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) 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).
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.
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).
Alexis Cass says
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!
Gina says
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…
Nikki's Nacs says
These are great options. I really like the crate/end table.
Alice says
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.
Heidi says
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.
Lauren says
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.
Mary says
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.
Stephanie says
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!
http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=291147.0
Carla says
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.
Redlilocks says
Just to add to Stephanie’s post, here’s another Ikea ‘hack’ that created a fantastic kitty litter box:
http://www.livingetc.com/forums/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/71679/an/0/page/0#71679
Val says
Sorry to comment on such an old post, but this really cracked me up. I adore the mod, medal, spider-web crate, but trying to picture it in proportions large enough for our Great Dane is highly amusing. I can just see us opening the door to a spare bedroom and coming nose to nose with a wire crate that takes up the entire space. Sigh…I love my Angus, but he provides a whole new set of design challenges.
Betty says
Here are some more good ideas for how to hide the cat litter box, most are to buy but some creative types could definately turn it into a DYI project:
http://www.kattbank.com/home.htm
http://www.catlitterfurniture.com/
Here’s one that could also be used as a dog crate!
http://petsbestproducts.com/
Denise says
I love your blog! We have two Golden Retrievers that have two giant crates which live in our bedroom. Any ideas on how to hide them? Our bedroom tends to look like a pet store with them in there.
Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Denise,
Stay tuned for a Design Dilemma that we’ll be sharing this Wednesday afternoon that addresses another way to obscure a larger crate in a bedroom. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
nicole says
I’ve been going back and rereading some of your greatest hits. Never saw this one and am SWOONING over the denhaus dog crate! if only my husband would let me buy something this cool for our pup!
erica says
I have rather large dogs – only one of them still needs to be crated though. We have his crate in the kitchen and then cut a butcher block to put on top! it works fabulously for more surface area while at the same time housing our pup!
Callie says
I know this is old but I have a comment on the kitty litter problem – We foster rescued kitties for the humane society, so I’ve gotten to try out solutions with many different kitties. I have found that adding some baking soda to the litter every few days and mixing it in really helps minimize the smell. I got a big translucent domed litter box on sale at PetSmart for only $16, and like that that also helps minimize smell/sight. I hide it in the laundry room, but not every cat would be okay with the sound of the washer/dryer, so I have to be careful.
Another litter trick I found is an inexpensive, cute doormat from Lowes in front of the box cuts way down on what they track out of the pan. Pet stores sell much smaller “pet mats” – twice the price for 1/4 the size and way less selection. A door mat is a much prettier way to go!
For the kitty dishes, I found that I could buy a few super cute small “people” dishes for a couple bucks each at Target – so much cheaper, and then you can buy them to coordinate with literally any decor! The kitties love them, and I can have a couple extra on hand when I want to soak/wash a couple dishes while leaving food out in the other dishes.
Love the idea for covering a crate!! Am going to be thinking about how I could use that trick…
TMatthew says
Hello! Quick question that’s totally off topic. Do you know how to make your site mobile friendly? My web site looks weird when viewing from my iphone4. I’m trying to
find a theme or plugin that might be able to resolve this issue.
If you have any recommendations, please share. Cheers!
YoungHouseLove says
If you clear your cache/cookies/data it should look great again. It’s just an odd iPhone glitch. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Pat says
I had a large and rather unattractive wire crate in the corner of my family room. I measured the length of it and purchased a bamboo shade from Home Depot that was wide enough to cover the length of the crate and long enough to drape over the top and down the one exposed side. It worked great. Dog and crate are no longer with me (sob!) but it was an easy and inexpensive solution.
Morgan says
Love this post! Not trying to be critical or anything, just want to say that the link from the projects page to this post says, “Stashing your dog Create”… I have a feeling that’s not what you were going for :) I love your blog xoxo Morgan
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Morgan! Off to fix that…
xo
s