Many structures cited in Pet-tecture were conceived in Japan, a country that also brought us the world’s most expensive cat condo and artisan-made mid-century modern style cat furniture.

Cat nap.
Cat nap.
Image: craftsman MADE/Okawa City

Also included are several notable projects from Architecture for Dogs, designer Kenya Hara’s “earnest exploration” of structures that make dogs and humans truly happy. For the project, Hara, who is MUJI’s art director, invited 13 leading Japanese architects to create houses for specific dog breeds and shared their blueprints online.

In the spirt of Wright’s design for a “two and a half feet high and three feet long” labrador, the influential (and apt-named) architecture studio Atelier Bow-Wow considered the dachshund’s anatomy to create best and safest option for the short-legged canines.

A far cry from generic, mass-produced options sold in big box stores, these well-designed animal homes signal a golden age in bespoke pet architecture. Some firms use the assignment as a place to work out ideas and experiment with new materials for full-scale projects. Others, like dog toy brand Bark or the Japanese cat-oriented company RINN, have made product design within the billion-dollar pet industry a focus in itself.

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