This Couple’s Kitchen Was Designed for Their Most Important Guests: the Cats

Catrina Stewart, founding director of Office S&M Architects, kicked off the remodel of this Victorian London kitchen by doing some unusual research: she wanted to know what colors cats can see. The homeowners were eager to have an inclusive retreat for the whole family, which included their two rescue cats. “They play a lot of board games and puzzles so we wanted space for those activities, as well as for their cats who like to look at the wildlife out in the garden,” says Stewart. Turns out, blues and greens are on their furry friends’ radar, but they can’t detect warmer shades like red and orange as easily. So, Office S&M utilized cooler shades on main features like the windows, cabinets, and bench cushions, while warm, inviting hues come into play on accents like the vent hood.

With the palette decided, the project centered around upgrading what was once a leaky, partially dilapidated 1980s sunroom into a colorful haven. Stewart and her team were also mindful of the home’s surroundings. The house looks onto a protected wall bordering a 31-acre nature reserve. While they had to keep the footprint the same, they tweaked the interior layout to address the space’s shortcomings and took full advantage of the views beyond, providing generous living and dining areas, reading and writing nooks, and of course, feline-friendly hangouts. 

Hide the Radiator and Gain Clever Storage

In an effort to squeeze multiple functions into one single room, Office S&M added built-in seating and storage along the windows on both ends of the kitchen. It’s the ideal spot to enjoy the park in the summer that “is teeming with life, squirrels, foxes, all sorts,” says Stewart. Originally, the homeowners had placed a cushion on top of their radiator for the cats to warm up during the winter, but with the renovation, they opted for a vented cabinet that conceals it, and topped it with terrazzo. 

Nix Store-Bought Climbing Posts for a Bespoke Cat Tree

For the cats’ play area, Stewart collaborated with the builder to make it perfectly custom for their climbing abilities. “We wanted to make sure that the distances are carefully designed so it’s not too far of a jump and not difficult for them to get to the top,” she says. They clad a series of floating shelves in cork for a slip-free grip, while the adjacent pole acts as a scratching post.

Capture the Treetops With a Circular Skylight 

To maintain that airy sunroom feel and bring in even more natural light, Stewart added a central circular skylight, “big enough for you to be able to see the sky from the dining table, at the bench, or standing at the kitchen counter,” she says. 

Turn Conventional on Their Side

Stewart’s trick to make seemingly simple materials feel a little more special? Assemble them in a slightly different way. Exhibit A: she laid the standard square backsplash tiles in a diamond pattern and finished them with a blue grout to “accentuate the pattern and create something more dynamic without spending too much money,” she explains.

Give Drainpipes a Glow-Up

To connect the new and the old, Office S&M painted the existing windows on the home’s upper level in the same vibrant green as the kitchen’s exterior, then they wrapped the extension with a lavender tiled plinth. “It’s quite common to have light tiles on Victorian homes in the gardens as a way to reflect sunlight,” Stewart says. 

While a drainage pipe may be a detail most architects (and homeowners) are desperate to hide, Stewart embraced it. “They’re a bit of an afterthought,” she says. “We thought it was a nice opportunity to do something quite sculptural and eye-catching.” They coated the bar in a rich rust hue and topped it with a circular component that looks like a playful, big button that all the humans of the house can easily make out.