Bronze Pet Care, Toys, Supplies and Products for Animals Design · 2024
Connect Cat Furniture
- A' Design Award 2024 Bronze Winner in Pet Care, Toys, Supplies and Products for Animals Design
- Awarded April 15, 2024
- CLIENT: Papuk
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 40,149
- Verification code A8258AC263 · Verify this award
About Connect Cat Furniture
The Connect Collection, Papuk's flagship line, was designed with the belief that humans and cats can live together without sacrificing a home's aesthetic for their cats comfort. This human friendly modular cat tree allows for personalization with a series of attachable accessories such as cushion, toy, scratch pad and food tray, creating an experience as unique as your feline friend. The customization extends to product materials and finishes, providing cat owners with the ability to match their own personal style.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- Connect Collection was driven by the belief that humans and cats can live together without sacrificing the beauty of our home, for the comfort of theirs. Our modular design approach allows for the personalization of our furniture with a series of attachable accessories such as cushion, toy, scratch pad and food tray, creating a customizable experience as unique as your feline friend. The customization extends to product materials and finishes, providing our customers with the ability to match their own personal style.
Unlike many other cat trees on the market, the Connect Collection is built with durability in mind to stand the test of playtime for cats of varying energy levels, with easy replacement of parts and accessories to reduce waste and creating much needed consistency for cats. - Dimensions & Packaging
- 80W x 40D x 130H cm
- Tags
- Cat Tree, Cat Furniture, Pet Furniture, Modular Cat Tree, Contemporary Cat Tree
- Production Technology
- The structure is made of solid Ash dowels with Ash veneered plywood. The cushion cover is made of cotton & polyester with foam insert and leather straps. The ring of the toy is made of wood with leather strap and pompom made of faux fur with rattle insert.
- Design Challenge
- The hardest part of the design process has been and continues to be an ingrained societal perception that cat products be cheaply made, serving just function without aesthetic consideration.
Some cat owners balk at the sight of a cat tree that lacks the carpeting and sisal rope they're used to seeing. They've become hyper aware of their cat's needs while having lost sight of their human aesthetic needs. Paradoxically, they want to have their cat on full display, comfortable on a cat tree that's on full display as well, degrading the appearance of their home.
Our marketing efforts have honed in on re-education for this market segment to demonstrate that cat furniture is furniture like a table, couch or lamp and the same aesthetic considerations that go into those furniture pieces need to go into furniture for their cat as well. - Project Duration
- This project was first conceived in April 2020 in Toronto, Canada. Following several design prototypes, The Connect Collection was made available in North America for purchase in December 2022.
- Operation Flow
- The no-tools-required assembly of The Connect Cat Tree requires the twisting of adjoining dowels together between ascending platforms. The double width nature of the platforms and varying dowel lengths enable its modular design approach allowing for personalization in its structure - taller or shorter, skinny or wide to accommodate any sized space.
The attachable accessories can be affixed to any platform throughout the structure. Should a cat prefer a higher or lower platform, the cushion with it's leather straps can accommodate varying feline preferences. Similarly, the toy can be affixed between any dowel and platform, creating the opportunity for independent play, while its removable wooden ring becomes a handle for cats and their owners to play together.
With the attachable food tray and scratch pad, any platform can be designated as a place to eat or a place to scratch and stretch. - Research
- Starting with our own cats as test subjects, The Connect Cat Tree was prototyped with safety and durability at it's core. Following our first prototype, it became clear that the increased weight of natural wood materials would allow for a thinner, more refined dowel system. Internal reinforcements were then introduced within the platforms to to ensure when dowels were twisted into place, they wouldn't become loose over time.
The second prototype was then tested by different cats with varying levels of energy. The structural integrity of the cat tree remained consistent.
Feedback from participants living in condos with less room encouraged us to embrace the customization of it's footprint to accommodate varying sized living spaces.
During this development phase we also learned from participating cat owners that the cat cushion was becoming their cats favorite place to dig their nails into. We then reinforced the durability of the fabric materials used for the cushion to ensure it didn't quickly become shredded with use and could be machine washed as necessary.
The cat toy was later introduced and went through several stages of development to ensure the pom of the toy attracted the interest of cats, while standing up to their play. Through trial and error, a custom-made pom proved to be the clear winner.
Following our testing phase, the insights we gleaned from both cats and their owners informed our final design approach. Our fanbase of customers continues to share their insights as we further refine the design of The Connect Cat Tree and it's series of accessories. - Inspiration
- Humans have shared their homes with cats for a long time, providing everything they could to accommodate for their comfort. However, few options were available for cat furniture that considered both function and aesthetics. Clearly there was a hole in the market ready to be filled by a design solution for cat owners who care about the look of their home.
Our starting point was the Scandinavian design principles of beauty in simplicity and minimalism. While also paying careful attention to a cat's functional needs, we created a cat tree that benefited both cats and owners. - Image Credits
- All Images: Dion Lin
Colors of Connect Cat Furniture
Design Interview about Connect Cat Furniture
It all started when Vazken our founder/ designer and cat dad was looking for a cat tree for his two cats Grayson and Ella.
However, few options were available for cat furniture that considered both function and aesthetics. That’s when he decided to design CONNECT Collection.
However, few options were available for cat furniture that considered both function and aesthetics. That’s when he decided to design CONNECT Collection.
The focus was on creating a functional yet aesthetically pleasing piece of furniture for cats that owners would be proud to display in their homes. The goal was to achieve a balance between the needs of the pet and the design preferences of the parents.
Our long-term vision for Papuk is to establish an ecosystem of products that caters to both cats and their parents. Our tagline "Human-friendly cat furniture" sums up our commitment to creating products that not only prioritize the comfort and well-being of cats, but also seamlessly integrate with the interior design of modern homes. We want buying a Papuk product to be part of an experience that welcomes you into a community of like-minded design-appreciating cat parents.
It took almost two years from initial concept to realization as we went through different porotypes and testing to ensure all our products endure the test of playtime for years to come.
It was a very personal passion project of our founder as he noticed the lack of options that truly blended functionality with aesthetic when it came to cat furniture and with his interior design background he decided to pursue the idea of creating a collection of cat furniture to bridge a gap in the market by offering a modern design aesthetic combined with personalization.
At the moment we are producing our own work and selling directly through our website.
Our founders background in interior design and experience with custom furniture pieces for luxury projects influenced the decision to design high-end cat furniture.
Aesthetically inclined cat parents who care about the quality of the furniture pieces they invest in.
Papuk Cat Furniture is filling a gap in the pet furniture market with a unique modular approach to design and personalization. A careful balance between functionality and aesthetics, Papuk’s inaugural line of products features a cat tree that can be personalized with a series of attachable accessories.
The name "Connect Collection" was born from the modularity of its design and the ability to connect different elements and accessories to the wooden structure resulting in a personalized cat tree for every cat parent.
we used SketchUp for 3D modeling and AutoCad to produce our drawings.
Through design customization, Papuk is creating the opportunity for cat parents to curate their feline connection based on their own design preferences.
As a small business, one of the biggest challenges we faced (and continue to face) is navigating all aspects of starting a business and juggling multiple roles simultaneously. We had to learn a million new skill sets to effectively manage everything. During moments when self-doubt crept in and we contemplated giving up, it was the unwavering support system around us that kept us going. Their belief in us and our abilities inspired us to push ourselves beyond what we ever thought we could achieve. They reminded us that challenges are a part of the journey and that success lies just on the other side of adversity.
We specifically wanted to submit to A Design Award for being it known having fair evaluation methodology where entries are judged purely on merit.