2 People, 3 Cats, 309 Square Feet: A Magical Transforming Hong Kong Apartment

In Hong Kong, one of the most densely packed cities in the world, a young couple presented their architects with a seemingly impossible challenge: designing an apartment that would include a large kitchen, a home theater, a bathroom with a tub, and sleeping spaces for the couple and their overnight guests. The space also had to acommodate the couple’s three cats — and all this in 309 square feet.

The solution from the architects at LAAB is a miracle of multitasking: the bathtub turns into a sofa, a vanity folds out from a bookcase, and the sink disappears to turn the kitchen into a workspace. It’s also one of the most high-tech tiny apartments I’ve ever seen: the apartment includes pneumatic underfloor storage, kitchen cabinets that recess into the ceiling at the push of a button, and a sliding wall with a television that turns the kitchen into a home theater. More than just working in three dimensions, the architects really gave thought to the fourth dimension: time. Almost every space in the apartment can be used for different purposes at different times of day.

But all this attention to human comfort doesn’t mean they forgot about the cats! There’s a built-in litter box, of course, and a drawer that slides out to reveal the cats’ food bowls. And at the top of the apartment there’s a ‘cat walk’, a shelf above the tallest cabinets where the three felines can run back and forth and survey their domain.

Michelle and Andy even find space to entertain, whether it’s having people over to play games, watch movies, or even a dinner party. They love their new space, their friends love it, and most importantly — the cats love it.

You can see more photos, and read more about the space, at LAAB.