Interview about Neko Goten Cat Tower, winner of the A' Pet Care, Toys, Supplies and Products for Animals Design Award 2021
It started as a project to showcase Japanese craftsmanship, utilizing laminated cedar wood from Fukui Prefecture in Japan and the skills of furniture craftsmen in Fukui Prefecture. It is a luxurious piece of cat furniture that incorporates elements of sleeping, toilet and eating spaces, while being a cat tower that understands the habits of cats and allows them to exercise. Even if it don't remodel home for cat, it can be used as an interior accent, and the design shows the splendour of woodworking techniques by furniture craftsmen and the beauty of the wood grain.
View detailed images, specifications, and award details on A' Design Award & Competition website.
View Design DetailsOur client, the co-developer Furusaki Co.,ltd., is located in Fukui Prefecture, Japan, and makes wooden furniture. They asked us to develop original products using local wood, so we started talking about making the highest-quality, modern, wonderful furniture for cats that would be accepted worldwide, using the traditional woodworking techniques of Japanese furniture craftsmen.
e got ideas from episodes of people who love cats and how people who love cats design their homes, and also thought about what is needed to make even small Japanese homes, such as rental housing and cat cafes, comfortable and relaxing for cats. We also wanted to create a beautiful exterior that would allow people to enjoy the beauty of the Japanese cedar from Fukui Prefecture, so that the interior would not only be pleasing to cats but also to their owners, and we paid close attention to the appearance and sense of depth of the interior. To achieve this, we repeatedly used CG and video to verify the balance.
We have created these cat towers with reference to the architecture of cat lovers and the interiors of cat cafes in Japan, while also considering the environment in which cats can play and live comfortably, and with an understanding of their natural behavior. In particular, the transparent hemispherical structure is placed at the top so that cat lovers can look at the soles of their cats' paws from below, and it is a space where cats can also sleep in peace. In Japanese rental housing, it is not easy to make a catwalk because you can't even hammer a nail into the wall. “Nekogoten” can be placed to create the best space for cats.
Compared to a standard cat tower, this product is quite large, but it is also attractive because it can be customized to suit the needs of cats, such as the fact that various elements can be used separately, as well as being safe, so it can be used in limited spaces such as rental housing in Japan and cat cafes.
By using laminated wood with a natural striped pattern made from a combination of Japanese red pine and Japanese white pine from Fukui Prefecture for the steps, we were able to achieve a wonderful level of detail without the need for painting, and we were also able to use some sturdy oak wood to enhance the strength of the product. It would have been difficult to develop such a wonderful product without the traditional woodworking techniques and knowledge of the furniture craftsmen of Fukui Prefecture.
As there were cat lovers on the project team, we asked them about the habits of cats and the needs of cat lovers. After it was completed, we tested it again and again to see how cats would play with it, and we were relieved that it was accepted.
The word “nekogoten” means “the finest house for cats” in Japanese, so in that sense it is a product that is like a small building, where cats can exercise, rest and eat in safety. I think it is the result of the skills of wonderful craftsmen that they were able to express the spatial design between different functional areas in a single product.
The most important thing was that the furniture was made using local wood from Fukui Prefecture in Japan, and that the furniture was made by woodwork furniture craftsmen using their traditional craftsmanship to make original products for cats, so it is not a consumable product, but rather a gift for cats that will last a lifetime. In that sense, it is not a cheap disposable pet product, but rather a product that can remain in the home of a cat lover as interior decoration even after the cat is gone, along with memories of the cat.
The spherical house was made without using nails for the safety of the cats, and the size of the catwalk and steps was verified many times to ensure that the cats could play safely. Because it is difficult to assemble and deliver, we feel that it is necessary to consider packaging and delivery methods, such as shipping overseas.
There are many disposable pet products in the world. Of course, there are many things that are consumable, but things like furniture for pets made from thinned wood, like this “Nekogoten”, can be a gift for a pet that will last a lifetime, and I think that they will be loved for a long time as products that allow both the owner and the pet to live comfortably.
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