A Cat's Sliver
On settled, unhurried days, even the smallest domestic moments can feel complete. Reclining in a chair by the window, the couple chat as the plot on-screen unfolds. A mug waits on the coffee table; they lift it almost absent-mindedly—first catching the fragrance, then tasting the tea as its warmth rounds out on the tongue and a faint sweetness lingers. Now and then, sunlight slips through the glass and lands softly on the skin. Everything around them is ordinary—and quietly, it is beautiful. For this couple, whose home looks out to lush hills despite its urban setting, comfort lies in sharing time with ease across a generous interior. Five cats animate the scene: padding past with composed grace, settling on a tabletop, or climbing into a lap to purr. With that contentment comes a gentler intention—to be attentive to these small companions, and to shape a living environment where the couple and their cats can inhabit the same space in balance.
“A designer is like a doctor: you diagnose first, then prescribe—solving the problems a household faces across its past, its present, and what lies ahead,” says Abraham Lee, describing the thinking behind this residence with a smile. Beneath the home’s restrained surfaces is a close reading of everyday life—one that helped Abraham Architecture & Interior Design transform a pre-owned home the couple had lived in for more than two decades into the clear order and pared-back calm seen today. To build a home where people and cats could live well together, Lee began by asking the couple—who have experience in pet care—about feline habits, and by listening closely to how their daily routines with the cats actually unfold. Circulation and material choices were then calibrated to suit every inhabitant. From the first step into the spacious foyer, finished in dark stone tile, the atmosphere settles into a hush. Before the solid-wood slatted screen is drawn aside, a glazed sidelight offers a glimpse of life within; through the linear gaps—where light and air continue to move—the soft, approaching tread of a cat can almost be sensed, on its way to greet them. A second entry door provides a gentle safeguard, allowing the couple to linger in the drop zone, stroking the cats and playing with them without worry.
Inside the living area, the view opens wide to a framed sweep of green hills. Daily life extends naturally across this broad room: the owners shift between work and leisure at a dining table set deliberately off-axis, then settle into single chairs to take in the expansive window view. Within an order that remains calm and composed, a four-tier cat zone is concealed behind a white slatted wall—meeting the cats’ needs for vertical movement, litter-box use, and sleep. To one side, a concealed door gathers the daily choreography of cleaning, feeding, and storage out of sight. Mindful of shedding, scratching, and play—and equally mindful of the human need for restful sleep—fluted-glass sliding doors were installed between the kitchen island and the dressing room. A second sliding door before the bedroom quietly balances intimacy with the boundaries that rest requires, giving both humans and cats a more settled place to unwind. At corners and along walls, small glazed openings punctuate the surfaces; even as panels slide shut, light and everyday life continue to circulate through the home.
