Energetic House for Book Lovers and Cats in Brooklyn, NY

This colorful and highly original home in Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn, New York, was specially developed for a couple of professionals with a passion for art and good books. The design brief called for special accommodations for their two shy but inquisitive cats to be able to navigate through small and high places.

BFDO Architects envisioned the living area on the parlor floor lined on one side by a full-length bookshelf, topped by a cat circulation space. “Shelves project to create steps for the cats to climb up to a continuous open ledge where they can observe activities from a high vantage point,” the designers added. “Trap doors allow the cats access to rooms above at either end of the house.”

The main floor is organized into four separate areas: the living room, media room, dining area and kitchen. Upstairs, the studio occupies the back half of the floor. A balcony in the window wall allows the client to step outside for quick breaks from work. The two-story wall of glass at the back of the house floods the interior with light.

This Brooklyn home offers so many visual points of interest; check out the diorama of a living room concealed behind the front door or the unconventional reading area accessed through a small ladder! Photography and information courtesy of BFDO Architects.