Monday, September 25, 2017

Meet The Mastermind Behind Square Paws: the most "Truly Unique Cat Furniture"

FROM CAT CHAT WITH CAREN AND CODY: A few months ago I had the pleasure of discovering the MOST "truly unique cat furniture" that I had ever laid eyes on. In my opinion, "truly unique" doesn't begin to cover the genius and talent that is behind the most CREATIVE, as well as "unique" cat furniture I have ever seen. I immediately fell in love. Today, I am thrilled to present to you the owner/creator of 
his name is Mario Arbore.  Mario's philosophy is Here at Square Paws, we’d like to think that your cat's play-towers should be part of your home environment and not a completely foreign object. That’s why our cat towers and other pet pieces are made to delight both pet and owner."  10% of net profits are donated to agencies dedicated to animal rescue and refuge.

I am beyond smitten with the furniture at Square Paws, so much so, that I asked Mario if he wouldn't mind writing a guest post to give us some background as to how Square Paws came about, and how he came to create what is, in my opinion,  the most endearing, unique and creative furniture that exists in the cat world! I am thrilled that he accepted! Now, I proudly present, Mario Arbore
CLICK HERE TO VISIT
the above picture is a sponsored ad on our sidebar


In early 2014, I had come to a fork in the road in my career as an architect.  Having completed several long-term projects in New York and in Florida, I found myself with some extra time on my hands and asked a friend what she thought I should do next.  “Why not build cat towers?” she asked.

I scratched my head, wondering how I might approach the subject of cat towers.  I had purchased several of the garden-variety cat trees from the big box pet store chains in the past and had even tried my hand at making a small cat perch many years ago.  But this was different.  This occurred for me as an opportunity to “say something different” about cat furniture.  I pondered for a few days what I might do and what kind of design vocabulary I might bring to the subject.  In those early days, I began to take visual notes and sketch the various habits of my three cats, often measuring them while they slept or watching how far they would jump.


I noticed how two of my three cats preferred sleeping at the highest spot they could find, whereas the other cat preferred to hole up in a more cave-like setting.  Drawing upon my knowledge of architectural history, my first thought was to one of my favorite building types: a lighthouse.  It had the verticality most cats desired, while still allowing for a place to “cave.”  I found images of a lighthouse in Nova Scotia that I liked very much and immediately went to work designing the form and inner platforms for a kitty lighthouse.  Within a week, I had created the working drawings, then cut, painted and carpeted my first cat tower.  And, after watching my cats quickly take to climbing within its walls, I knew instantly I had stumbled upon an intriguing approach to making cat habitats!

The lighthouse opened up a wellspring in my mind of building typologies and iconic items that could be tailored to serve as jungle-gyms for curious felines.  Nautical themes led me to creating various lifeguard chairs.  The concept of a chair led me to creating a Royal Throne. 
Photo Courtesy of Square Paws
"Royal Throne"


Common household items like grandfather clocks and coffee pots became inspiration for new cat tower designs, all the while challenging me to fit a cat’s natural curiosity to climb and sleep safely atop their domain paired with a piece of sculpture that could enhance a person’s home rather than appear like an afterthought. 
Photo Courtesy of Square Paws
"Hickory Dickory"


Use of bold colors and different carpets became fun to experiment with, to see how various cats of different stripes and fur color might appear against the different backdrops.

Photo Courtesy of Square Paws
"Espurresso"


Indeed, one of the greatest joys I got in the process was the joy and wonder experienced by PEOPLE as much as cats!  The sheer idea of fashioning something such as a collection of musical instruments into a cat condo took many people by surprise and sparked their imaginations towards new possibilities.  And cats, being the sensitive animals that they are, are quick to react to a person’s loving, doting energy, and that’s good for both feline and human alike.

Photo Courtesy of Square Paws
"Musicat"



Photo Courtesy of Square Paws
"Ferris Wheel"
From an oversized stiletto shoe to a kitty Ferris wheel, from a cat-friendly potted flower to a peering giraffe, the journey thus far to explore and create new ways to enhance the lives of cats and their human custodians has been very rewarding, and we are looking forward to creating new Square Paws wonders for folks to marvel at!

Mario Arbore





44 comments:

  1. OMC!!! How unique! Petcretary says she loves that clock, my 'opa' was a master clockmaker...he would have snorted with glee at the Hickory Dickory Dock, clock...complete with mice to run up! Does it strike??? MOL!!

