Crate Expectations
This post was actually requested by one of our lovely readers who was experiencing a harrowing dog crate decorating debacle (she couldn’t make it blend at all with her home’s decor). So when she asked for a few great crate solutions, we put our heads together to come up with a pretty swanky DIY idea and then trolled the internet for a few crates that are already fit to be seen.
But first we thought we’d share our very own creative crate solution, which seems to work perfectly for us thanks the fact that we have an empty guest room closet and a delightfully petite pooch. Of course the door is always open when Hamburger’s hanging out in his crate (it only gets closed when we have company and Burger’s running around entertaining everyone):
But for everyone with a bigger crate (or nary a closet to spare) we think a skirted dog crate/side table would be a nice little DIY solution. We’ve seen a lot of ready-made fabric slipcovers that can fit around a crate (like this one, pictured below) but we also think it’s definitely a DIY project that some of you crafty readers could take on for yourselves. So why not try skirting your pup’s crate in a fabric that coordinates with your bedroom, living room, or wherever you keep your crate?
Of course you can always employ a tailor if you’re not exactly Martha, and we love the idea of adding a coordinating pillow to the inside of the crate as well. We even thought it would look oh so chic to rest a stained or painted piece of plywood cut to fit the top of the crate to create a “table top” to display everything from a lamp to a few decorative objects beside your bed or your living room couch. And of course the fabric can feature a subtle doggy-door-esque fabric flap for easy Fido entry, or can even be left open like the crate above (but angled so that the opening is a lot less obvious).
And of course for every DIY fan out there, there’s someone who just wants to cut right to the chase and snag a dog crate that’s already ready for its close up. And for those people (which admittedly, is sometimes us) we dug up an exciting array of swoonworthy crates. Now they’re not what we’d call inexpensive, but not completely unreasonable when you stop and think about how much an ugly old regular dog crate costs (which isn’t what we’d call inexpensive either). And when you realize that it’s a piece of furniture you’ll probably have in your house for a decade or two, it suddenly seems like a good investment. Or at least a better deal than trying to decorate around a big plastic and metal crate for the next twenty years.
Feast your eyes on this beauty, which would look absolutely amazing in a modern space (or any home with an abundance of white like ours- oh how we adore it).
And for those in the market for something a little more traditional, we think this sophisticated wooden crate/end table (which works just as well in the living room as it does in the bedroom) is a fabulous furniture-meets-dog-crate find:
And last but certainly not least, we think this sculptural dog crate would look grand in any number of spaces (you’d be surprised how the one in black takes on the look of wrought iron for a more traditional feel).
We hope our dogalicious crate-fest inspires a few pooch palace upgrades. And of course we’d love to see any and all before and after pics (preferably with your precious pooch posing in his or her new digs).
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Comments
Those are some great ideas and suggestions!! Now only if we didn’t have two large dogs that love to look out of their wire crate and tear up anything that is in, on, or around their crates… We’ve gone through many a pillow, a flat iron (because the cord was temptingly close to the crate), a printer (again with the cord), and an overnight bag lost its zipper. So we’re stuck with the BIG, ugly, black eyesores in the bedroom. Sigh…
Thanks for the ideas! I will have to make some slip covers for my guys’ crates. They’re so ugly and we have no place to hide them in our new house.
I have two Boston Terriers and the breed is notorious for breathing problems. I don’t think I would ever put cloth over their kennel. The purpose of a wire kennel is to allow for lots of air ventilation and I’m worried the cloth would prohibit proper ventilation.
That metal crate with the Boston is to die for. Okay, maybe I’m partial because I can already see my pups hanging out in there.
Similar problem needing solution: Kitty litter box and feeding bowls. They currently inhabit the laundry room closet, but that space will eventually be converted into a bathroom. The issues are sight and smell. Despite being cleaned out sometimes more than twice a week, it’s still stinky litter (and only one cat). I’ve tried multiple deodorizers. It’s also not pretty and a litter box means litter on the floor around it, so it can’t just be in any room.
I have the same problem as Lauren with the kitty litter box. One solution I had was to take a door off of one of the cupboards under the sink in our guest bathroom and put the box in there. Then covered the empty doorway with a coordinating piece of fabric.
I realize this was posted a while ago, but I have been scrolling through your archives(and LOVIN every minute of it) and I couldnt help but post this link to a kitty box solution. Forgive me if you address this later in another post, I just haven’t gotten there yet!
BTW this link is brimming with fabulous DIY ideas, this just being one!
Thanks for all YOUR fab ideas!
If the wooden crates weren’t so expensive… I actually have a wicker dog crate which is not cheap, but not as expensive as the wooden crates. It’s another option. My problem is that I’m limited in how I arrange the room because Mabel’s crate takes up so much room. Then again, she does sort of rule my condo. At the very least, the wicker crate is not so much an eyesore.
Thanks for putting this up. I have been looking at the traditional wood crate for a few months now, I just haven’t been able to take the plunge and order it (it is so incredibly expensive!) Now I think I like the sculptual one even more! For now, the ugly dog crate just sits in the sunroom – and goes great with the brown and orange vinyl floors – so I’m not ordering yet, but I love the ideas!