Cat Ear Noho Hana Nui by Mingzhi Cai and Hongqi Cai

Cat Ear Noho Hana Nui by Mingzhi Cai and Hongqi Cai is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 A' Design Award Kala in Hoʻolālā Lako Hale Competition Category.

KalaLako Hale· 2025

Cat Ear Noho Hana Nui

by Mingzhi Cai and Hongqi Cai

Client: Demi Industrial Design Co.，Ltd

A' Design Award Kala Winner in Lako Hale Category

158,019

Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #166612

View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Cat Ear Noho Hana Nui

Hiki ke hoʻohana ʻia ka hoʻolālā noho pepeiao pōpoki ma ke ʻano he noho ʻaina, noho oihana, noho haʻahaʻa, a me ka moe hōloholona ma o nā ʻano hoʻonohonoho ʻokoʻa. Mai ka hiʻohiʻona o ka poʻo pōpoki mai ka hoʻoulu manaʻo, e hana ana i nā hulu pīkoʻi a me nā kūkulu kikaha e hoʻoponopono i ka pilikia o ka hoʻololi ʻana ma ka hāpai kaumaha. Ma ka hoʻohana ʻana i ka ʻenehana hoʻohana wela pūlima a me ka mālama ʻili laukuʻiwa, ua hoʻoponopono ʻia ka pilikia o ka pale ʻaʻano, e wāwahi ana i nā palena o nā huahana hoʻohana hoʻokahi kuʻuna a hoʻokō ana i ka hoʻohana hou me nā hana nui o kekahi pūlima.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Kala

Ua lanakila ka hoʻolālā Cat Ear Noho Hana Nui i ka A' Design Award Kala, he ʻike hoʻohanohano nui loa i hāʻawi ʻia i nā hoʻolālā kiʻekiʻe loa, nani a kupaianaha. He mau hana ʻālohilohi loa a hana noʻeau nui nā lanakila Kala e hōʻike ana i ka loea, ka makakoho a me ka ʻoi aku o ka noʻonoʻo o kā lākou poʻe hoʻolālā. Manaʻo ʻia ʻo ka hoʻolālā Cat Ear Noho Hana Nui he hana kupaianaha, kūlana ʻoi aku, ʻoihana kiʻekiʻe a hou loa. ʻO kēia hoʻolālā i lanakila i ka A' Design Award Kala he mea hoʻokumu kūpono loa, mahalo ʻia e hāʻawi i ka pōmaikaʻi a hoʻoneʻe i nā palena o ka hana noʻeau, ka ʻepekema, ka hoʻolālā a me ka ʻenehana. He mea i ʻeleu ʻia e nā mea he nui ka hoʻolālā Cat Ear Noho Hana Nui e hoʻāla i ka makemake, lawe mai i nā manaʻo maikaʻi a hoʻāla i ka kamahaʻo a me ka mahalo.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: This chair meets various usage needs through different structural components. Through the video, it can be seen that it can be used as an office chair or dining chair. The designer has designed a set of injection molds to achieve at least 4 different functional uses, such as dining chairs, office chairs, rest chairs, and pet beds.
Dimensions & Packaging: The diameter of the chair is 55CM, the depth from the armrest to the bottom of the seat is 19CM excluding cat ears, and the total height after installing the legs is 64CM. Can be stacked and packaged, greatly saving transportation and storage volume.
Tags: Dining chairs, office chairs, leisure chairs, bar chairs, pet beds, ski cushions, low chairs, swing chairs
Production Technology: The product is formed by hot injection molding of polypropylene plastic, melted at a certain temperature, and integrated into a single piece through an injection molding machine. The production time for each piece is about 3 minutes. The designed mold optimizes the shape analysis, and the finished product can be packaged without repair. The material can be recycled and reused. This production technology is currently mature in the market, with high production efficiency and the ability to quickly meet production demand.
Design Challenge: Breaking the traditional design, this multipurpose chair is shaped like a Cat's ears . Endowing cat ears with curves while considering modern craftsmanship, with diverse functions and simple operation. Considering the different needs of young people in pursuit of fashion, family users who pay attention to practicality, and business scenes that need a stable texture, we will study and fine tune the curvature of Cat's ears (Steamed cat-ear shaped bread) and other details in the design to collect feedback. After the design was completed, an appearance design patent was applied for to optimize the injection molding process and solve molding defects in production. By using solid wood legs to ensure stable installation and overcoming structural strength issues through 3D modeling, this cat ear chair has been successfully created.
Research: Focus on optimizing comfortable sitting posture, combining animal shapes to improve design practicality and aesthetics. By observing interviews, screening and investigating initial drafts, conducting interviews to determine buyer needs, observing chair usage, and recording interviews. Obtain user browsing time and color preference data, identify installation convenience issues. Improve the design direction, simplify the process, optimize installation, and make the chair more competitive.
Inspiration: The design inspiration comes from the circular outline of a cat's head. Get inspiration for exterior design by observing cats. Design a hollow contour on the ear and increase the edge width for easy lifting. The armrest is designed with rolled edges to provide a comfortable grip for both hands.
Project Duration: In May 2024, we began conceptualizing the appearance of the product, tested 3D printing in Langfang, Hebei in July, achieved final optimization in September, and arranged mold production in late September. It will be exhibited at a grand exhibition in April 2025.
Operation Flow: In the early stages, 3D modeling was conducted and a multi-purpose application with optimized usage functionality was optimized through multiple scaling adjustments. After the final draft, 3D printing was conducted to test the convenience of seat installation, and the edges of the details were smoothed to feel smooth and without edges, making it more comfortable to sit and use.
Patents: Chinese Patent No.: 202430790474.5 Belonging to: Demi Industrial Design Co., Ltd.Applied on November 5th, 2024，Trademark: DeMiDeLan, Trademark holder: CaiMingRui
Team Members: Design Director: Cai Mingzhi
Art director: Li Fengshi
Mentor: Cai HongQi
Image Credits: Image #1:Design Director: Cai Mingzhi/Mentor: Cai HongQi，Image #2:Design Director: Cai Mingzhi/Art director: Li Fengshi，
Image #3:Design Director: Cai Mingzhi/Art director: Li Fengshi，
Image #4:Design Director: Cai Mingzhi/Art director: Li Fengshi，
Image #5:Design Director: Cai Mingzhi/Mentor: Cai HongQi