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
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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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Photo Courtesy of Square Paws "Musicat" |
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| 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
