Press Release
Connect Cat Furniture by Vazken Kara Gozian Is Granted the Bronze A' Design Award in Pet Care, Toys, Supplies and Products for Animals Design
Vazken Kara Gozian of Papuk honored for pet care, toys, supplies and products for animals design by the international grand jury of the 2023 - 2024 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 21, 2024 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that Connect Cat Furniture by Vazken Kara Gozian of Papuk has been granted the Bronze A' Design Award in the Pet Care, Toys, Supplies and Products for Animals Design category. The result belongs to the 2023 - 2024 A' Design Award & Competition and was reached through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who assessed anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
About the Bronze A' Design Award
The Bronze A' Design Award is given to outstanding designs that showcase a high degree of creativity and practicality. It recognizes the dedication and skill of designers who produce work that stands out for its thoughtful development and innovative use of materials and technology. These designs are acknowledged for their professional execution and potential to influence industry standards positively. Winning this award highlights the designer's ability to blend form and function effectively, offering solutions that enhance people's lives and wellbeing.
More About Connect Cat Furniture
The Connect Collection, Papuk's flagship line, was designed with the belief that humans and cats can live together without sacrificing a home's aesthetic for their cats comfort. This human friendly modular cat tree allows for personalization with a series of attachable accessories such as cushion, toy, scratch pad and food tray, creating an experience as unique as your feline friend. The customization extends to product materials and finishes, providing cat owners with the ability to match their own personal style.
About Vazken Kara Gozian
Vazken Karageozian is a Syrian-born, Armenian interior designer. Receiving his bachelor’s degree in interior design, he went on to work on residential, retail and hospitality projects in the Middle East, Asia and Europe. After moving to Canada, Vazken worked at award-winning studio, Yabu Pushelberg, on career defining projects such as La Samaritaine (Paris). Throughout his career he’s designed various custom furniture pieces for high-end luxury projects, always bringing an innovative and fresh approach by blending function with style. He now lives in Toronto with his partner and two cats (Grayson and Ella) and is a creative director of the residential department at Figure3.
About Papuk
At Papuk, we design human-friendly car furniture, driven by the belief that humans and cats can live together without sacrificing the beauty of our home, for the comfort of theirs.
Award Record
With this recognition, Vazken Kara Gozian of Papuk is a winner of 1 A' Design Award.
About the A' Pet Care, Toys, Supplies and Products for Animals Design Award
The A' Pet Care Design Award is an international design competition recognizing good pet supplies, toys and product designs by designers and brands worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to pet care designers, animal toy designers, pet supply manufacturers and pet care brands from all countries. Entries typically include pet food, pet apparel, pet beds, feeding bowls, litter boxes and pet carriers. Awarded pet supply designs are published at https://designers.org/design-category/pet-care
About A' Design Award & Competition
A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://designers.org/157074
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/157074
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!157074
- Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/351642
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Connect Cat Furniture
- Function
- Cat Furniture
- Category
- Pet Care, Toys, Supplies and Products for Animals Design
- Discipline
- Product Design
- Industry
- Packaging & Retail and Furniture & Home
- Colors
- Saddle Brown, Sienna, Gray, Rosy Brown and Maroon
- Images
- 5
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Vazken Kara Gozian
- Country
- Canada
- Brand
- Papuk
- Recognition
- Bronze A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2023 - 2024
- Design ID
- #157074
Credits
- Image Credits
- All Images: Dion Lin
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- Connect Collection was driven by the belief that humans and cats can live together without sacrificing the beauty of our home, for the comfort of theirs. Our modular design approach allows for the personalization of our furniture with a series of attachable accessories such as cushion, toy, scratch pad and food tray, creating a customizable experience as unique as your feline friend. The customization extends to product materials and finishes, providing our customers with the ability to match their own personal style.
- Inspiration
- Humans have shared their homes with cats for a long time, providing everything they could to accommodate for their comfort. However, few options were available for cat furniture that considered both function and aesthetics. Clearly there was a hole in the market ready to be filled by a design solution for cat owners who care about the look of their home. Our starting point was the Scandinavian design principles of beauty in simplicity and minimalism. While also paying careful attention to a cat's functional needs, we created a cat tree that benefited both cats and owners.
- Research
- Starting with our own cats as test subjects, The Connect Cat Tree was prototyped with safety and durability at it's core. Following our first prototype, it became clear that the increased weight of natural wood materials would allow for a thinner, more refined dowel system. Internal reinforcements were then introduced within the platforms to to ensure when dowels were twisted into place, they wouldn't become loose over time. The second prototype was then tested by different cats with varying levels of energy. The structural integrity of the cat tree remained consistent.
- Challenge
- The hardest part of the design process has been and continues to be an ingrained societal perception that cat products be cheaply made, serving just function without aesthetic consideration. Some cat owners balk at the sight of a cat tree that lacks the carpeting and sisal rope they're used to seeing. They've become hyper aware of their cat's needs while having lost sight of their human aesthetic needs. Paradoxically, they want to have their cat on full display, comfortable on a cat tree that's on full display as well, degrading the appearance of their home.
- Realization and Technology
- The structure is made of solid Ash dowels with Ash veneered plywood. The cushion cover is made of cotton & polyester with foam insert and leather straps. The ring of the toy is made of wood with leather strap and pompom made of faux fur with rattle insert.
- Operation and Interaction
- The no-tools-required assembly of The Connect Cat Tree requires the twisting of adjoining dowels together between ascending platforms. The double width nature of the platforms and varying dowel lengths enable its modular design approach allowing for personalization in its structure - taller or shorter, skinny or wide to accommodate any sized space. The attachable accessories can be affixed to any platform throughout the structure. Should a cat prefer a higher or lower platform, the cushion with it's leather straps can accommodate varying feline preferences.
- Project Duration and Location
- This project was first conceived in April 2020 in Toronto, Canada. Following several design prototypes, The Connect Collection was made available in North America for purchase in December 2022.
- Keywords
- Cat Tree, Cat Furniture, Pet Furniture, Modular Cat Tree, Contemporary Cat Tree
