by Brianna Crandall — May 14, 2014—Teleworkers and other professionals who work in home offices often find that their feline friends who are left to entertain themselves want to be near their guardians, and may end up curling up in the middle of a toasty warm laptop. Hong Kong-based designer Ruan Hao of China-based architectural design company LYCS Architecture has come up with a solution that can entertain cats while keeping them nearby but off of the productive laptop.
The CATable is an attractive wood table filled with warm, smooth tunnels and hidden levels for cats to explore to their curiosity’s content or to lounge in, all in easy reach of their guardians—without placing laptops at risk of having their keyboards clogged by loose fur or errant paws.
Ruan Hao fabricated CATable out of a solid piece of wood, and hand carved a series of “irresistible” holes and tunnels that run beneath a flat and functional workspace. Four angled legs made of stained wood prop up the table. As an additional creative and useful feature, a portion of the desk is elevated to accommodate users who cross their legs while working.
For devising a chic and innovative way to reconcile home-office workers’ needs with those of their feline companions, Ruan Hao and LYCS will receive an Innovator for Animals Award from PETA. CATable also “caused a minor frenzy” during Milan Design Week, and won the jury’s vote of approval in the Office Interior Design category of Architizer’s A+ Awards.
