I’m Absolutely Moving into This Cat Sanctuary Designed to Look Like a Stylish 1970s Suburban House

Professional’s Name: Mario Arbore
Company: Arbore Architectural Design PLLC and Square Paws
Client’s Name: Ladew Cat Sanctuary (@ladewcats on Instagram)
Location of Project: Oyster Bay, New York

I LOVE cats… my cat, my neighbor’s cat, stray cats I see walking around New Orleans. And I LOVE themed spaces — like bars, restaurants, bathrooms, and more — so when this professional project came across my virtual desk, I immediately knew I’d be declaring my intent to move into this cat sanctuary designed to look like a suburban house from the 1970s.

This project was submitted by Mario Arbore, an architect based in Melbourne, Florida, who also designs and builds specialty cat furnishings under the name of Square Paws. “We recently completed an interior remodeling project at the Patricia H. Ladew Foundation’s cat sanctuary in Oyster Bay, New York,” Mario writes. The sanctuary has a long history, going back as far as the 1970s, and Square Paws’ design for the remodel paid homage to the space’s past with snappy mid-century-inspired designs.

“Our design intent was to create a more neutral color environment on the walls and use their signature blue and green colors in combination with natural wood finishes and newly added warm orange and red colors as accents in the spaces,” writes Mario.

“Allegorically, we were taking a cue from the media flack that Pat Ladew received in the ’70s when she bought the property as a sanctuary for stray and homeless cats, and we fashioned these spaces as suburban rooms as if the resident cats fully own the house. Our inspiration was mid-century modern in all our faux furnishings and appliances,” Mario writes.

Thankfully, there is a lot more information about this amazing home’s design on the cat sanctuary’s website for people like me who need to know absolutely every detail of this incredible space: “In the newly designed living room, Square Paws envisioned the house to be a ‘living museum,’ not unlike the nearby Sagamore Hill but alive with cats as the ‘homeowners,’ yet frozen in a 1960s/1970s moment in time. In Square Paw’s fictional scenario, the papa-cat is an Oyster Bay fisherman and therefore the living room has a fisherman theme. The indoor catwalk has been extended to cover 150 linear feet for the cats to explore the house from above.”

“The rec room is modeled after a 1970s style basement where the ‘pawties’ happened. It’s a cozy room for the cats to wait for their potential new families to come. The room features TV where they can watch their favorite programs, as well as their own catio to enjoy some fresh air,” reads the cat sanctuary’s website.

There’s even a room (pictured below) that has a a replica of the exterior of the house that Pat Ladew purchased in 1975. Insert crying cat emoji!

I’m not sure if the Ladew Cat Sanctuary will actually let me move in, but if they don’t, at least there are more photos of this incredible space to peruse, as well as sweet adoptable kitties to look at, on their website.

This submission’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity. And I’m of course joking… I won’t ACTUALLY be moving into this cat sanctuary. But I’d certainly like to visit one day.

Share Your Style: House Tour & House Call Submission Form