroom; in it, a floor-to-ceiling kitty obstacle course lines the walls, providing some much needed enrichment while keeping the kitty quarters separate from the rest of the home.
This bench has a built-in litter box that acts as a discreet spot for kitties to do their business.
Image credit: Mr Shopper Studio
Image credit: Mr Shopper Studio
Still, having a whole room dedicated to the kitties doesn’t mean needing to stray from the visual aesthetic of the rest of the home. The neutral, minimalist design of the playroom, with plenty of wooden fixtures matches that of the overall design concept of wood and greyscale. Choosing furniture that aligns with the rest of the home allows for visual consistency throughout the space.
Holey feline-friendly feature wall
Image credit: ASOLIDPLAN
Stepping into this 4-room Sengkang BTO flat, the first thing you notice are the terrazzo tiles that cover the walls and floor. The colourful, speckled design adds texture and creates a sense of playfulness. The cutouts in the wall take this whimsical feel a step further – they serve as hiding spots for the cats, while opening up the space by allowing the light to flow through.
Image credit: ASOLIDPLAN
The kitchen island acts as the focal point of the otherwise fairly minimal kitchen. The terrazzo-covered kitchen island also matches that of the rest of the house, tying the home together visually, while the breaks between terrazzo and plain white lengthen the home, enlarging the space.
Built-in climbing accent walls
Image credit: DISTINCT idENTITY
In this Bukit Batok home, every square inch is just another spot for the resident kitties to run wild and play. While kitty condos and playsets can typically be quite an eyesore, here, the owners seamlessly integrated their cats’ needs into the home by making much of the furniture cat-friendly.
Image credit: DISTINCT idENTITY
Most of the built-in furniture fixtures in the home from the TV feature wall and console and study room shelf souble up as a free-climbing and play zone for the homeowners’ multiple cats. The Scandi design style means that plenty of wood is seen throughout the space – in this home, there’s also a recurring house motif, and a special emphasis on geometric shapes.
MUJI-esque home with floating fixtures
Image credit: Lush Interior
This minimalist Fernvale home makes use of plenty of clean lines to create a sleek look. The neutral colour palette, reminiscent of what one might see walking into a MUJI store, tempers the chic modernity with earthy tones. In this home, cats are king; aside from plenty of dedicated climbing spots, even furniture that isn’t intended for them can be used as hiding nooks, such as the bookshelf.
Image credit: Lush Interior
Image credit: Lush Interior
Every cat owner’s main gripe, the litter box, is concealed – custom built into the bathroom vanity, and hidden under the sink. Just as us humans deserve our privacy when doing our business, so do the cats; the cabinet containing the litter box has a discreet, small cut-out for the cat’s head to poke through, while everything else remains unseen.
Subtle cat-friendly design elements
Image credit: Mesh Werk Studio
At first glance, one would never guess that this Bendemeer flat is home to cats. To the untrained eye, there’s little indication of a feline presence. Look a little more closely, however, and you’ll notice little clues: the “staircase to nowhere” is a kitty condo, and the paw and cat-shaped cut outs in the furniture elegantly allude to the fact that there are, indeed, felines in the home.
Image credit: Mesh Werk Studio
The monochromatic design makes the space easy on the senses – the lack of loud colour creates a laid back vibe. A glass partition separates the bedroom from the living room without blocking off light, enlarging the space and leaving it open and airy, while also allowing the owners to keep a watchful eye on their kitties 24/7.
Cat-friendly brutalist with a pop of colour
Image credit: Mesh Werk Studio
This home in Boon Lay is designed in a brutalist design style, a fairly industrial style rarely seen in local homes. Here, the cold black and metallic interior is tempered by plenty of nature – the vibrant plants are contrasted against what is otherwise a pretty militaristic interior. In line with the dark aesthetic of the home, the rec-room doors are wired glass, lending them the visual effect of opacity from afar, while keeping them see through.
Image credit: Mesh Werk Studio
Image credit: Mesh Werk Studio
The skywalk and staircase are in dark colours so as to match the visual aesthetic of the home. In the kitchen, the textured accent wall is similar to what one might find in a professional kitchen, with a criss-cross grid that resembles claw marks.
Ceiling catwalk
Image credit: Free Space Intent
This Balinese-style Buangkok home is a maximalist, jungle-themed wonder. With 5 rooms, the BTO has plenty of room for decorative freedom. Still, a number of space-saving features were implemented – for one, the catwalk, which would take up an inordinate amount of space on the ground, was instead mounted to the ceiling, resembling a treetop jungle walk and allowing the cats a cat’s eye view from above.
Image credit: Free Space Intent
The elevated living room platform subtly separates the kitchen and dining room area from the rest of the house, while allowing the space to remain open. Throughout the home, you’ll find intricate Balinese-style wood decor, reminiscent of what one might find at a resort.
Aesthetic cat-friendly HDBs in Singapore
If there’s anything these 7 homes have demonstrated, it’s that having cats in the home doesn’t mean compromising on a chic, unique space. Making use of space-saving features allows the cat’s needs to be taken care of, without reducing floor space.
Making use of lighter colours in the home can also help to leave the space feeling bright, while allowing any fallen cat fur to blend in as it’s not as obvious when contrasted against a colour that is close to that of the cat.
For more, check out:
- Guide to rearing chickens at home in Singapore
- Inside Amy Cheng Bradshaw’s chic mid-century modern apartment
- Singaporeans share their roommate horror stories
- How my 4-room flat housed 21 tenants without my knowledge
Cover image adapted from:
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