Witty Whisker

Next, we discussed a second big “element” for the cat room.  While the Espurresso pot would certainly be appropriate, I asked Angeli if there was anything else that called to her, what other “feline fantasies” she had in mind.  She mentioned how her parents were born in Puerto Rico and wondered if we might draw upon the beauty of Old San Juan.  I quickly went to work looking at the architecture of the island’s oldest town, a fitting complement to the historic energy of St. Augustine.

Like most islands in the Caribbean, Puerto Rico’s Old San Juan has buildings and streets that harken back to their European forebears, but done with the bursts of bright color that is so prevalent in the various islands in the area.  We selected several streetscapes and proposed to make two groups of “buildings,” designed so that they could be grouped back-to-back, placed against the wall, or set side-by-side.  We wanted Angeli and her staff to have the freedom to rearrange the pieces as she felt best suited the room, given that she would be hosting events like “painting with cats” there and would need flexibility.

Our tasks were truly a labor of love.  (Mind you, we say that about every project we work on, but it’s true!)  The astronomical clock, which we all took to naming the “Purrague” Clock, was one of the most delicious projects we’ve ever worked on.  The unique curved arch at the top, the statuary, the decorative ornamentation…it was all such a rich visual item for us to draw upon.  As we often do on handmade custom cat condos, our finish paint work relied upon hours of faux rustication on the building faces, replicating the centuries-old masonry, and faux patina on the top roof, emulating the aged copper on the real clocktower.  We found resin figurines and gave them homes on our clock.  Prints of the real clock elements were meshed in with our woodwork.  With one exception: for each month of the astrological clock (showing images of year-round pastoral life) we Photoshopped in an orange tabby cat to each medallion.  Although it was a small detail virtually no one will notice, we wanted to have this tiny surprise on the clock face.

Simultaneously to this, we framed out the Old San Juan streetscape.  We fashioned the roofs as removable “trays” so that Angeli and her assistants could simply “lift them off” for easy cleaning within or to retrieve a hidden kitty if needed.  Though made to be very open for cat movement, the second floor balconies have balustrades in some areas and delicate decorative details in others, like scored lines of a terrace tile pattern.  We wanted them to feel authentic in spite of being miniature buildings.

And, not to leave the backs of the buildings blank, we decided to draw upon the alleyways of the Old San Juan quarter and to create the illusion of plaster garden walls that have been adorned with colorful murals, a signature motif found in Old San Juan.  We used actual murals as source material on these walls.  And, of course, we were sure to add that same orange tabby hanging out on the plaster walls, just for consistency with the Purrague Clock.  After all, when you sit in a cat cafe, part of the fun is watching where a cat starts and where she gets to while you’re enjoying your beverage!