{"id":335243,"date":"2019-09-13T12:00:14","date_gmt":"2019-09-13T16:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.1stdibs.com\/blogs\/the-study\/?p=335243"},"modified":"2021-12-15T06:37:14","modified_gmt":"2021-12-15T11:37:14","slug":"mr-waffles-loves-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.1stdibs.com\/blogs\/the-study\/mr-waffles-loves-design\/","title":{"rendered":"This Black Cat Knows More about High-End Furniture Than You Do"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"First<\/a>
Mr. Waffles peers over his shoulder while perched on a 1980s Michele de Lucchi First chair<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Author and design enthusiast Lisa Roberts finds quite a bit of truth in an old adage about the differences between our most popular pets: \u201cYou know,” she quotes, “they say that dogs have owners and cats have staff.\u201d Absolutely, but it\u2019s rare that a cat\u2019s staff includes a stylist, a photographer and a graphic designer. Among cats, Mr. Waffles is a different breed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Roberts is the guardian and grandmother of this special feline, who is the star of her new book, <\/a>Mr. Waffles Loves Design<\/a> <\/em>(published by Pigtail). <\/em>It’s a passion they both share. Roberts has been collecting contemporary design since the 1980s and has previously published two books cataloguing some of her 400-plus finds from over 30 years of hunting: Design Pop <\/em>and Antiques of the Future<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Wiggle<\/a>
Mr. Waffles gets cozy leaning against the back of a 2003 Frank Gehry for Vitra Wiggle chair<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Her latest <\/em>pairs photos of the titular cat with background on the pieces and the occasional editorial remark from Mr. Waffles \u2014 for example, \u201cI only see design books. Anything on cats?\u201d uttered while perched on a bookshelf. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adopted from a shelter by Roberts\u2019s newly graduated son, Mr. Waffles was gifted (read: left) to his grandmother when his foster father realized the travel-heavy realities of his working life. \u201cWe\u2019d never had pets when he was growing up,\u201d Roberts explains. \u201cI think he didn\u2019t quite get the responsibility of pet ownership.\u201d As the job grew more serious, what started as long weekend stays for the cat at Roberts\u2019s home turned into months. Now he’s a full-time resident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Roberts had never touched a cat before Mr. Waffles came to stay, but the two became fast friends, not least because of their mutual interest in the comfy contemporary furniture that litters Roberts\u2019s home in Philadelphia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Vegetal<\/a>
A huge fan of color contrasts, Mr. Waffles lounges on a Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec Vegetal chair<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

During one of his first visits, Roberts recalls, Mr. Waffles, then a kitten, entered her son\u2019s room and immediately curled up on the large Up5 chair<\/a> by Italian designer Gaetano Pesce<\/a>. Noticing the cat’s camera-readiness, Roberts whipped out her iPhone and snapped a picture. A star was born. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soon, Roberts had amassed more than 7,000 followers on the Instagram account @MrWafflesLovesDesign<\/a>, which features the four-footed aficionado sniffing, climbing and perching on pieces created by Marcel Wanders<\/a>, Patrick Norguet<\/a>, Frank Gehry<\/a>, Joris Laarman<\/a> and the like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Henry
A stare down between Mr. Waffles and Henry Allen’s Pig Bank, which was made using a mold taken from a real piglet. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

With the encouragement of artist and designer Jaime Derringer and the help of graphic designer Lisa Benn Costigan, Roberts set about professionally photographing Mr. Waffles in her home. \u201cCats are not so easy to photograph,” she points out. “You have to capture them at just the right moment. And a black cat is especially difficult, because there\u2019s no color variation.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps miraculously, then, the book is a joy, combining compelling pieces of contemporary furniture with the humor and curiosity that only Mr. Waffles can bring to a photo shoot. He looks perfectly at home lounging on the green, organic Vegetal chair<\/a> made by the Parsian Bouroullec Brothers<\/a> for Vitra<\/a>. On Ron Arad<\/a>\u2019s flexible spiral Bookworm bookcase<\/a>, Mr. Waffles is lean and alert, the curl of his tail perfectly mimicking the inward corkscrew of the shelves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Antibodi
Patricia Urquiola’s Antibodi chair provides a comfortable nap spot for Mr. Waffles. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Roberts is the first to admit that Mr. Waffles Loves Design<\/em> isn\u2019t easily classifiable. \u201cIt\u2019s a quirky book. It doesn\u2019t sit comfortably in the design section or the pet section,\u201d she says, adding that her intention was to break from the conventions of design tomes: \u201cBefore I wrote my first book, I went through my design library and noticed that most of them were pretty dry and academic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Philippe
Mr. Waffles tries on Philippe Starck<\/a>‘s Max Le Chinois for size. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In Mr. Waffles Loves Design, <\/em>Roberts and Costigan strove for something more accessible, balancing education with wit. The gambit succeeded. When Roberts gave an advance copy to a friend, she recalls, \u201cher 12-year-old daughter immediately started reading it and laughing at all the cat comments and observations. She gravitated toward those and then went to the text to see what the objects were.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The book isn\u2019t for children specifically, Roberts points out, but for all those looking for a fun, light entr\u00e9e into the world of contemporary design. By that criterion, it’s already a triumph, although much of the credit arguably goes to Mr. Waffles for being the purr-fect model.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Find Mr. Waffles’s Favorite Designs on 1stdibs<\/h2>\n\n\n
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t