Say Architects has completed a grooming salon for pets in Hangzhou, China, which includes a sunken cafe, playground and a paddling pool where four-legged visitors can dip their paws.
Called Nova Pets, the 450 square-metre space provides a grooming service and areas for owners and their furry friends to socialise with others.

Half of the plan is occupied by a double-height cafe and a pet playground, while the two-floor grooming salon is split across the other half.
"The project started with an idea of creating a new type of pet store, a place where people could really socialise with their pets," said Say Architects, which was founded by Yan Zhang and Jianan Shan in 2016.
"Say Architects has two cats and one dog, so we like everything related to pets. Therefore the project proceeded quite smoothly."
Spread across a short flight of steps, the pet playground sits next to the salon's entrance. Here there is a large window that looks out onto the street, allowing passersby to see the activities happening inside.
Up the steps and beyond the playground lies a cafe that's composed of two curved, sunken "valleys" that flank a central elevated walkway.

Having these different levels is meant to bring pets and owners face-to-face; while people sit at tables in the sunken level, pets are free to roam across the walkway and around the playground, placing them at the head height with their owners.
Animals can also travel between the cafe's sunken seating ar...