Introduction and Interview Gabrielle de la Cruz
Images Morfosis
“Our concept for this space is named ‘Nine Lives’ not only to allude to the cat-centric theme, but also to pertain to the project’s flexibility in terms of function, unique and clever elements, and design solutions strewn throughout the space,” reveals Morfosis about their Cat Flat project, a renovation of a 40-square-meter unit in a high-rise residential building in Makati City. The rectangular space is a one-bedroom, corner unit that overlooks the Pasig River and offers excellent views of the city. Owners Sherwin and Oliver, who work in publishing and analytics respectively, have lived in the building for over a decade. They are both in their 30s and have a soft spot for cats, leading them to adopt two of the building’s stray cats and revamp their space. “Being a cat lover myself, it was really touching to find out that their primary reason for renovating is to give their cats a nice place to live in,” shares Misty Floro, Morfosis co-founder and principal. The brief called for a complete overhaul of the space in terms of design and layout. The couple underlined that they wanted to stray away from standard condominium designs and prove that compact living with ample storage and display space is possible.
The solution that Morfosis presented is a spatial arrangement specifically designed for the client and their unit. Nine Lives is divided into three major zones namely play (entertainment and display areas), stray (activity areas or spaces to move around and explore), and stay (spaces for rest, relaxation, and storage). The result is an open layout that highlights the prevalent space blue laminate color in the space, with no designated areas for both humans and cats sacrificed. Most requests such as a new kitchen and bathroom, toy storage and display, and even the coffee nook were accommodated. The clients and designers also agreed to knock down the bedroom wall and retain some of the unit’s floor-to-ceiling windows, allowing the space to look and feel more spacious and vibrant.
A year after the renovation, Kanto talks to Morfosis and owners Sherwin and Oliver regarding Project Nine Lives, recalling lessons from the design experience and looking at how the spatial concept has affected the couple’s (and the cats’) compact living thus far.
Below is our conversation:
Thank you, Morfosis, Oliver, and Sherwin for saying yes to this interview. Before we get into the details, I would like to ask Oliver and Sherwin a few icebreakers. Can you tell us what kind of designs you usually enjoy? What are your hobbies?
Oliver: My design taste is diverse, but I appreciate clean lines and perspective. My hobbies include reading certain books and, on occasion, playing console games.
Sherwin: I do not have a particular design aesthetic, but I am drawn to the minimal and symmetrical. I am an AFOL (Adult Fan of LEGO), which is why I required space for my LEGO collection.
You seem to like having a lot of fun! Would you say that you chose Morfosis to design your space given their studio’s out-of-the-box approach? What is it about them that made them the best fit for the design you wanted?
Oliver and Sherwin: Our design brief for the condo involved small space living with lots of storage and display areas. More importantly, we wanted to involve our two adopted stray cats—Echo and Stitch—in the design. This meant not only incorporating our own lifestyles but the daily lives of our cats as well—eating, playing, resting, littering, etc. A friend recommended Morfosis to us. Upon seeing their designs on Instagram, we thought that they were exactly who we wanted and needed. It was a huge plus to know that they are cat parents as well.
Walk us through the design process. What was it like? What parts did you enjoy the most?
Morfosis: Like in all of our residential projects, the first step was to get to know our clients better. We sent them our version of a slam book, an online questionnaire with questions such as their favorite brands, five things they can’t live without, what’s in their wardrobe, what their hobbies are, how they spend their ideal and typical day, and the like.
The usual next step would be to do an ocular or site visit. Site oculars are important because we really get a visual of our client’s belongings, how they live, what they like and don’t like about their current space, and things like that. We even document the space by taking measurements and photos and/or videos. For Sherwin and Oliver, we visited the unit right before the Enhanced Community Quarantine from August 6 to 20, 2021. Remember those? It was during the visit that you showed us your awesome Lego and book collections.
Oliver and Sherwin: Morfosis is the first design team we ever worked with. We needed a young design group to overhaul the space. We were not merely looking to change or move furniture around. We have watched a number of Never Too Small videos for some references on small space design and were happy to learn that Morfosis has been watching the same YouTube channel as well!
Their vision was just spectacular. We practice Design Thinking in our work and we were glad that they also did. We approved everything right away. The only thing we remembered changing was the layout of the cats’ “condo” and the color of the fridge. We wanted the fridge to be blue as well to keep the overall tone of the space.
You started working together during the height of the pandemic. What was the experience like? Was the timeline enough for the project?
Morfosis: It was in July 2021 when Oliver and Sherwin reached out to us. Because of the difficulties caused by the pandemic, our team had time to do a deep dive into the conceptualization process for this project. As mentioned, we practice Design Thinking, and we took the opportunity presented by the ECQ to thoroughly go through each step.
We started construction in December 2021, right before the holiday break. Full blast construction happened after the new year, January 3, 2022, and the project was completed between April to May 2022. It took a bit longer than planned and was a bit challenging for the contractor given the restrictions, but working within a residential building always presents some difficulties.
What about the budget? Did you go over budget? Were there any cost-cutting measures that led to some design features in the original design not getting implemented?
Oliver and Sherwin: We went over budget, but we would say that it’s all worth it! Some of the items that hiked up the budget include the blue “designer retro” refrigerator and the other appliances that we just really had to get to match it, along with additional “smart” fixtures such as lighting and smart window films.
Morfosis: Oliver and Sherwin were very receptive to our advice. We guided them on the items they could save and splurge on, such as the Vitra Tip Ton chairs for the dining area and the Herman Miller Sayl chairs for the workspace. We worked with SmartAge for the smart lighting system and they even decided to install Smart Glass film for their windows. This allows them to project graphics and videos on the glass, allowing even the people outside the building to see it. It’s like having a mini billboard!
