5 Modern Cat Furniture Designs Both Pets and Owners Adore

These sleek cat accessories are so well-designed, they'll rival your own furniture.

Gone are the days of unsightly scratchers and subpar cat condos. Thanks to new designer collaborations, your favorite felines can perch on modern pieces that range from minimalist playpens to miniature sofas. Find some of our favorite options below. 

1. A Custom Cat House From Indot 

Indot, an interior design firm in Taiwan, designed this suspended enclosure for a client's four cats. The wood frame and interior elements of the cat house mesh with the rest of the home's interior finishes, while the glass ensures the installation doesn't convey too much visual weight. Even better, it gives the cats a space of their own while still letting the homeowners see and appreciate them.

Indot, an interior design firm in Taiwan, designed this suspended enclosure for a client's four cats. The wood frame and interior elements of the cat house mesh with the rest of the home's interior finishes, while the glass ensures the installation doesn't convey too much visual weight. Even better, it gives the cats a space of their own while still letting the homeowners see and appreciate them.

"We started by asking ourselves if it might be possible to design recreational cat furniture to fit well to architectural modernism or art museums," Neko writes on their website. The company is based in Japan and produces a limited run of 22 cat trees a year, fabricated from Japanese hardwood by craftspeople in Hida.

"We started by asking ourselves if it might be possible to design recreational cat furniture to fit well to architectural modernism or art museums," Neko writes on their website. The company is based in Japan and produces a limited run of 22 cat trees a year, fabricated from Japanese hardwood by craftspeople in Hida.

The marble base stabilizes the tree, and the choice of material was inspired by designers seeing a cat stretched out on a marble floor to cool itself. The post is wrapped in Japanese-made hemp cord, which is ideal for cats to sharpen their claws and can be replaced when it gets tattered.

The marble base stabilizes the tree, and the choice of material was inspired by designers seeing a cat stretched out on a marble floor to cool itself. The post is wrapped in Japanese-made hemp cord, which is ideal for cats to sharpen their claws and can be replaced when it gets tattered.

Cats can climb up and down inside the tree and rest on the various platforms. The wool pads are sourced from Kvadrat, a Danish textile company.

Cats can climb up and down inside the tree and rest on the various platforms. The wool pads are sourced from Kvadrat, a Danish textile company.

Neko writes that carpenters use a "painstaking nail-less method in which small wooden rods known as 'dabo' are inserted one by one...The wooden bars are then treated with a thin layer of urethane, combining the feel of natural wood with the durability needed to resist cat scratches."

Neko writes that carpenters use a "painstaking nail-less method in which small wooden rods known as 'dabo' are inserted one by one...The wooden bars are then treated with a thin layer of urethane, combining the feel of natural wood with the durability needed to resist cat scratches."

Space between the wood dowels allows for connection between cat and owner, while still giving the cat a sense of enclosure.

Space between the wood dowels allows for connection between cat and owner, while still giving the cat a sense of enclosure.

A series of miniature cat furniture is available via a campaign to boost the profile of legacy furniture makers in the Japanese city of Okawa. The petite "Raffine" bed is fashioned by Tateyama Wood Crafts in walnut or black cherry. A matching nightstand is also available.

A series of miniature cat furniture is available via a campaign to boost the profile of legacy furniture makers in the Japanese city of Okawa. The petite "Raffine" bed is fashioned by Tateyama Wood Crafts in walnut or black cherry. A matching nightstand is also available.

The "Feline Sofa" from Hiromatsu Furniture can be purchased directly from the company and seen on display at the tourism center in Okawa.

The "Feline Sofa" from Hiromatsu Furniture can be purchased directly from the company and seen on display at the tourism center in Okawa.

According to Michael Yarinsky, the idea to design a line of attractive cat furniture came about while he and friend Aelfie Oudghiri were "drinking a bit too much" and questioning why mainstream cat accessories were so ugly. Then and there, Yarinsky—an interdisciplinary designer who works in architecture, interiors, and furniture, and runs Brooklyn's Cooler Gallery—and Oudghiri, founder of the Aelfie rug and home goods company, decided to collaborate on their own cat furniture. "The idea with the series was to fall somewhere between cat furniture and sculpture," writes Yarinsky.

According to Michael Yarinsky, the idea to design a line of attractive cat furniture came about while he and friend Aelfie Oudghiri were "drinking a bit too much" and questioning why mainstream cat accessories were so ugly. Then and there, Yarinsky—an interdisciplinary designer who works in architecture, interiors, and furniture, and runs Brooklyn's Cooler Gallery—and Oudghiri, founder of the Aelfie rug and home goods company, decided to collaborate on their own cat furniture. "The idea with the series was to fall somewhere between cat furniture and sculpture," writes Yarinsky.

The pair found inspiration for their line "from designers that fell on the cusp of art and design— people like Ettore Sottsass, Isamu Noguchi, and Peter Shire," writes Yarinsky.

The pair found inspiration for their line "from designers that fell on the cusp of art and design— people like Ettore Sottsass, Isamu Noguchi, and Peter Shire," writes Yarinsky.

Pieces are composed of CNC-milled ash plywood and flat weave rug material.

Pieces are composed of CNC-milled ash plywood and flat weave rug material.

The modular cat tree from KATRIS includes a set of five blocks (each a different shape) and 10 clips for securing the blocks together. The beauty of the KATRIS approach is the flexibility of the design: you combine the blocks to create whatever formation you can imagine, which keeps the cat from getting bored.

The modular cat tree from KATRIS includes a set of five blocks (each a different shape) and 10 clips for securing the blocks together. The beauty of the KATRIS approach is the flexibility of the design: you combine the blocks to create whatever formation you can imagine, which keeps the cat from getting bored.

Each block is composed of over 200 sheets of heavy-duty paperboard and can endure over 300 pounds of weight, making it quite durable.

Each block is composed of over 200 sheets of heavy-duty paperboard and can endure over 300 pounds of weight, making it quite durable.

With a wall mount kit and select blocks, the pieces can be attached to the wall.

With a wall mount kit and select blocks, the pieces can be attached to the wall.

Melissa Dalton
Dwell Contributor
Melissa Dalton is a freelance writer in Portland, Oregon, who has been writing for Dwell since 2017. Read more of her work about design and architecture at melissadalton.net.

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