Making Dog Crate Furniture Part Of Your Home Design

Dog owners know just how messy the house can get with toys strewn across the floor and blankets everywhere. Add that to the unsightly presence of a large dog crate crowding the living room and your apartment might no longer be the ideal home you want to live in. It’s like having a baby, except that your doggie has four legs and chews through everything in sight.

If you’re nodding your head in agreement to this, then you’re not alone! Like many house owners, you may also have spent a lot of time and money into making your home a beautiful place where you can relax at the end of a long workday.

Many dog owners are increasingly looking for more (and better) ways to incorporate dog furniture into their own furniture, creating one seamless design that allows you to enjoy your own home and space alongside your pup without “feeling” like their furniture or crate is in the way.

And, when it comes to crates, many will recall how horrendous most look. They’re usually plastic or wire enclosures that are ideal for puppy training and sleeping. While it’s important that you offer your dog this space, there are ways in which you can make the dog crate look like furniture that blends nicely into your decor.

Here’s how and what to consider…

What’s the Purpose of a Dog Crate?

This is actually a great question! The purpose of a dog crate is, well, many things. It depends on what you use it for and what your dog uses it for. If it’s mainly just a space for them to sleep in, you might want to consider getting a smaller crate.

If it’s a place where they spend time with you and other family members while lounging around, it makes sense to look for a crate that blends in better with the rest of your furniture.

Most down owners use crates as a way to:

● House train young puppies
● Keep anxious dogs calm when there are loud storms and noises
● Help dogs calm down at the end of the night
● Ensure dogs are sleeping through the night (and aren’t running around playing)
● Keep dogs safe while they’re away from the house

As a dog owner, a crate is a great way to ensure your dog’s safety while you’re out and about while also giving them space where they can relax and enjoy their own bed and (sometimes) toys.

Should You Make Your Own Dog Crate?

We created a guide on How to Build a Wooden Dog Crate for people who prefer a customized crate for their pup. Building a DIY crate might take a lot of extra planning, time, and materials, but it’s one of the easiest ways for you to create a customized space for your dog.

This is especially important if they’re a larger dog or you have special needs such as unique steps, a softer floor, or even open windows on the side of the crate.

However, you will need to ensure that you’re able to carry out the following if you’re going to build the crate yourself:

● Have you measured your dog correctly?
● Will your dog enjoy a dog crate if they’ve never had one?
● Can you source the right materials?
● Where and when will you build the crate?
● Do you have the tools you need?
● Do you have the time and patience required to build the crate?
● What kind of crate will you build?

While these questions might seem like an exaggeration, they’re the only way to really ensure that you’re ready to take on a project like this. Not ready? No problem! There is another solution.

The Beauty of Premade Dog Crates

Instead of building a dog crate, why not just buy one? Or at least take a style cue from other cute pre-made crates. Let’s take a look at the Casual Home, for example. It looks like a beautiful end table that fits right into any living room, right?

In reality, it’s a dog crate that provides your dog with space for open viewing of the room it’s in, but it also doubles as an end table for lamps, books, or more. Available in numerous colours, crates like these really demonstrate what’s possible if you get creative when building or purchasing a dog crate.

For example, the Casual Home features two doors that swing wide open to allow your dog to crawl in for comfort. This means that they can join you while you relax in the living room and rest in a space that feels like it was “made for them” without you having to look at an unsightly, clunky crate that seems to stick out like an eye sore in the posh designs of your living room.

Sure, you can’t alter and customise the size, but with so many options available, it’s a great start. If you need to make alterations, it’s as easy as adding a small ramp or ensuring that the padding on the inside of the crate is cozy and comfortable.

Another option to look at would be something along the lines of the ecoFLEX wooden dog crate. You’ll see that it looks similar to the Casual Home crate but differs slightly in the colours that they offer and the door.

While you don’t have to opt for these two specifically, looking at each gives you a good idea of what’s available and what you might be able to purchase or build on your own. The ecoFLEX crate is a better option for smaller dogs, while the Casual Home crate is a better option for larger dogs. Why? The doors!

You’ll need to keep this in mind when looking for crates that blend well with your furniture, as the idea is that the dog is still able to enter and leave easily. If more than one dog uses it, you might want to opt for the Casual Home style as it has double doors that open wide to allow for more space; the ecoFLEX option is a bit narrower and only has one door that swings open.

How to Incorporate Dog Crate Furniture Into Your Home’s Design

Now that we’ve inspired you with two great options for pre-made dog crates, let’s talk about taking those types of designs and incorporating them into your home’s overall aesthetic.

Our first tip is to ensure that you’re choosing the right colours. While most dog crates like the ones mentioned above offer plenty of colour options, if you don’t find what you’re looking for, then it’s worth choosing the style that’s the closest and then painting it yourself or adding a special lacquer.

The second tip is to decorate the crate itself. Some dog owners have taken photos of crates similar to the Casual Home crate and added curtains for their dog’s privacy or have taken to opening up the windows completely and adding special glass that is soundproof. If your dog is anxious and gets scared easily at the sound of loud noises, this can be a great way to isolate that noise; plus, it looks cool and adds a unique aesthetic to the furniture!

Finally, if you want to incorporate dog furniture into your home’s design, be strategic with the placing. The two crates mentioned above work well as end tables on either side of a couch, but if they’re too large and clunky, they might look better as the coffee table or even placed in an office or study.

Spruce the crate up by adding flowers, books, and decorations on top, and nobody will ever know that it’s a dog crate!

Final Thoughts

While you can purchase a dog crate (and we recommend that you do if you want to save yourself some work), it’s still crucial that you measure your dog first. Before buying a crate, check out our guide on What Size Dog Crate Should I Get for My Dog?

There, you’ll find all of the tips and resources you need to ensure that you’re choosing the right crate for your precious pup.