This Tiny Transforming Apartment Is a Playground For Pets

The name says it all. Pets Playground is a multifaceted 453-square-foot residence in Yuen Long, Hong Kong, that puts the family’s most important members first—their fur babies.

As the house is shared between a young couple, one of their mothers, a cat, and a parrot, Pets Playground is all about creating balance between partners, generations, and species.

Sim-Plex Design Studio created a private space for each member of the family, as well as communal spaces for everyone to gather—essential for striking harmony between multiple personalities under one roof.

"Pets Playground not only is a project designed for pets, but also a standpoint to achieve a balance between privacy and communion through spatial layout, bringing a new inspiration to the co-living social problems of young and elderly," explains Patrick Lam, founder and creative director of Sim-Plex.

Sim-Plex created a flexible layout to fulfill the many living requirements of the residents and to provide activities for their pets. The couple’s parrot enjoys basking in the sun, so its cage is located in the living room in front of a large west-facing window that captures warm afternoon light. A sliding door closes off the raised living area so the parrot can safely come out of its cage for some exercise, without fear of interaction with the cat. 

The sliding glass doors in the center of the home separate the couple’s master bedroom and living room from the mother’s bedroom and the dining area. The materials and color palette shift slightly between the two spaces, with light maple and gray tones in the master bedroom and living area. and white oak in the other two rooms.

The playground aspect of the home applies most to the mother’s cat. The dining table is integrated into a cabinet to provide more room to roam, and the cabinets create a sort of fort with round holes and walkways to explore. At the entryway, a seat doubles as a kitty litter box enclosure.

All wooden furniture is made from ecologically sound melamine-faced board to prevent the cat from scratching. This material choice also reduces exposure to formaldehyde, which is commonly used in composite wood products. In the mother’s bedroom, a built-in cat house sits in the wardrobe, while a catwalk and a cubby with steps floats above the bed.

Related Reading: 44 Chic Accessories Purr-fect For Your Pampered Pet, Cat Architecture: 6 Homes Designed With Felines in Mind

Project Credits:

Interior Design: Sim-Plex Design Studio