You clearly were able to breathe way more life into the space! How did you balance bringing out all the fun along with the need to design the project as a cat condo? Were there any sacrifices made between the play, stray, and stay aspects of the space?
Morfosis: The LEGO collection was quite big, honestly more than what would comfortably fit in the displays that we were going to design. So, it was agreed that the clients would just do a rotation of displays for their Lego. Around half of their collection would be in storage and we designated the TV wall as the main LEGO display cabinet. The upper part of the wall unit features lighted display shelves, while the bottom part is made up of closed cabinets with custom cut-out holes in the shape of cat emojis, to keep with the “cat condo” theme.
For the cat-centric spaces, we planned them out in such a way that it would be easy to locate the cats. For example, the custom cat play tower is beside the window, since cats love gazing out windows and watching the world go by, perhaps spotting a bird or two. This also features operable doors for ease of maintenance. Right beside the cat condo is a bay window that functions as a reading nook and seating for the dining area. Below that, you will find the litter box hidden under the seating. All the aspects of the space meld together into one cohesive space.
Considering all the aspects that you had to take into consideration, what would you say was the biggest challenge you encountered for this project?
Oliver and Sherwin: We were lucky in a way that the pandemic restrictions had been relaxed by the time of construction, but work was still limited by certain rules and the hours allowed in the building. We live in a condominium, so the walls are thin and we have plenty of neighbors. Moving materials in a small elevator is not easy. We are grateful that our building administrators, engineering team, housekeeping, and security personnel, were very accommodating. It does pay to be friendly and respectful at all times.
We also found about a square meter of space “hidden” in the walls. We checked with our engineering team and they were also surprised with it. The walls hiding it did not affect the building’s structural integrity, so they agreed that we could tear it down. Voila, extra space!
Morfosis: One challenge that we encountered was how to execute our design intent of having a magnetic glass wall near the desk, which serves as a writing/memo board. We had a metal sheet mounted behind the coated glass. It didn’t seem to work at first. But the client thought of purchasing stronger magnets, and it worked!
Overall, the project was an enjoyable one. Each project has its own unique idiosyncrasies, but what we found through experience is that most of the time, embracing these idiosyncrasies and working through challenges often leads to breakthroughs.
You seem to have built a good client-designer relationship. As clients and designers, what were some of the learnings and insights you picked up on the project?
Oliver and Sherwin: You can watch as many YouTube videos as you like and feel falsely empowered that you can do interior design and construction by yourself, but it is infinitely better if you let the real designers do it! Collaboration is important, but trusting your designer is key. Give your designer all your needs and wants. Afterward, let go and trust them to do what they think is best. It is their area of expertise anyway. And we are lucky that Morfosis truly has a team of experts.
Morfosis: We are very grateful to Oliver and Sherwin for their trust. It is this trust that allowed our creativity to flourish and we definitely do not take it for granted. We believe that mutual trust is crucial because it lays the foundation for a successful client-designer collaboration.
Regards to our field of work, we realized how important proper and detailed space planning is, especially for compact spaces. We believe that a good design always starts with a good floor plan. We started from there and were able to incorporate all the solutions and even some surprises.
This question is specifically for Morfosis. How would you relate Project Nine Lives to your body of work thus far? Any similar exciting new projects?
Morfosis: Project Nine Lives is a testament to our design philosophy’s evolution. We believe in always trying to push boundaries in design, and creating experiential spaces that resonate with our clients and their audiences. Through this project, we’ve been able to showcase our design thinking, our pursuit of being extraordinary, and our dedication to crafting spaces that encapsulate the essence of “Experience more at Morfosis.”
We do have exciting residential projects on the way! We are also working on a 600-square-meter pet lifestyle center in BGC, with amenities such as a pet park, pet grocer, separate grooming spaces for dogs and cats, and pet hotels for dogs and cats. We believe it will be the biggest of its kind when it opens within the year.
How interesting to find that you continue to create experiences even for pets, Morfosis! Oliver and Sherwin, how has guest feedback been in your new cat-friendly home so far? If you were to decide, what qualities would you want people to pick up from your space?
Oliver and Sherwin: Only our immediate family have been in our unit but they were pleasantly surprised with the more open layout and the extra space. We haven’t really had other guests but we’ll most likely open our home to them soon.
If we were to decide what qualities we would want other people to pick up from our space, it’s that small space living is doable even if you have a lot of stuff. You just need to have the right place to put them all in.
Here we are a year after the completion of Project Nine Lives. What are you most proud of for this project? Is there anything you would change or improve, given the chance?
Morfosis: We’re always happy to see the space when Oliver and Sherwin post on their social media accounts. We love how it has become a space that they and their cats definitely use. We are completely happy with how it’s come out.
Oliver and Sherwin: After more than a year, we are still amazed by the fact that we now have better lighting inside the unit especially in the evening compared to the pale, inadequately placed lighting fixtures that we had for many years. There is enough light that comes from outside during the day and enough lights to switch on during the night.
It’s a small space but it does not look as small because of how open and smartly it was designed. Just ask our two cats who seem to have enough space to run and chase each other around late at night and before sunrise. •
Gabrielle de la Cruz started writing about architecture and design in 2019. She previously wrote for BluPrint magazine and was trained under the leadership of then editor-in-chief Judith Torres and previous creative director Patrick Kasingsing. Read more of her work here and follow her on Instagram @gabbie.delacruz.