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  2. I love these cat towers! I've seen the leaning tower and the throne before but the rest are new to me.

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  3. WOW! That is quite the cat furniture!
    It all looks so fun!
    Purrs Georgia,Julie and JJ

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  4. Very, very cool!! Some day if I ever get that dream house of mine... Purrs from Deb and the Zee/Zoey gang

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  5. What fabulously creative furniture - love all of these designs! So VERY clever......

    Hugs, Pam

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  6. What unique things for ones four legged family members to enjoy.

    Have a purrfect day, Cody. My best to your wonderful mom. ♥♥♥

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  7. Love this cat furniture. Got any yet? The throne-purrfect for a cat. Best to your mom.

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  8. I've already sent the website to a friend who doesn't want a 'normal' cat post for her bebe kitty! Great post!

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  9. These are too cool! I can't even begin to pick a favorite (though I'm certain Thimble would love that throne!).

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  10. Unbelievable, these magical kitty houses!!! What creativity! Love the moka pot...but then, we love Italy in addition to France.
    Maybe the Eiffel Tower and Moka together. Thank you for showing us these amazing creations.

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  11. Wow, these are truly the most wildly original cat trees. They are sculptures!

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  12. Those are magnificent, and over the top! We love his philosophy and hope his furniture sells well!

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  13. WOW! That is some of the most amazing goodies I've ever seen!

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  14. That's really cool furniture ! So creative ! Purrs

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  15. These are all so nice! I am in love with the Royal Throne :)

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  16. Oh my god!! I LOVE it --I can see Amarula sitting on that royal throne!

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  17. Those are wonderfully imaginative cat trees!

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  18. OMC! Those are incredible! So much more interesting than plain ole cat trees! Our only concern would be if the furniture accommodates, uh, not so svelte kitties who are built low to the ground and lack much jumping ability. Just sayin. :)

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  19. Such a fascinating story you've brought us, Caren & Cody... The creativity, ingenuity, and delightful whimsicality of Square Paws' Mario are beyond incredible!

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  20. Thank you!! And...he is SOOOO NICE! A complete joy. I can't even begin to imagine having talent like that!

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  21. You are right. Those are very unique. I think I like the ferris wheel the best but I think the coffee pot is the most unique cat tree I've ever seen.

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  22. Wow! That's some pretty cool furniture! We never seen anything like this before.

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  23. Whoa! Can anyone not named Trump afford these?

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  24. We've never seen anything like these before, either. That throne is just above and beyond, I can imagine my boys clamouring for one...or two. :-)

    Thanks for stopping by; I'm with you on loathing this heat!

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  25. WOW! I have never ever ever seen anything as super fun and these!!!! I hope Summer's Human sees the guitar and drums one!

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  26. That THRONE! EVERY cat should have one.

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  27. I have seen these advertised and absolutely love them--especially the leaning tower. So cool! It's nice to get the story behind them. :)

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  28. OMC!!!!! Not only are they functional, they look so decorative too.

    Emma and Buster

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  29. OMC! How we would love one of those thrones! These are totally awesome!

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  30. This is such a great idea! Schooner loves his cat tree, but I'm not thrilled with its looks. This is a wonderful solution.

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  31. For sure, it's creative and unusual.
    Cat's trees can be really boring objects.
    Bonne soirée
    Natacha

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  32. Wow. These are really cool. My decor is a hodge podge of different things I've accumulated over the years - so I'm not really concerned about a cat tree fitting in - but Bear loves ours dearly. He likes to sleep on the highest perch - and Ellie prefers to sleep in the cat condos. I love the uniqueness of the ideas shown!

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  33. Amazing cat towers......very inventive.

    Shoko

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  34. Oh MeOW What cool towers. We sure wish we could have one. Who are we kiddin', we'd like 'em all. MOL Big hugs

    Luv ya'

    Dezi and Raena

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  35. These are CAPTIVATING (or should I say Cativating!!!)
    I now want to turn my garage into a kitty tower creation center! Thanks for introducing me to Square Paws Caren! YOU ROCK!!!!
    Love Barb

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  36. Oh wow, that is some pretty amazing furniture! The ferris wheel is my favorite.

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